Moderat are in the midst of their first tour since 2017 and the German electronic outfit made their way to Brooklyn’s Avant Gardner on Friday, October 7th. Back in May, the group ended their 6 year hiatus with the announcement of their fourth LP More D4ata, via Monkeytown Records. Moderat’s triumphant return to New York City attracted fans from all over the world, packing into the cavernous warehouse and creating a noticeable buzz of excitement.
Moderat is the collaborative project between Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary (a.k.a. Modeselektor) and Sascha Ring (a.k.a. Apparat). All three provide various electronic, textures, and vocals, with Sascha Ring providing lead vocals, guitar, and bass. Moderat’s music has also been a a blend of melodic electronica with funky bass rhythms and ethereal vocal play, and More D4ata (an anagram for Moderat 4) leans heavily into their signature style while dabbling in a more abstract backing. Lead single and album opener “FAST LAND” features a swirling synth loop with a heartbeat pulse in the background that slowly builds in suspense, reminiscent of Mezzanine-era Massive Attack. This leads into “EASY PREY” which is a sporadic electronic array you might hear on a number of Thom Yorke solo projects.
At Avant Gardner on Friday night, Moderat played songs from all four of their LPs, including a Jon Hopkins cover. After coming on stage for the encore, the band thanked the crowd for their support over the years, especially after such a long hiatus. Before bursting into a passionate rendition of their most popular song “Bad Kingdom”, Sascha Ring admitted that he has so much fun performing that song no matter how many times they play it. The packed warehouse of Avant Gardner sung in harmony with Moderat, and the band was visibly invigorated by the response.
Moderat continue on tour in Europe with a lengthy run of dates through November. Head over to their website for all of the tour dates, including what will be two very special hometown shows in Stuttgart and Hamburg, Germany. Check out the full photo gallery from the show at Avant Gardner from Joseph Buscarello below.
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