Paul Kalkbrenner performed his album THE ESSENCE live at Drumsheds, at the head of a three-room day bill with ZHU and Stephan Bodzin.
German live act Paul Kalkbrenner, whose single “Sky and Sand” went platinum, performed his new album THE ESSENCE at Drumsheds in Meridian Water on Saturday 13 December 2025. ZHU and Stephan Bodzin, who also played live, led the support.
Kalkbrenner grew up in Lichtenberg, in East Berlin, and was 13 when the Wall came down. Around then he began playing records to friends at the city’s youth clubs, and he later learned the trumpet and studied music theory.
He breaks his tracks into parts and rebuilds them on stage, so he performs as a live act. He also played the lead, Ickarus, in the film Berlin Calling, which ran for years at a single cinema in the city.
The day ran from 13:00 to 22:30 across the X, Y and Z Rooms, with live sets on the bill beside the DJs.
Parra For Cuva and NTO also played live, and Qrion, Bless You and Joplyn completed the bill.