Text and photography: Ruth G. Núñez de Arenas
Neue Zukunft, Berlin — June 4, 2025
Presented by: Worn Pop
For one night, Berlin returned to its essence: a place where shadow and sound collide. On June 4th, the Neue Zukunft club hosted two of the most essential names in the darkwave/EBM spectrum: Buzz Kull and Kontravoid. The double bill was masterfully curated by Worn Pop, a promoter steadily carving out a name for itself as one of Berlin’s sharpest and most visionary forces.
Marc Dwyer, aka Buzz Kull, took to the stage with a no-frills, high-impact set. His sound is cold and minimal, but it pulses with urgency. Tracks like “Avoiding the Light” and “New Kind of Cross” rolled in like dark clouds over the dancefloor — heavy synths, distorted vocals, relentless basslines. The room, packed and alert, surrendered instantly.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came from Kontravoid. Known for performing with his iconic mask —as seen last year at WGT and during his Madrid show with All Waves— this time Cameron Findlay appeared without it. It was a gesture of disarmament that led to something more intimate, more human.
Still, the sound was no less potent. “Faceless”, “Too Deep”, “Turn Away” — each track a sharp-edged gem in a perfectly constructed set. The crowd, tightly packed and fully immersed, followed him into every emotional dip and rhythmic spike.
Once again, Worn Pop proved why it’s one of the most exciting promoters in Berlin. The room was overflowing — so packed it was nearly impossible to take decent photos — but that claustrophobia added to the atmosphere. What matters to Worn Pop is the essence: the sound, the curation, the moment. And they delivered on all fronts. A night of emotional voltage, stripped of gimmicks. Buzz Kull moved the body. Kontravoid touched the nerve. And Worn Pop tied it all together with a curatorial voice that feels less like taste, and more like identity.