SLOW TRAVEL BERLIN
Fat Freddy’s Drop, Astra, 8pm

It isn’t easy to combine musical genres on seemingly opposite ends of the spectrum into something cool and cohesive, but seven-piece dub-reggae band, Fat Freddy’s Drop, does just that.

Blending the organic sounds of reggae, R&B and soul music with the synthetically produced influences of dub-step and techno music, the group have carved themselves a niche in the dub-reggae genre and emerged as one of the best live bands underneath that banner.

Hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, a place that might strike many as the last place to birth a band of Fat Freddy’s Drop caliber, the group first began as a distraction – more of a side project – for its respective members. Yet once they began playing and touring, it became clear that they were onto something that listeners couldn’t help but latch onto.

The music is varied and infectious, and the lyrics steer clear of overt politically tinged or spirtually involved undertones, making it something that anyone can agree with. Natalye Childress

Astra, Revaler Straße 99, 10245 Berlin; 030 20 05 67 67; U+ S: Warschauer Straße; admission €30