The Rivers of Paradise are the mythological waterways that fork out of the Garden of Eden. Though their interpretations may vary across customs, these four fertile rivers overflow with allegorical meaning, whether in the water of life streaming out from within the heavenly orchard, or the righteous blessings of water, milk, wine, and honey coming from beneath. While who gets access to, and passage across these fabled formations appears conditional according to traditions, Creamcake’s second “Is it cold in the water?” performance and club night at Kreuzberg’s ÆDEN on June 22 is open to everyone.
Invited performers, musicians, DJs, and producers create their own flowing utopias within the waterfront club space, its existence superseding the early operations of the old customs and toll station around the corner. The two buildings are both nestled between the canals branching off from the Spree river, but where one stands as a relic of enforced borders and control, the other creates its own Arcadian refuge for unity and plurality.
Fifteen-plus artists will inundate ÆDEN’s two floors with a diverse approach to music and movement, from Lyzza, Windowseeker, and Sevyn 0000’s energetic dance to the softer atmospherics of LA TIMPA, Cõvco, and others. A live performance from Chuquimamani-Condori draws on a battery of influences used in the Aymara artist’s self-released album DJ E, where forty bands play the melodies of water ceremonies at once, reimagining “the cacophony of the first aurora and the call of the morning star Venus.” KMRU brings an ambient set made up of a repository of listening experiences from Nairobi and beyond, while Francesca Heart freely navigates the borders of dance and sound art in a meditative experience, which recalls aquatic ambiences and primordial memories inspired by Mediterranean sea mythology. Self-declared “rave princess” River Moon presents her emotionally-inspired, genre transcending sound, blending the queer electro-pop of her South African home with Afro-Futurism, hip-hop, ballroom, and club influences. Sausha brings her dark techno, ambient, and Latin club that pushes the boundaries of fashion and culture. DJ Shahmaran draws inspiration from the mythical chimera of Kurdish folklore in merging broken beats, deconstructed club, bass music, and leftfield techno, while Mama Yha Yha, YUI, JASSS, and quest?onmarq all surge along the late-night tide.
The watery symbolism of the Rivers of Paradise apply, in varying degrees, to many cultures. As to whether they actually existed geographically in antiquity is up for debate, but its metaphorical connotation of mobility and restriction, freedom and constraint still resonate.
Paradise floor
07:00 YUI
09:00 Cõvco live
09:30 KMRU live
10:30 Francesca Heart live
11:10 LA Timpa live
12:00 Windowseeker live
01:00 Chuquimamani-Condori live
02:00 Mama Yha Yha
04:00 Sevyn 0000
06:00 quest?onmarq
Club floor
10:00 DJ Shahmaran
11:30 LYZZA
01:00 River Moon
02:30 JASSS
04:00 SAUSHA
