Bang Bang Berlin

`All art has been contemporary at some stage' reads the giant neon red slogan that adorns the front of one of the main, Wagnerian buildings in Berlin's Museuminsel area. The phrase and the way it is delivered in bold, shiny letters lashed to the Doric columns on the front of the grandiose building, sum up my weekend stay in Berlin.
In spite of the city's image as a nu minimal central, it has and still does encapsulate much of what I held and still hold dear about electronic music. Some of what I experienced there managed to combine these elements, capturing the old and the new, the familiar and the unknown in a way that is exciting and, whisper it, fun.
Visually and musically, this mixture of the old and new, was evident on Saturday night, when I visited the Berghain club for the first time. I had read many accounts about the club's strict door policy and suffice to say, as I queued up outside at 1am,
I saw it in action. A group of younger guys, probably from the UK ahead of me were told in explicit terms that they were not allowed in. The group right in front of me, consisting of two young well-dressed Turkish-German couples from the suburbs who chatted as they waited - apparently a no-no if you want to get in - were also knocked back, but in less brutal terms. In the meantime, I stared into space and remained silent. As I walked in, the bouncers hardly looked at me, even though I was almost shabby looking, dressed in a hoodie top, jeans and runners. Maybe the fact that I didn't say a word while queuing, or that I was on my own, or just that I looked like I would appreciate the music a bit more, meant that I sailed in. Maybe I'm the type of person the club wants to attract, but maybe if I turned up again next week, I'd be knocked back for some inexplicable reason. After a thorough search, which was prefaced by the bouncer barking 'Los!' at me and after which he wishes me a pleasant night, I finally go in and it quickly becomes clear why Berghain's door policy is so strict. I've
never been in a club like this: the entrance hall and main space are cavernous, the roof above the dance floor located somewhere in the stars. The adjacent bar is like a scene from a Batman movie, the long diamond windows stretching up to infinity and adding to the Gothic sensibility. Truly, this is a venue of huge proportions, a techno club on a grand scale. Then there's the equally monstrous sound system. As I arrived, the club was still very much in warm-up mode and the DJ in Berghain was playing quite
dark wave/Italo. It wasn't being put properly through its paces, and I had people to meet upstairs, so I navigated my way up the steel stairs and paid the Panorama Bar a visit. Although Berghain was in start-up mode, Panorama Bar was already flying: I made a concerted effort not to find out who was playing and instead hooked up with my friend and started dancing for hours – pausing only to buy a beer or take a quick
break on the wall seat at the back of the room, near the explicit art.
The crowd in Panorama was more mixed than in Berghain and I got chatting to a number of strangers. While the predominant house sound had a lighter touch, the sound system was just as crisp and powerful, picking up every element in a track, yet letting the dancers converse without raising their voice. I'm not a great trainspotter but I heard Mike Dunn's 'God Made Me Phunky' and Jon Tejada's 'Mono on Mono'
getting dropped. After a few hours, we descended to Berghain. Heiko MSO from Playhouse/Ongaku was on - annoyingly, I missed a live set by Sten - pushing the sound system to its limits. The bass was all-powerful, following you wherever you went. The relentless strobe augmented the sensory assault as the DJ played wave upon wave of heavy subs populated only by sharp percussion, ravey stabs and the
occasional breakdown. The only tune I recognized was Halo Varga's near-decade old tribal track 'Future', a strange record to hear in one of the world's supposed techno strongholds, but one that somehow fitted with the tripped out feeling and vaguely menacing underurrents.
We left the club at nearly 8am - before resident Len Faki came on and just as Berghain was really getting going and Panorama was heaving – but the previous night had been a very long one and we were all exhausted. Despite the door policy, the crowd, music, venue and sound system all combine to make Berghain an unforgettable experience. I'm sure it got messier later on and I didn't see any of the crazy antics the place is renowned for – mainly because I didn't go looking
for them – but I'll certainly be visiting the place again.
I had arrived in Berlin early on Friday and spent the best part of the day wandering around Mitte and then Kreuzberg, meeting Add Noise for a few coffees and a good chat. Later that afternoon, I  finally got to visit Hardwax for the first time. I was only in the shop for 90 minutes - due to bad time planning on my behalf - so as pilgrimages go, it was too brief. Despite the impact the shop, and the associated Basic Channel/Chain Reaction operation, has had on my life over the past 15 years, the experience itself was relatively low-key and functional. Instead of gazing around in awe I got down to as much crate digging as time allowed and got my hands on the new Kenny Larkin album, the latest POM doublepack (apparently it's the work of one of the guys who works in the Space Hall record store), Omar S' 'Psychotic Photosynthesis' and an M.Pittmann release also on FXHE, Aroy Dee's ridiculously deep 'Summer' EP for MOS and two stunning releases featuring James T Cotton. The first, 'Electronic Justice' is as 2AM/Fm with D'Marc Cantu on Spectral and the other is 'Primitive Cypher’, an older X2/Saturn V affair on Relief, again with D'Cantu as well as Traxx. I didn't have the time to go through the Maurizio and Basic Channel back catalogue, but that missed opportunity as well as the pleasant, knowledgeable and very helpful staff -  I hooked up with Sleeparchive for some beers and comfort food the following afternoon - left me longing to re-visit the store as soon as I left.
On Friday evening, a whole load of us, including Stephen, my kind host, Donnacha Costello and Function, headed to Watergate for the Wagon Repair/Cynosure party. There we met one half of Misc/Niederflur, PR and label people as well as Berlin's very own man about town, Substance. It was my first time in Watergate and the club's design, layout and sound system(s) are of a very high quality, more of a purpose-built club than Berghain. It also attracts a better-looking crowd -  present company excepted – and it was pleasant to go out onto their pier-style outdoor area when things heated up inside. I wasn't downstairs to hear the Cynosure guys, but some of the Wagon Repair sets disappointed me. Konrad Black, playing off Traktor, seemed to be content to drop, to these ears at least, drab minimal techno/house, predicated on that bog-standard shuffle and heavily FXed percussion, yet whenever he dropped the bass for a few bars, it drove the crowd nuts. Maybe it just wasn't my thing. However, I also found Hrdvision's set pandered to the lowest common denominator for the dance floor, and by the time his brother Mathew came on, I was just too tired to fully appreciate what he was doing -  even though I love some of his productions. Set of the night then came from the combination of Dedbeat and Tikiman. With basslines that rose through your chest and lodged in your gullet and Tiki's unmistakable, plaintive vocals, the sound system was used to its fullest capabilities during this performance. Maybe it was my frame of mind at the time, but I enjoyed this set the most -  perhaps, like a lot of the best things about Berlin, its bold combination of the past and the present in an attempt to reach the future was intoxicating... Big shouts out to everyone I met over the weekend, especially Stephen for letting me stay and also to Jay, Roger, Jonas, Dave, Pete and to those missing in action - Lee, Mat and Melissa...

Comments

[teleost]

I'm so glad I get to read about people's trips to Berlin because, if I didn't, I wouldn't feel at all bad about not having gone.
As it is, it's got to the point where it's no longer a matter of if but when...
Glad you had such a great time - and at least I now know I might perhaps be able to get into Berghain looking my usual scruffy self...

[chymera]

cool review of the weekend. I gotta say I'm not a fan of berghain or the panorama bar. I can see what the fuss is for sure, but it's not for me. I'm saying that as someone who has both played there and randomly punted on 2 separate occasions. just something about the vibe of the place I couldn't get into. However I'm sure I will end up there again at some stage and maybe my view will change. The watergate is cool, nice layout and everything. seems a bit more of an inviting vibe there, though similarly wankerish doormen. The music that was on the night I was there was crap though. I guess it would be totally dependent on who's playing. Anyways, my impression of berlin from the times I've been there is that its indeed a cool grungey place, but I don't think I'd ever see myself living there. (but who knows)

[hum3]

I've been there a couple of times. I remember, on the first trip we walked in on a small Bpitch party in the middle of the afternoon on a playground, surrounded by a couple of appartment blocks. Hearing your favorite Berlin-based tunes (which was, back then, way more Warp than Minus) being spinned in the city where it was made, certainly made a lasting impression (as was walking in on an oddly amusing confrontation between some squatters and the local Polizei).

Later on, we walked for ages on the Karl Marx Allee until we finally discovered where Cafe Moskou was located. We found a pretty modest party: Modeselektor spinning hip-hop, Ellen Allien mixing her (then) just released Berlinette; but it was all so spontaneous, improvised and fresh. (And what a special place to hang out in!)

We also went to the original Tresor which was winding down at the time. When we walked up, you couldn't help but feel the history of the place. That is until some promo girl gave us a Coca-Cola button and wished us a good night. I could never look at the Tresor in quite the same way, but it was a warning sign of some sorts I guess, cause things where becoming more overground, even in Berlin.

Last time I was over there, just before minimal exploded for real, the party scene looked slightly more 'fashionable' and 'hyped', (Also, Alexanderplatz just wasn't the same anymore...)

Of course, I always want to visit that remarkable city once again, but not so much for all that after-partying. Still curious about Berghain though - it 'sounds' as a place that quite deliberately wants to preserve a certain kind of Berlin-attitude.

Let's call it raw.

[chris]

i dont get it how techno lovers in the uk/europe haven't made it to berlin. as soon as i got anywhere near europe, i made a line straight for berlin. and it was worth it. amazing place. looking forward to going back in 2009 for a couple of visits. what i really appreciate it - beyond the music - is that it is a really great city.

[skkatter]

The only bad thing about living in Berlin is the amount of people trying to freeload on your couch!

[clom]

great piece, you really capture how unique Berghain is. there's so much talk and expectation around the place and it's a bit of a shock when it completely delivers.

i saw Deepchord there last year and it was swoonsome, they came on at about 4.30 after we'd been dancing for about three hours to a seriously exciting music.

regarding the queue, your approach was spot on, we went early as well and kept very quiet ("respectful" seems to be how the locals euphemise it!)

It's pretty quiet a hilarious moment at one of the small bars off the dancefloor where my wife asked for a couple of beers and a dark rum ("dunkel rum?").

she was given the beers and told "zere are two large rooms on this floor and a number of smaller rooms downstairs but they will not normally have people in them until later"

she made sure to say "Havana Club" in future!

visiting Berlin for a weekend totally rekindled my love of techno in clubs after a few years of not really feeling it. the fact that most of the non-club part of the weekend was spent lounging around drinking delicious German beers and scoffing great kebabs only served to make the memories warmer.

[kenny]

great piece, esp on berghain. looking like a scruffy bastard has always worked in my favour heading in there. either that or scruffy and blind drunk at 7am. i do think you missed the best time though, early morning onwards.

I caught Jonson on saturday night here. after an excellent first 25 mins or so it got boring. didn't help that he barely played any of his tracks that i really like

Was only in watergate once. not mad to go back there. Anthony rother was good (surprisingly, the route he has gone down in the last 5yrs) but gregor threser was on after. awful nonsense

[Benjamin]

Great post! I'm very curious about Berghain since many of its residents, including Norman Nodge, Ben Klock, Marcel Fengler, and, especially, Marcel Dettmann have really inspired me. I'm planning on traveling to Berlin soon, and I was wondering if anyone would be so kind as to provide me with anymore tips on getting into Berghain. Thanks in advance to anyone that responds, and thanks for great read Richard.

[dc]

Hey Richie Rich. Nice to make "Contakt" in Berlin. Thanks for the champers, see you soon!
dc.

[barry]

caught ben klock in watergate about a year and a half ago and he blew me away, unfortunately didnt make ot to berghain that weekend, and still have to even though ive be to the city, its still something i look forward to.

the whole buzz about the berghani even contributed to my night last night, went to klock again here in helsinki. i dont know if this is a good or a bad thing but the fact that i know he's the resident there, and him and his very tall friend marcel basically gear their productions to the acoustics and the system in berghain, i just couldnt wait to here those tracks on another good system. ive been completely dissalusiond with techno etc for a the best part of this year but it was restored ;ast night, klock absolutely tore the place apart over 4 hours, and lattice etc sounded amazing. long live berghain, i enjoyed it and i was in another city.

[Joe H]

Great piece! I was very curious about Berghain and I too had heard stories of the bouncers being a little picky when it comes to letting people in. It's good to know that going in casual clothing gives you a better chance of getting in. I do like the fact that they're trying to keep it pure, like the music. I suppose if it was not for the tight security it would definitely be turned into more of a "tourist attraction".Now I really need to get over there and sample it for myself.

[Brophy]

@ Skkatter - "The only bad thing about living in Berlin is the amount of people trying to freeload on your couch!" - blatant 'I live in a cool apartment in a cool part of Berlin and everyone wants to stay with me' post... thanks again anyway!

[Brophy]

Hey Richie Rich. Nice to make "Contakt" in Berlin. Thanks for the champers, see you soon!
dc.- you too D. watch out for the cube - I hear its power is all-consuming. huh huh, he said cube....

[Brophy]

Hey, glad you all liked the piece. I can't say for sure what berghain's policy is, but speaking a bit of German helps and getting there early (eg 1am) or very late (eg 7am and on) seems to help. Whatever you do, don't talk in the queue and look serious! I also agree 100% about a berghain sound - heavy, quite basic/primal and loads of oppressive bass...

[Benjamin]

Thanks for the tips, Richard.

[Lee]

Hi Richard - shame that our paths never managed to cross, despite our best efforts. Next time, eh ;)

[Michael]

Great read Richard, thanks. First time in Berghain is always unforgettable, my jaw dropped when I passed the cloak room, and then looked up! Always a bit of a downer coming back here though... you should check out kit-kat next time too.

[tiddlerz]

was there the same night, sorry not to have bumper into you!
although i arrived about 7am and stayed til 4pm sunday. cant really say how much i like this place, it really is the greatest club right now and i feel it will be talked of as one of the greatest of all after its eventual demise (for me it blows great clubs like fabric, the end and watergate out of the water).
When faki finished downstairs and the crowd all were upstairs for nick hoppners housey set the atmosphere was really something else. serious freaks, gaylords, the glamorous, ravers and the most totally random heads just absolutely rocking out to proper house music (craig alexander 'soul reviaval' on millions of moments is one that stood out).
left at 4 pm, tough thing to do but reality has to return at some stage. mindblowing place i cant stop thinking about it as a club, and as a mad as fuck experience.
as for door policy the advice i can give is that it is much stricter earlier in the night than in the mornings (and much more rocking and wild in the mornings) but you kinda have to know the score, shut up, act disinterested, groups of straight guys will have a fair chance of being refused, it sucks but you cannot argue with the results!

[Brophy]

Guys, glad you liked the post. Stephen told me that the first time you go there it's a bit anti-climatic, but I was impressed by the club, as Michael says, the minute I walked past the cloak room...
Lee: it's a date - next time!
Tiddlerz - I'm sure our paths will cross there soon. next time I'm going to go to bed early, get up at 6am , grab some breakfast and head in:)