where to go for music in Berlin/Germany?

[djesa]

hey, well the last year ive been living in Norway in my own closed off world making my own music, but now i want to escape to find other people and places where i can, well get lost in music.

ive lived in Amsterdam before for about 3 years, and the places i liked there were OT301, Trouw, and sometimes Paradiso and Melkweg (depending on who was playing). i like many styles, started with dnb/jungle, dubstep (before it turned into shit), minimal, and this "berghain" style of techno or i dont know wtf ppl call it. i just like certain sounds, and want to hear "musicians perform techno" in a way.

ok to make it easier, listen to the way i mix sounds from my soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/mister-mishka-music
maybe someone can reccomend me something


but yeah, in general, where to go or who to see? i will be in germany for a few weeks starting july. ive heard of berghain, tresor, watergate, but i feel given that ive heard of them, i start to doubt if the music is the main focus or not. usually the things i havent heard of, is where i find the most interesting music/sounds..

however, to prevent myself aimlessly wandering around and wasting all of my time, can anyone reccomend something? anywhere in berlin, but also anywhere in germany too..

cheers!

[TomViolenz]

That's certainly more difficult to answer than one would think. You correctly identified that most about these well known clubs is hype and the "party culture". The people go to these clubs (esp. Berghain) because they want to feel the dirty underbelly of sex and drugs for 3 days straight. Which is certainly an experience one should do once, but definitely nothing to fall into. Also be aware that these club are sometimes difficult to get into, the door does some sort of very arbritrary face check and if he deems you worthy you have not wasted those 2 hours in line. What makes you "worthy" is hard to predict and it's certainly not something straight forward as having fancy shoes (that would rather get you rejected).

Music wise Berghain is quite hard (think Minimal but remove anything above 500Hz and overcompress until your ears bleed)
Tresor is just a shadow of its former self IMO and also quite hard and you should really enjoy partying in a bunker or concrete pit, because that is what Tresor is (has always been) about.

I don't care for Watergate at all, the music is softer, and the club is "nicer" but it get's awefully close to a discotheque feeling. So having fancy shoes might not be so out of place here.

Since Berlin is so much about this "Party Culture" the visitors don't pay all that much attention to the originality of the music that is being played. So the organizers don't either. They just rather play it save with better known names.

But there are quite a few options besides the mentioned clubs, often way better.

Check out if sisyphos is having an event when you are in town, if they do then this would be your best option for a great week-end.
http://www.sisyphos-berlin.net/
Usually good music by lesser known acts, the atmoshere still contains some of that hippy-techno feeling of the 2000s and it's partly an open air-club and the door policy is very permissive.

There are many others: Fiese Remiese, About Blank, Griessmühle etc, etc.

My advice would be, if you care about music, to check out Resident Advisor about who is playing on the week-end you are in town, then hunt down the Soundcloud/Youtube links for the crews and determine for yourself who you would like to see live.

You should also not plan to do anything else on that week-end (including sleeping ), because getting lost in a literally never-ending beat without any curfews or limits is what the Berlin-Techno scene is all about. (Clubs are often open from Friday night (sometimes Thursday) to Monday morning (sometimes Tuesday))

Have fun (But don't overdo it!)

[8O]

Yup, would second Tom's recommendations there.

Though a fair few people do go to Berghain for the music, not just for the dark rooms... the bouncers at the door occasionally ask you if you know who's playing tonight, just to check whether a) you're there for the music, and b) you can string a coherent sentence together.

[djesa]

thanks for the reply, thats exactly what i needed to know

i guess i might as well try berghain just once to see, even though i have already experienced those 24 hour techno parties with all the drugs and crazy sex back in amsterdam lol. however, im much more interested in those other clubs you reccomended a much more "artistic" atmosphere it seems, and i will definitely check out resident advisor to see whos playing..

Fiese Remiese, About Blank, Griessmühle, Berghain; is what is on my list so far. however, does anybody know some in other parts of Germany? or does berlin have plenty to see..

[TomViolenz]

Fiese Remiese, About Blank, Griessmühle, Berghain; is what is on my list so far. however, does anybody know some in other parts of Germany? or does berlin have plenty to see..

My actual recommendation was Sisiphos, the others where just some of the top of my head of many, many, many others you could go to. Again check Resident Advisor if someone is playing there that you'd like to hear. If that is good, then you should not be dissapointed by the general atmosphere in any of them.
Griessmühle for instance has mostly somewhat generic music (Minimal usually), but the atmosphere is a low key hippyesque party, partly out-door on a channel, partly inside in an old industrial mill. The people are usually exceptionaly friendly there and I have spend many a night just chatting away with some stranger sitting on an old sofa under a redly lit tree, overlooking the oil films passing by on that channel, while the music was just playing in the background

And just like this, all these clubs have their own character.

So if you ask regarding clubs and music, if Berlin has plenty to see, then the answer would be that there should not be a reason to ever leave again.
There is always something opening up and something shutting down. My tip would be though not to limit yourself to techno music only, there are great little concerts every night in every music style you can think of. Often for very little money or on a donation basis.

Since you are comming in summer you should also consider the many festivals in and around Berlin that take place. Some are big with known headliners, but some are charming little endevours that a few music fanatics have set up and may be something you still talk about years down the road.

[djesa]

o i thought i wrote that in my list, but i seemed i didnt.. edit, my list:

Sisiphos, Fiese Remiese, About Blank, Griessmühle, Berghain

yeah its techno style that is top of my list, but if there is good techy dnb / neurofunk, or dub / oldskool dubstep places, id be sure to check out them too. well, also any live acts with their own unique sound, because i always find them interesting. haha, and well improv / jazz style piano i love as well, but ive only played myself, but that ive always found hard to find.

im searching out places that i could keep coming back to, thus festivals are not on top of my list (but if someone can reccomend me some i will surely look into it). if i like berlin enough, i might move down there u see

[re:dream]

Feeling more than a tad of envy here. Enjoy

[TomViolenz]

yeah its techno style that is top of my list, but if there is good techy dnb / neurofunk, or dub / oldskool dubstep places, id be sure to check out them too. well, also any live acts with their own unique sound, because i always find them interesting. haha, and well improv / jazz style piano i love as well, but ive only played myself, but that ive always found hard to find.

if i like berlin enough, i might move down there u see

Many clubs are not that hard set on techno, Berghain (on the week-end) and Tresor maybe excepted. So, many genres of electronic music can be found in them, depending on who is playing that night. That's why it's so important to do a little research before the night starts.

The only dedicated place for the dubby kind of styles I knew (Icon) had to shut down because of gentrification in its neigbourhood. There might be new ones though, but it's really not my cup of tea, so I'm not informed.

What you mentioned about jazz improv, was kind of what I meant with venture out to different styles. Because appart from the club scene, Berlin has a very lively bar scene too and many musicians who play them for nothing, or close to it. And they play all styles. (Though the whole Singer/Songwriter thing is getting a little overdone lately)
So, if you come as a musician, there will be two sides to what you can expect here: Yes, you will be able to meet (if you are a somewhat social person) many fellow musicians from all over the world here. But no, it will not be easy to make a living playing music.

If you plan to move to Berlin, you should consider that it kinda sucks during winter (not the music scene, just the general, well, climate) and it's gotten quite difficult to find an appartment (because sooo many people already did, what you are thinking about doing).
Also the cheap drinks and entry fees in the night life have a reason, and that is that Berlin is still economically depressed and it is difficult to find well paying jobs.

But as a techno fan, who comes to Berlin for the first time during summer, I don't see how you can not fall in love with it

[djesa]

ive moved to amsterdam on 2 separate occasions, and i am well aware of the hassle of finding apartments and work :/ winter or weather in general is nothing compared to norway, that i wont have an issue with. and i also do not want to live off of music, i would rather have some shitty job just to pay the bills and keep my music "free" from it.

i do worry about berlin being overcrowded, some of my artists friends already moved there from amsterdam 2 years ago, i hope the housing situation in berlin is not as crazy as it has always been in amsterdam. i also was planning to move to berlin back then, but things came up and i had to go back to norway, no other choice. however now ive been 1 year in norway again and im starting to go insane, the only benefits in norway is the beautiful nature, family, and if u can find a full time job, good place to make money. i work part time here at a concert hall, setting up stages, sound, lights, and i hope to find a similar job like that in berlin (i hope the german language wont be such a hinderance in me finding employment there).

so this summer i just want to see, explore, and "feel" berlin. at least for a few weeks, hopefully i can work something out, or at least make some progress. ive been homeless in the past, and i dont plan to do that again lol, so its just to go back to norway and work some more, until i can find a way

however the more time goes by, the more eager i seem to get..

[derzai]

where you stayed in amsterdam? i live there too, since 20+ years.

haven't been in berlin since '87, so i wouldnt know.

i heard berlin is bankrupt.

ja, amsterdam, will be very difficult to find place to live.

[djesa]

where you stayed in amsterdam? i live there too, since 20+ years.

haven't been in berlin since '87, so i wouldnt know.

ive had apartments in de pijp, oosterpark area and the last apartment i had was in diemen; in total ive lived there for about 3 years. i might visit amsterdam as well in july, but most of the artists i worked with moved to berlin or the uk. i do miss the coffeeshop atmosphere there, and places like ot301 (its more fun to mix music when people are not only drunk, but also high lol).

do u mix / make music in amsterdam yourself?

[TomViolenz]

ive moved to amsterdam on 2 separate occasions, and i am well aware of the hassle of finding apartments and work :/ winter or weather in general is nothing compared to norway, that i wont have an issue with. and i also do not want to live off of music, i would rather have some shitty job just to pay the bills and keep my music "free" from it.

i do worry about berlin being overcrowded, some of my artists friends already moved there from amsterdam 2 years ago, i hope the housing situation in berlin is not as crazy as it has always been in amsterdam. i also was planning to move to berlin back then, but things came up and i had to go back to norway, no other choice. however now ive been 1 year in norway again and im starting to go insane, the only benefits in norway is the beautiful nature, family, and if u can find a full time job, good place to make money. i work part time here at a concert hall, setting up stages, sound, lights, and i hope to find a similar job like that in berlin (i hope the german language wont be such a hinderance in me finding employment there).

so this summer i just want to see, explore, and "feel" berlin. at least for a few weeks, hopefully i can work something out, or at least make some progress. ive been homeless in the past, and i dont plan to do that again lol, so its just to go back to norway and work some more, until i can find a way

however the more time goes by, the more eager i seem to get..

It's probably not quite as crazy as Amsterdam yet and certainly not as expensive, but then wages are much lower too.
Overcrowded is also certainly a relative thing. Berlin is a huge city (area wise) and if you are willing to live a little ways off, then places will be much easier to find and often cheaper. But especially if the party lifestyle is what you come for, living outside of the S-Bahn ring will severly limit your ease of life. It's nice to life just a few bicycle minutes from your favorite bars/clubs/caffes. For what you want, you should look at Wedding/Neukölln/Kreuzberg/Friedrichshain maybe Schöneberg. Unfortunately that's where everyone comming to Berlin wants to live

Language wise, as an English speaker you should not have problems with being understood in anything related to culture. But Norway is not in the EU right?! So, I don't know if you would need a special work permit.
Regarding being homeless, I doubt that will happen. The only people that I see being homeless here are people that have much bigger problems than just being without a place to stay. Usually severe alcoholics or drug victims (Watch out in the techno scene though, to not become one of those! Drugs are E V E R Y W H E R E! )

Good luck

[derzai]

de pijp is nice. since 5 years i live on the very edge of the city, gaasperzoom, near gaasperplas, only 100 meters from the meadows, near abcoude. diemen is also close.

i'm "busy" with making music. trying to write a piece for piano, will take years and years.

meanwhile i have been biking around here in the area, in a 20 miles radius, and took a lot of pictures. after worldcup i will continue taking pictures.

then in winter, when it's getting colder, i will pick up making music again.

[derzai]

Berlin

Berlin is more than 4 time Amsterdam, 3,4 milion vs. 800 thousand. inhabitants.

What you call "gross-stadt" (?) is a fail where there are too many people living together in high building blocks.

It wasn't the concept of le corbusier that would be a fail, but the dimensions and scale of its excecution.

I believe in reconstruction/renovation of a city, and i think Berlin still has a lot to do.

Only went there recent by streetview. lol.

Okay, over to you, to the citadel.

[djesa]

ive moved to amsterdam on 2 separate occasions, and i am well aware of the hassle of finding apartments and work :/ winter or weather in general is nothing compared to norway, that i wont have an issue with. and i also do not want to live off of music, i would rather have some shitty job just to pay the bills and keep my music "free" from it.

i do worry about berlin being overcrowded, some of my artists friends already moved there from amsterdam 2 years ago, i hope the housing situation in berlin is not as crazy as it has always been in amsterdam. i also was planning to move to berlin back then, but things came up and i had to go back to norway, no other choice. however now ive been 1 year in norway again and im starting to go insane, the only benefits in norway is the beautiful nature, family, and if u can find a full time job, good place to make money. i work part time here at a concert hall, setting up stages, sound, lights, and i hope to find a similar job like that in berlin (i hope the german language wont be such a hinderance in me finding employment there).

so this summer i just want to see, explore, and "feel" berlin. at least for a few weeks, hopefully i can work something out, or at least make some progress. ive been homeless in the past, and i dont plan to do that again lol, so its just to go back to norway and work some more, until i can find a way

however the more time goes by, the more eager i seem to get..

It's probably not quite as crazy as Amsterdam yet and certainly not as expensive, but then wages are much lower too.
Overcrowded is also certainly a relative thing. Berlin is a huge city (area wise) and if you are willing to live a little ways off, then places will be much easier to find and often cheaper. But especially if the party lifestyle is what you come for, living outside of the S-Bahn ring will severly limit your ease of life. It's nice to life just a few bicycle minutes from your favorite bars/clubs/caffes. For what you want, you should look at Wedding/Neukölln/Kreuzberg/Friedrichshain maybe Schöneberg. Unfortunately that's where everyone comming to Berlin wants to live

Language wise, as an English speaker you should not have problems with being understood in anything related to culture. But Norway is not in the EU right?! So, I don't know if you would need a special work permit.
Regarding being homeless, I doubt that will happen. The only people that I see being homeless here are people that have much bigger problems than just being without a place to stay. Usually severe alcoholics or drug victims (Watch out in the techno scene though, to not become one of those! Drugs are E V E R Y W H E R E! )

Good luck

o thanks for the reccomendations! yeah norway is not in the eu, but its in schengen, so it is no problem to move/live/work there, just like other schengen countries

and yeah, drugs u can get everywhere in amsterdam too (except lsd, which i couldnt for the life of me find, which is the one i rly wanted to try). ive pretty much done the majority of them and almost died myself (bad extacy in paradiso, woke up in the hospital after being in a 5 hour coma). anyways, nowadays i dont even bother to drink, but some weed here and there while i make music, is enough for me.

de pijp is nice. since 5 years i live on the very edge of the city, gaasperzoom, near gaasperplas, only 100 meters from the meadows, near abcoude. diemen is also close.

i'm "busy" with making music. trying to write a piece for piano, will take years and years.

meanwhile i have been biking around here in the area, in a 20 miles radius, and took a lot of pictures. after worldcup i will continue taking pictures.

then in winter, when it's getting colder, i will pick up making music again.

haha nice, i also play piano (improv mostly) and started to compose my own pieces a bit. piano is the one thing i can spend hours on, just playing my ex in amsterdam was a photographer, taking pictures all the time, and i myself now also do it a lot here in norway when i get bored. and biking around the city, i hope to continue doing that in berlin