A Dark History of Tresor

Sounds brought from Berlin has always inspired not only myself, but also klein aber fein electronic music groovement in my city of origin: Poznań. When I turned enough old to enter clubs in the early 2000s, my journey through the inspirational genres of house, techno and broken beats started and never really stopped, just the amount of time I put in the search for it, had to somehow decrease.

Back in a day the scene in Poznań seemed the most open-minded, at least comparing to other Polish cities. Shortly before the times of conservative backlash that obviously influenced the music scene too. I realized it is coming back to its interesting shape again nowadays, but all this would not happen if it wasn’t for the Tresor club and the influence of the capital city of techno nearby. And I am obviously not thinking about Warsaw.

So back when I was still considering my ‘career’ as a DJ, the natural consequence after getting to know where all the vinyl goodness had come from, was to step on the train and within 2,5 hours reach Kreuzberg to spend a couple of hours in the hottest vinyl stores at the time. Sometimes I was quite lucky to get a permission from my rather liberal parents to come back a few days later, so I could experience just a little bit of what now often is considered a history, like Tresor club, Maria am Ufer or Bar25.

This is where I discovered the sounds from another inspirational city: Detroit and fell in love forever with this crazy, dark deepness of the most organic of the electronic genres. Juan Atkins, Anonym Huisman, Jeff Mills, Theo Parrish and more recently: Fred P, Mike Huckaby are to be named as at least a few who shaped my taste for today. And the Detroit influence over Berlin deserves at least a separate entry!

So last Friday, 13th March 2015, Tresor celebrated its 24th birthday. The new location after re-visiting for a while now did not feel the same magic as the original one. Also, I am no longer such a reckless and restless clubbing aficionado. However, what should be said is that Tresor keeps on bringing deep and still interesting sounds to a wider audience in times when techno turns kind of mainstream and recognizable.

When writing about the history, it is also important to mention its impact on the current happenings. In my humble opinion, the dark and stark sound and vision of the technoworld can be represented by the 29th Nov movies channel with regular uploads of a very surprising content. I always discover the new artists while watching 29th Nov’s new productions. For instance, on a gloomy Sunday like today, these tracks can definitely reflect the bleak Berliner moods best Endlec – Darkness Approaches and Iñigo Kennedy – Plaintive.

Um:laut

Another interesting week has passed in the Augenblick, as would Germans poetically call ‘the moment’. As I am happy enough to live just between the most interesting spots of Friedrichshein, Mitte and Kreuzberg, I decided to visit the mysteriously-named Radialsystem V. This former water pumping station turned in 2006 to a ‘creative space for arts and ideas’.

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Yesterday I went to one of the Um:Laut sessions – dedicated to experimental music with the presence of British pianist Tom Hodge and producer Max Cooper. In the first part they both presented works from the ‘Piano Interrupted’ and ‘Fragmented Self’ EPs, and in the second part, Max Cooper debuted with his world premiere of the ‘Emergence’ visual performance. While the first part was full of experimental piano-electronic klang, the second part was a 90 minutes DJ & VJ set. Even though I’d probably cut out all of the dubstep-ish parts from the ‘Emergence’, I have to admit I was struck by the logic, story and musical vs. visual diversity. The logic of the visual was representing the chemical participles as a part of the universe, cities and human bodies, that eventually coexist and create one living mechanism.

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The radiant-looking Radialsystem V last night seemed to perfectly match its surroundings: Spree river, the moon and the first spring time night in the city. As far as I am concerned, Radialsystem V is famous for hosting multiple pieces of the renowned dancing company from Berlin: Sasha Waltz and Guests but also, various workshops dedicated to the contemporary dance and expression.

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Don’t forget to go home

It is not absolutely necessary to wait for the weekend when in Berlin. Often during the week even more interesting things are happening: for instance, the Boiler Room session which took place in Stattbad only last Wednesday. Totally acceptable to the civilised-schedule and rather sober techno-aficionados as it started off as early as 8 pm. There are regular parties happening early-Wednesday-mornings or Sunday-late-afternoon.

There is obviously more craziness going on, but comparing with the past years of the techno evolution (some 20 years ago), Berlin seems like a tranquility mecca, at the same time being not losing its glory of the island of creativity. I have gathered  some of the documentary movies picturing the milestones of the city’s history watched through the darkened techno lenses:

Technocity Berlin – epic documentary from the 90s (in German)

Children of Berlin – what was then – this is now

Don’t forget to go home – a short history of Berghain, or rather formerly Ostgut

Watergate X – a journey to one of the weekends at the Spree bank’s famous location…

Meanwhile, the spring has come slowly, but surely and the bleakness of the city seems to be washed away with the rays of sun. And I am so much looking forward to wearing sunglasses not only at night.

Berlinaling

February, the shortest month of the year, yet it seems like one of the most intense ones, at least in the Berliner galaxy. During 10 days each year Berlin becomes (this time) a place to be for the most courageous film makers. I have always enjoyed watching “sad movies” (I absolutely fell for this definition of what non-mainstream stuff was reduced to – creative credit back to my dear friend who is most likely one of the very few readers!).

I was a full-time film festival animal back in a day when down-to-earth things did not matter, i.e. sometime between high school and studies, so it was quite refreshing to live this spirit after years. Eventually, I have only seen a few movies among hundreds, but it was worthwhile. I still had some work to do at the end of the day, there were some awesome concerts in town too (Tricky and D’Angelo!) and day still counts only 24 hours.

The prizes are already announced and I am especially happy for two reasons: the Silver Bear for the Best Script goes to Patricio Guzman for his diptic documentary about Chilean complexity of geography vs. history, and for the Direction – to my compatriot Malgorzata Szumowska. It was amazing to be the audience of this success, especially that I admired them both for their previous works. Otherwise, see you hopefully next year at the 66th International Film Festival!

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Turn on, UN TUNE, drop out

Last weekend the 16th edition of the CTM festival started off with the UN TUNE theme reflecting the ‘adventurous music and art’. Stating the obvious, I have partially chosen Berlin as my destination for the variety of techno-related happenings literally around my corner. And as a rather faithful person I try to visit the local parish, Berghain on Sundays. So the CTM has been on my radar for a while now, even though the price of the pass seemed exorbitant. All in all, I’ve decided just for the two events so far.

Now I have to eat my own words, as the opening concert in HAU and follow up in YAAM (former place of cult Maria am Ufer) knocked me off my feet. Highlights so far? Definitely Thomas Ankersmit who explored the in-ear sounds, professionally known as otoacustic emission. My personally admired photographer and performer Nan Goldin who joined Soundwalk Collective for the World Premiere of ‘Closer to Knive: Memoirs of Desintegration’ inspired by darker than noir shorts from David Wojnarowicz. And the 2014 revelation from the neighbouring Poland: Zamilska.

I did not expect such a sensatory-awakening, limits-surpassing performance, taking it for purely marketing. For those in town who want to explore the CTM’s magic behind the sounds, I recommend the quirky exhibition in the Kunstraum Kreuzberg Bethanien. If you are lucky (?), a special machine will immitate a loud sound one of its kind. You never know when it’d happen, whether it is while discovering the sound of concrete in a special tunes, or visiting one of the endarkened rooms. Not to mention that this Wednesday the ‘sibling festival’, Transmediale kicks off. Makes me wanna say thank God it’s Monday, but actually it’s the whole week that looks incredibly interesting.

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Don’t walk. Dance!

The very first profession I ever wanted to be was some sort of a ballerina. As soon as I started moaning about it to my parents when I was around 5 or 6 years old, my rational mother confronted me with the fact that I would substantially need to change my diet habits to pursue my dream destination. My motivation level was close to 0 already, but meeting a ballet teacher at an actual interview convinced my 6-year-old-self that maybe I shouldn’t necessarily take this direction. I ended up in quite an unusual experimental school where we expressed ourselves through art in a broad sense and shaped me greatly.

I eventually ended up doing something completely different, but the joint passion for music and motion made me a good customer of contemporary dance theatres and studios’ performances. Last week I could follow Tanztage (literally Dance Days) in Sophiensaele – a bunch of new, international modern dance productions. Some remarkable and funny including Lea Moro’s Baller for a Single Body interpreting classical Le Sacre du Printemps and Adriana Seecker’s Meet Me As a Stranger.

This made me investigate a little bit more about the Berliner contemporary dance scene, and actually made me think I could  come back to dancing. Just for fun, to please my inner child in me? 30 cms above the sidewalks, let’s put on the red shoes and don’t walk, dance.

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Swimming in sound

Berlin is definitely a place for water-loving people. I wouldn’t notice it at the beginning when I relocated straight from the Barcelona’s peninsular neighbourhood Barceloneta to hipstery bezirk of Friedrichshein. But now it’s almost three months I’ve been living in Berlin and happily settled in a flat overlooking the river Spree that actually gave partial inspiration to this post.

Winter has not been too extreme so far, but as my thoughts look so much forward to the springtime, I’ve investigated about open air swimming pools, lakesides, etc. The offer looks indeed super-promising, from open air sites to boat rental.

However, lately I’ve visited a very special swimming pool, Stattbad Wedding. Built over 100 years ago, it had served as a public pool for a long while till in the new millenium was turned into the particular cultural centre. During the weekend, Stattbad hosts some of the best deep house and techno line-ups in town, under the labels of Grounded Theory or Stattnacht. Apart from the club scene, various concerts and foodie events also regularly take place.

So, despite the weather, awaiting the springrtime and real water pleasures, I truly recommend to immerse into the sounds of the city and swim along with the happy crowd!

Update: Unfortunately, after happy years of swimming in sound, Stattbad has been closed definitely given the vague decision and anonymous complaints from the neighbourhood in June 2015. Yet one place less on the Berlin’s most interesting guide to clubs…

New Year’s on the Devil’s Mountain

On a sunny 1st day of January together with my visiting friend, we decided to discover one of the most quirky building in Berlin: Teufelsberg Abhoerstation. Back in a day it used to serve as CIA’s listening station, even though it was maybe not the most discreet Cold War time place one could imagine. Nowadays it’s owned by a private investor, turning slowly but surely into a derelict building.

Located in the Western part of the city, it is easily accessible by S- and U-Bahn (the closest station: Heerstrasse) and 30 minutes walk through the Grunewald forest. Teufelsberg (literally translated as: Devil’s Mountain) is an interesting place itself, given its origin. This highest peak of Berlin was constructed on the ruins dating back the II WW.

The easiest but not cheapest way to access the Listening Station is to take part of the tour which gathers every full hour and costs 7 EUR per visitor. There are also night tours offered with a more detailed description of the history. During the tour one can enter the building, including the highest standing tower. From my perspective, I would recommend wearing warm clothes and a lantern as there are strong winds and not all the staircases are lit up by the daylight.

This mysterious, abandoned place leaves our imagination play with what sort of messages were circulating in the Station back in the day, and offers spectacular views over the magic skyline of Berlin. Way to start 2015!

Feierabends und Boiler Rooms

I will definitely try to dedicate quite a lot of space here for the subjective Berliner nightlife review. The topic goes well with the season’s changes: shorter days, longer nights. Even if it doesn’t really matter if the party takes place when the sun rises or goes down.

The fame of 24/72h-lasting parties in different, quirky spots of the city reflects the blurry reality, even if in a distorted mirror. And its variety is simply overwhelming!

To start off I would love to share the yesterday’s Boiler Room session which takes place quite often here. Enjoy your Feierabend!

Home is where… ever!

Not easy to start all over again, but here I am: new job, new place, new friends, new city, new country and last, but not least: new language. Much as difficult the process of adjusting is, it is also extremely exciting. It’s been a month since I relocated, and I am happy to announce: I will be shortly moving in to a new flat! In Berlin, aka: Silicon Allee, the Silicon Valley of Europe.

My colleagues and local friends have been very supportive in the whole process of tedious searches, interviews and screenings (yes!) before getting myself to sign a tenancy agreement. Some of them – expats like myself, some of them – German but from another parts of the country went through exactly the same process a while ago. The Berliner community has been also helpful in terms of finding furniture for free or for bargain prices. So this piece of writing will probably start off for good as soon as I will unpack my last suitcase.

Berlin is not only about the history, culture and urban landscape. It is mostly about its people and their creativity/productivity even in a very casual, almost laidback context. Let me share its highlights as time moves along.