Germany, I'm not just drinking beer this time.: Sexy Chill Out Space

Last night I found myself once again in East Berlin searching for the "warehouse type place across the empty parking lot next to the river". This time was different though, because we were going to one of the most well known squatter buildings in Berlin, the Köpi. Located on Köpenicker Strasse near the Ostbahnhof, the building pretty much stands alone on an abandoned lot surrounded by large fences with intertwined vines and branches weaving through the battered protest signs and inches thick layers of flyers. We approached the building, not quite sure where the actual entrance was. I ask the solemn looking guy at the front door, "Is this the entrance?" pointing to the gate that looked like it hadn't been opened in 20 years. He replies, "No, this is the Köpi." I cock my head to the side, "Yes, we know, but is this the entrance?" He wakes up from his drunken head slouch to repeat with annoyance in his voice, "No, this is the Köpi." People emerge and we grab the gate and go in. Walking in you are confronted with a building covered entirely in graffiti and protest banners, seemingly scraping the sky and looking so dilapidated it could fall over any second. The crowd is various degrees of punk, from really punk to really, really, really punk. Everyone is sitting on the pavement in the cool night smoking cigarettes and sucking down large one Euro bottles of Export. The night was spent navigating the halls, trying to not loose the people I was with and generally staring in awe at what had developed in this space.

The squat has been in existence for about 20 years, seeing many parties and many tenants. Looking up into the building you can see the individual rooms, glowing different colors depending on the taste of the inhabitant. Extending my head high, I couldn't help but think of all the people that have been through the space and soon would be kicked out. It made me sad to see that this space that means so much to these people, will soon be gone. This was also probably the first and last time I would ever in my life time get to attend a party at a real-to-life Squat. The party was a fund-raiser for Queers Against G8 whose organizer is a roommate of a friend of ours. The ground floor was experimental and performance art, complete with a guy in the corner wearing 6 plastic breasts that milked...vodka. Packed and smokey, I watched a girl emerge from a plastic garbage bag costume and by the end she was naked on stage yelling about the dirt and grime of her soul, and something about "crawling into the deep crevices of her lover". Downstairs was pounding and actually very good techno with an incredible vibe. I thought that I had heard about every kind of electronic music out there, but something about this was different. I can't put my finger on it. It was techno, but deep and vibrational with hints of jack house in the background, pounding yet rhythmic and kept me dancing until 6 a.m. I had the feeling of the deep underground parties from long ago, pulsating and everyone in their own world, raw and unabridged. It seemed like forever since I had such a feeling on a dancefloor. I had a moment, down in the basement of this squat where I thought,

"This is going to be an experience I carry with me for the rest of my life. Nothing like this is probably going to happen to me ever again."

I am really grateful for this experience I had, and I can only hope the people there find their way after the Köpi is gone. My heart goes out to them. I unfortunately, did not have my camera, but was able to take a couple of videos. Once I get more photos, I plan to post again with pictures of this incredible space.