Tresor re-opened this weekend with a five day party, here is an excerpt of the history from their website:
Everything began in March 1991: a new club „Tresor“ opened in the basement vault-rooms of the Wertheim department store located in the „Mitte“ section of Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz. Tresor came at the right time, in the right place and with the correct music. As Berlin’s first techno club, it corresponded to the public’s search for innovative music and newly found freedom in a post-Wall Berlin.
Lasting notoriety wasn’t in everyone’s mind during the beginning and sometimes the factors were unfavorably mixed. Besides an entirely new music style being represented, the club’s rough, apocalyptic atmosphere ruled above all: condensation dripped down the raw concrete walls of the old vault rooms; rusty steel bars separated visitors from the bar; several hundred forced-opened safe-deposit boxes lined the walls that spoke of wealth long forgotten; strobe lights and fast, hard beats dominated the dance floor. Only here could electronic music correspond with such architecture – the senses were left equally numbed and brutalised. Tresor’s extreme but pioneering example trail-blazed Berlin’s entire club culture.
Tresor’s history actually goes back to 1988 when the Interfisch label team opened the „UFO“ club. Even today „UFO“ is considered the birthplace of the Berlin house and techno movement. Following its closing, Interfisch label head Dimitri Hegemann and partners unearthed a new location in the eastern half of the city on Leipziger Strasse. It was custom-made for the new underground scene. These subterranean steel vaults of the former Wertheim store (once Europe’s largest department store during the 20’s) were redesigned into a club that quickly became the „hippest“ place in town. From day one it was clear that only first-rate talent played and performed. Party people from all over came to the club in droves to see Berlin turntable legends Tanith, Jonzon, Rok, Paul van Dyk, Kid Paul and Dr. Motte.
Ever since the beginning Tresor earned respect from all corners of the world, functioning doubly as safe-house for the preservation of techno. In spite of changing trends and the media’s fixation on closing the club, Tresor remains loyal to Underground Techno: a Berlin magazine once called the club a „monument in stubbornness“. Although the music itself isn’t re-invented each week, in Tresor the techno universe became further refined and provided a space like no other for the most interesting DJ’s and live acts from Europe, the Americas and Japan.
In the early weeks of 2005, shortly before Tresor Club's 14th birthday, the news hit hard: Tresor Club was finally being pushed out from its little corner of Potsdamer Platz and the land would be used to build a high-rise insurance company building. In February it was announced that the last party in Tresor Club on the Leipziger Strasse would be on Saturday April 16, 2005.
I found myself in Tresor my first visit to Berlin and will admit that it was experience that I will never forget in my entire life. If you know me you've probably heard the story involving a Turkish transvestite, a pill of ecstasy and a bank vault of pounding techno. So, needless to say my hopes were definitely on the higher end when I headed there last night. We arrived at one a.m. and as usual in Berlin we found that was too early. Coming up to the building it is a massive facade, and upon entering you are faced with the choice of three different stairwells and after choosing one, you are again faced with some more stairwell choices. The main room is long and extending, with doors connecting to other areas of the club which is mainly more stairwells. Going up above the main floor is a smaller room with a small side balcony that overlooks a gutted factory building and surprisingly fits about 20 people. Looking down off the balcony you notice that you are suspended over deep construction caverns and looking out the eye is fooled by cut outs of people supposedly standing in the ruins and looking at you. The music was pounding and vibrant, reminding me of the techno I heard at the Kopi party last weekend. As usual in Berlin, the space was incredible and expansive in which I easily found myself lost. The only thing that was missing from the new Tresor that I will miss was the outdoor seating, which was pretty key when emerging from a sweat soaked dance floor. Like before, I emerged with my body soaked and my feet tired, sandals are bad choice though for this venue as my feet were black from the ash and dirt being kicked up by the crowd.
Everything began in March 1991: a new club „Tresor“ opened in the basement vault-rooms of the Wertheim department store located in the „Mitte“ section of Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz. Tresor came at the right time, in the right place and with the correct music. As Berlin’s first techno club, it corresponded to the public’s search for innovative music and newly found freedom in a post-Wall Berlin.
Lasting notoriety wasn’t in everyone’s mind during the beginning and sometimes the factors were unfavorably mixed. Besides an entirely new music style being represented, the club’s rough, apocalyptic atmosphere ruled above all: condensation dripped down the raw concrete walls of the old vault rooms; rusty steel bars separated visitors from the bar; several hundred forced-opened safe-deposit boxes lined the walls that spoke of wealth long forgotten; strobe lights and fast, hard beats dominated the dance floor. Only here could electronic music correspond with such architecture – the senses were left equally numbed and brutalised. Tresor’s extreme but pioneering example trail-blazed Berlin’s entire club culture.
Tresor’s history actually goes back to 1988 when the Interfisch label team opened the „UFO“ club. Even today „UFO“ is considered the birthplace of the Berlin house and techno movement. Following its closing, Interfisch label head Dimitri Hegemann and partners unearthed a new location in the eastern half of the city on Leipziger Strasse. It was custom-made for the new underground scene. These subterranean steel vaults of the former Wertheim store (once Europe’s largest department store during the 20’s) were redesigned into a club that quickly became the „hippest“ place in town. From day one it was clear that only first-rate talent played and performed. Party people from all over came to the club in droves to see Berlin turntable legends Tanith, Jonzon, Rok, Paul van Dyk, Kid Paul and Dr. Motte.
Ever since the beginning Tresor earned respect from all corners of the world, functioning doubly as safe-house for the preservation of techno. In spite of changing trends and the media’s fixation on closing the club, Tresor remains loyal to Underground Techno: a Berlin magazine once called the club a „monument in stubbornness“. Although the music itself isn’t re-invented each week, in Tresor the techno universe became further refined and provided a space like no other for the most interesting DJ’s and live acts from Europe, the Americas and Japan.
In the early weeks of 2005, shortly before Tresor Club's 14th birthday, the news hit hard: Tresor Club was finally being pushed out from its little corner of Potsdamer Platz and the land would be used to build a high-rise insurance company building. In February it was announced that the last party in Tresor Club on the Leipziger Strasse would be on Saturday April 16, 2005.
I found myself in Tresor my first visit to Berlin and will admit that it was experience that I will never forget in my entire life. If you know me you've probably heard the story involving a Turkish transvestite, a pill of ecstasy and a bank vault of pounding techno. So, needless to say my hopes were definitely on the higher end when I headed there last night. We arrived at one a.m. and as usual in Berlin we found that was too early. Coming up to the building it is a massive facade, and upon entering you are faced with the choice of three different stairwells and after choosing one, you are again faced with some more stairwell choices. The main room is long and extending, with doors connecting to other areas of the club which is mainly more stairwells. Going up above the main floor is a smaller room with a small side balcony that overlooks a gutted factory building and surprisingly fits about 20 people. Looking down off the balcony you notice that you are suspended over deep construction caverns and looking out the eye is fooled by cut outs of people supposedly standing in the ruins and looking at you. The music was pounding and vibrant, reminding me of the techno I heard at the Kopi party last weekend. As usual in Berlin, the space was incredible and expansive in which I easily found myself lost. The only thing that was missing from the new Tresor that I will miss was the outdoor seating, which was pretty key when emerging from a sweat soaked dance floor. Like before, I emerged with my body soaked and my feet tired, sandals are bad choice though for this venue as my feet were black from the ash and dirt being kicked up by the crowd.
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