I went to see Daft Punk last night at the Velodrom in Berlin. This venue is entirely underground and massive. Finally checked Daft Punk off the list of acts to see in my lifetime and have to say it was truly incredible. Their song selection was superb and as expected the stage show was out of this world. I danced the whole time and shouted what (limited) lyrics they have and walked out almost dizzy and on a great high. Here are some videos I shot with my cell phone:
I had a strange experience walking home tonight. I went to dinner with my dad and walking home took Hessische Strasse, the long way home through the Charite Hospital which laid it's first stones in 1750. There is a large brick wall following the curving the street, encompassing the older parts of the hospital.
It is full of bullet holes.
This was not the first time I have seen bullet holes in Berlin. I think all those other times it did not hit me as hard as this evening. There I was alone and stood there pausing every ten minutes to touch the chipped brick, tracing my pointer finger along the rounded end of where a bullet had once hit over fifty years ago. The drizzle turned into a rain and as usual without an umbrella, my hair became wet and my shoes soaked. I stood there and envisioned the exact spot during World War II, imagining the screaming, gunshots and rubble that once stood in the now almost perfect German cobble stoned street. I could smell the gunpowder and sweat, but probably not as strong as they did then.
It is quite an accomplishment what this city has done since then and I am so grateful I got to live in such a place, full of so many facets it could never be duplicated.
My dad arrived on Sunday admist rainfall and his lovely daughter waking up thirty minutes after her dear father had landed. Lucky for me, Tegel is chronically unorganized when it comes to baggage and arrival times and after a hurried cab ride and 20 Euros later I finally made it to get him. I then waited another thirty minutes for him to come out, caught a cab to which he said "Man, things are really small here." I had totally forgotten that feeling, getting off the plane and those first instances that you mark in your new surroundings. We spent the evening walking in Mitte, got some dinner. Saturday was father's day and we went to a typical Berlin brunch and then spent the rest of the day walking the city and seeing the sights. He throughly enjoyed himself, and it felt really good to know where to take him. I realized taking people around Berlin is really one of my favorite things to do here, the look on their face first walking up on the Dom, the beauty of the Spree river in the early evening, and feeling the energy that someone gives off when visiting a new city is truly enjoyable.
So Friday I took off in a way that I haven't done in a long time. I literally made the decision to leave, packed a toothbrush in my trusty messenger bag, bought the ticket and took off.
I left with some people that I had just met and went to Leipzig for a really intense weekend topping off everything with about eight hours of sleep the whole time. Left Friday around nine, arriving in Leipzig about ten and finally at the Mondbasis festival at eleven. I admit, I had some pretty high hopes for this evening and that it would be this magical night filled with tons of people and lots of dancing. Instead, there were few people and well, bad music. The place was this large field (later learned a previous coal factory location) that had five stages including an amphitheater with various degrees of bad European techno, the only house music played at a pseudo beach in the middle of it all, next to the hookah tent, and no one dancing. Also while there, I somehow became the stand-in manager for a couple English speaking DJ's who weren't getting paid. I managed to negotiate $50 out of some hundreds of dollars fee, a little disappointed I couldn't do more, but I didn't exactly know it was going to by my job. Somehow managed to stay until noon the next day, and then stayed up until three p.m. once getting back. Someone brought us bagels and we went though a couple bottles of wine, conversations involving various degrees of weird. This was completely unnecessary, but somehow I felt validated given my previous feelings in the aforementioned post.
After sleeping about four hours and some pizza inbetween, headed to a cavernous nightclub in Leipzig, awesome location and good music but again, not many people there. This place wasn't that large, but entirely under ground looking like some sort of midevil wine cellar. The shape made for really good sound, but the whole place got very hot very quickly. I finally made it home Sunday about 6 p.m. looking around Berlin and thinking, "What just happened?" I don't think I have still quite recovered.
So, there isn't really anything that I want to discuss on a public forum here so I am just going to share some more videos. Went to Watergate on Saturday and saw Goldie, which is another act that I got to cross off my "want to see" list. Definitely one of my most favorite clubs in Berlin, this is most likely due to the flashy light ceiling that gets me every time. My camera phone didn't do it any justice, but you get the idea. I am not even going to get into my Berghain experience from Saturday night.
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.
If you pay attention, you will notice a lot of these are guerrilla marketing campaigns, but none the less still interesting. Amber took most of these when she visited Berlin and spent the day walking around. If you are looking for the big stuff, I suggest searching "Graffiti Berlin" on You Tube, lots of large scale tagging videos.
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.
From the Sexy Chill Out Space, "People's gender identity is diverse, do not assume you'll find the genitals you expect."
Yesterday I spent my day biking and walking around Prenzlauer Berg, hitting up boutiques and scoffing at the 25 Euro printed tees. Found a couple of interesting places, and noteworthy things where I was constantly telling myself "Two months. Can this fit in your suitcase?" Stopped and got a delicious quiche from a great place with trees covering the patio, people playing cards and a son and daughter sitting at my table drinking root beer together. I walked a lot with my headphones on, the artist of the day was Daft Punk which oddly fit. Looked around and was a little saddened that I am only here for two more months. Berlin is really a vibrant and beautiful city, sometimes it doesn't seem like that at first - but if you stop and use time to take it all in it really becomes something extraordinary. Not just the area of Prenzlauer Berg, but the many other areas as well are just as enjoyable to be in. Compared to when I was first here about five years ago, I am amazed at how much has changed in that time. The next two months will hopefully be spent just as this day was, and I will have plenty of memories stored up for my return.
That night headed out to Friedrichshain and had another attempt at the "obscure clubbing in obscure places" that pretty much defines any night event here. We stopped at one of our favorite small bars next to 103 and Watergate by Warschauer Strasse and the headed to the venue.
Inbetween getting off the S-Bahn and getting to the bar, we walk across our favorite bridge and I see some brightly colored jogging suits and fanny packs heading our way. Naturally, I assume they are hipsters, but there are A LOT of them. All in all it was seven English guys partaking in some sick sort of Flashdance re-creation posing as a stag party. They were very drunk, and unconscious of the meaning of personal space. I wanted a picture with all seven of them very badly, but also wanted the guy in the hot pink FILA track suit to stop breathing on me. They were desperate for some place to go and explained they couldn't get in anywhere. (Gee, I wonder why, I really thought Germans were a fan of packs of brightly colored English people, especially bachelor parties. How strange.) It was pretty much agreed upon that they wouldn't get in anywhere in Berlin looking like that, and such a large group - so I asked if they liked 16 year olds to which they gladly cheered "Of course we do luv'!" and I pointed them in the direction of Matrix, a pre-teen and teenage dance club underneath the S-Bahn. God speed.
We headed on and finally made it to our destination, a great warehouse right on the river, really dark but still manageable to see the brick pillars, endless halls and stairways. The sad part was the lack of people in such a great space, especially because the music was very danceable and the drink prices were decent. Stayed for about an hour. Due to our alcohol consumption and the feeling for something ridiculous after the disappointing party, we negotiated our way for free into Matrix Club around 4 a.m. (Assuming the British guys were passed out...somewhere). I felt it was a culturally important step on my part to expose Xiaochang to the "18 and under" side of Berlin. Upon entering, I kept thinking "Girl, where is your mother? Does she know that boy is five years old than you and touching your butt like that?!"
The icing on the cake was the cage in the middle of the dancefloor, and the cherry was the overweight Turkish teenage boy griding the bars...alone.
The last time I remember being there, I was about 20 and getting ready to pass out in a corner. We stayed for about 15 minutes. Ah, youth.
As yesterday was a national holiday in Germany, their version of Labor Day, I spent my morning walking Prenzlauer Berg searching for lunch (which, by the way, took us about 90 minutes) and my evening was spent rioting at MyFest in Kreuzberg. Okay, not really rioting, but going with the intent to see some people riot and the hope to get caught up in it. Death wish I know, but at the same time something I was hoping to experience just once in my life. This, along with teleporting, but that is a whole 'nother ballgame. Xiaochang was not as thrilled (apparently she has already been in some riots) about my desire to dodge rocks and flaming bottles, but came none the less. Before I go into anything, you should read this, which outlines the basis for the festival.
Heading down on the U8 we got off at Kottbusser Tor and although it was still light out and early evening, I noticed the family groups were shuffling out as we walked into the dense crowd. Started off proper as in any festival, with a large bottle of beer and proceeded to squish our way through the large crowd passing by various mix-matched stages playing everything from dark drum n' bass to what I think was Turkish merengue? The streets flowed into each other, and there was a distinct smell of smoky grilled meats, bad cologne, body odor and beer.
Sprawled out on the lawns were punks and generally discontented looking people. I admit I have never been in a crowd like this in my entire life. Wasn't nervous or anxious, just in awe at the sheer number of punk rockers rolling about in the grass and yelling obscenities.
We headed back into the crowds and the next two hours are somewhat of a blur in between being squished in the pack, buying warm large bottles of beer from 12 year olds, jumping around to Turkish merengue, and checking every ten minutes to make sure that my camera hadn't been stolen. Finally after a while, my wish came true but it was kind of weak.
Standing on a pretty empty street off to the side, I stopped to take a picture of this:
I turn around and notice a large crowd of people coming down the street in a full front, all dressed in black, waving flags and chanting about something about Kapitalismus and das Volk? Not sure. Maybe it was the punk band playing at the end of the street they really wanted to go see?
"Hey guys! Let's get in this big line and go give that punk band all our support!"
Okay, probably not. Here is video of me getting knocked into while they charged, and then everyone heading down the street past us. So it wasn't a huge riot, and I didn't have to dodge any flaming bottles or rocks (damn) but I DID get run into. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I feel a little bit more hardcore now.
After our "brush with death" we made the unwise decision to keep drinking, Xiaochang buying herself a rather large caipirinha which was pure rum and (gasp!) ice. It was at this point we really found ourselves in quite the crowd, worked up by death metal, too much cheap booze and the scent in the air of possible (real) riots. A little uneasiness began to set in and we left. This turned into a good choice, because shortly thereafter, the first stone was thrown.
Now that I am fully recovered from Tim and Jenn's visit, going to give a little outline of their trip to Berlin! Big thanks to them for bringing me the following; DVD's, yellow mustard, mac n' cheese (deluxe!) and six tall boys of Old Style.
Day 1 - Thursday Sat at work for quite some time wondering why they hadn't called me yet or picked up the keys to my place. Finally they arrive about four hours after planned - minus one set of luggage and very tired faces. Did a little recuperation with Jaeger and Coffee, and proceeded to head to the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) and visit the restaurant at the top. Many beers later and closing out the restaurant at midnight, we then headed to 8mm in Prenzlauerberg, one of my favorite spots for drinks in Berlin. Managed to get ourselves quite snickered, and I must say that for being so jet-lagged I was quite impressed by Tim and Jenn's performance in staying awake and coherent.
Day 2 - Friday Woke up and headed to the East Side Gallery, taking lots of touristy pictures and walking it all the way down to the Ostbahnhof. Got a call of joy from Tegel Airport that Jenn's bags would be on their way, two hours to kill so we went to Unter den Linden to check out the Brandenburger Tor and all the awesome construction going on down there. Stopped by the obligatory souvenir shop and discovered the disadvantages of drinking out of a glass boot, Tim apparently is an expert on it. Dinner at home, naptime and then out the door again later to Watergate. A great club set on the Spree River with a whole wall is a window and coupled with a Metalheadz show turned out to be a pretty good night. Got lost on the way home, but soon smoothed over as a cab came to rescue us.
Day 3 - Saturday Went to Checkpoint Charlie and the Mauer (Mauer) Museum, more pictures and then headed over to Potsdamer Platz for dinner. Tim finally got his first German schnitzel, and I did a little cultural eating myself with my first Berliner Eisbein. Although tasty, not sure if I can handle the upper thigh of a pig on my plate again. Sat for quite some time, talking and watching Tim get uncomfortable and repeat many times, "Wow, this food IS heavy." Picked up some beer for home and then headed out to Weekend, a club up on the 12th floor of an office high rise. Pretty empty when we got there (1 am) but a couple hours pass and soon we are surrounded with lots of bodies gyrating to pulsating techno. Attempted to leave and hit up another bar, but the vacuuming and stool stacking deterred us home.
Day 4 - Sunday Tim and Jenn got their first taste of Cafe du Brazil, one of my favorite places to get brunch on Sundays. Tim, slightly hungover, lifted his spirits when I explaimed that there would be chicken wings and endless cups of coffee present. Afterwards, went down to Friedrichstrasse and after running and getting yelled at for not running fast enough, we made it on the last boat tour of the day. The boat ride might have been more pleasant, if it wasn't for the group of 19 year old guys talking about "Dude, have you ever been to a foam party? We should totally find one." and "Yeah, I tried to get her to come home with me, but like she totally didn't." After landing headed to the Ku'damm for more picture taking and their first taste of Kristallweizen. Sunday night me and Tim went for some beers , shot the shit, and I almost forgot for a minute that we weren't in Chicago.
Yes...his shirt says "Fucking Classy" in script.
Day 5 - Monday Said our good bye's bright and early and I know it will be only a short time before we're saying hello again! If you happen to see a couple roaming in Amsterdam or Paris within the next week calling each other "Schlampe" and "Fraulein"...it's probably them.
