24. June 2008 by Emmett.

Since returning home from Germany, one of the things I miss having nearby is Berghain/Panorama Bar. One of my favourite nights out there was February 29, when Laurent Garnier played all night on the upstairs half.

Garnier was also feeling inspired, as he’s put out his first 12″ single in 5 years, with one track named “Panoramix” named in honour of that evening. Click the video window to read the whole story (it’s a montage of pictures in & around the club).

Speaking of Panorama Bar, I found another youtube clip profiling their bouncer, the scariest person I’ve ever had to walk by, who moonlights as a photographer. Never heard the guy talk before, kinda funny.

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13. May 2008 by Emmett.

I caught Jamie Lidell at the Admiralspalast here in Berlin on Saturday, and it was quite an experience. I’ve seen some Youtube clips of his previous live shows, which he did with a laptop rig and a microphone, but this time he brought a full band along to do about half the songs with him. There’s a slapstick comedy element to it, as he is obviously playing around with the music, the band, and the audience. Catch him on tour this summer if you can.

Here’s a video I took of his loopy beatbox version of “A Little Bit More”:

And “Figured Me Out” with the full band this time:

Download: Jamie Lidell - Figured Me Out (album version)

That one is my favourite track off the new album Jim, which you should go pick up at your favourite music shop.

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9. May 2008 by Emmett.

Another night out in the city…

I don’t listen to a lot of Baile stuff, but DJ Edgar from Rio played some really nice tunes and had some skills. You gotta hear that stuff loud, even if it does sample the Indiana Jones theme.

Diplo ripped it up, playing a pretty ravey set of baltimore, techno, electro, baile, and hip hop. I was in real good spirits until someone at the bar took a 50 and gave me back change for a 10. Sigh.

Anyway, here’s a bit of video I caught:

I heard this Dead Prez remix last night, sounded great on a big system:
Download (via Mad Decent): Dead Prez - Hip Hop (Diplo thing)

Also, don’t leave your go-kart outside a nightclub where drunk Americans hang out.

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5. May 2008 by Emmett.

I managed to catch Roy Ayers Ubiquity on Friday night, and it was definitely worth it. Dude was having fun with it, letting the band loose, and rocking a dope t-shirt. Not bad considering his first show in Germany was back in 1966 (!!!).

“We Live In Brooklyn, Baby”

“Everybody Loves The Sunshine”

Right after the concert wrapped up, I headed back across town to my neighbourhood and stopped into Tape Club. I’ve never seen the lineup so long before, but there was a concession truck outside, and people were having fun in the warm weather.

Inside the club was radically different- a giant hall served as the main room, which I’d never seen before, and the old coatcheck room was now a side lounge:

The lineup was mostly dubstep (Kode 9 & Spaceape, 2562, Pinch) and electro (Modeselektor, Sick Girls, Housemeister). The place was packed.

A shot of the very hot, very dark 2nd room:

Plus some video of the main hall, with Modeselektor playing:

Saturday night was Carl Craig at Panorama Bar, and luckily for everyone involved (hi Saskia!) there were no cameras present. Carl did play a flawless set of deep, driving techno, and I was loving it. I am seriously going to miss weekends like this.

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27. April 2008 by Emmett.

So, as I understand it, May 1st is the day in Berlin where all the punk kids, Kreuzbergians, and everyone making up the “far left” are semi-allowed to go crazy on the streets and set cars on fire. I’m aware this could be exaggerated, but I’ve seen what NYE is like, so I’m going to take that at face value. Any Berliners that (dis)agree, please drop a comment, I’m curious.

Rather than being pelted with rocks, I would much prefer to be at this place in Treptow, watching Ricardo Villalobos & friends (for 5 euro!):

Looks perfect for springtime. The next day, after seeing Roy Ayers, there’s a can’t-miss party at Tape around the corner from my house:

That’s a great mix of music…I’ve bought CD’s of Modeselektor and Pole, big fans of both. Tape is a classy smaller club, I should do another club guide writeup for the smaller joints.

If I’m still going strong on Saturday night, there’s Carl Craig at Panorama Bar. What can I say? I’m trying to leave Berlin with a bang…

Download:  Thom Yorke - Skip Divided (Modeselektor remix)

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24. April 2008 by Emmett.

No real theme today, I just think waffles are great.

I was walking down a busy street yesterday and looked behind me to see a black Porsche 911 Turbo screech towards the sidewalk at full speed, and smash head-on into a pole 15 meters away. Debris was flying towards me, and rather than move away, I just kinda stood there and thought “woah, cool.” This was right by the Berlin Zoo. The same day, Will from Zoos Of Berlin sent me a copy of their new EP. Coincidence? Yeah, probably. But if you squint really hard with your ears, “Below the Old House” kind of sounds like little bits of Porsche flying towards you in slow motion.

Download: Zoos of Berlin - Below the Old House

+ if you’re going to be around Berlin in the next couple weeks, be sure to catch a couple great concerts: the legend himself, Roy Ayers (May 2- Festsaal Kreuzberg), and the UK’s top ambassador of electronic soul, Jamie Lidell (May 10- Admiralspalast). I didn’t know Jamie relocated over here until just now- too busy with the new album to do shows til recently, I guess.

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17. April 2008 by Emmett.

Brand new remix from the mighty Switch!

Download: Mystery Jets - Hideaway (Switch remix)

Oh, and for a Jamie Lidell afterparty, check out May 10 at Berghain/Panorama Bar:  SWITCH, JESSE ROSE, CLAUDE VON STROKE, ADAM BEYER, LEN FAKI, OLIVER $, KONRAD BLACK
!!!!!!!!!!

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31. March 2008 by Emmett.

I just got back from a great weekend in Düsseldorf, where I managed to take in the best of the city in a hectic 2 days. After a hair-raising autobahn ride home, I’m now faced with the problem of how to spend my last few shekels…this month is just stacked with stuff to do. Zum Beispiel:

03.04: Portishead @ Columbia Halle

04.04: Laurent Garnier @ Weekend

04.04: Malente @ Icon

04.04: Ricardo Villalobos @ Panorama Bar

05.04: Andy C @ Maria

05.04: John Selway, Tiger Stripes @ Berghain

05.04: M.A.N.D.Y. @ Watergate

10.04: Tiefschwarz @ Weekend

11.04: Bonobo @ Icon

12.04: Steve Bug, Phonique, D’Julz @ Watergate

12.04: Gene Farris @ Tresor

12.04: DJ Pierre, Jesse Rose, Style of Eye, Renato Cohen @ Berghain

17.04: Sven Väth, Konrad Black @ Watergate

18.04: DJ Godfather @ Tresor

26.04: Junior Boys, Cassy, Konrad Black @ Berghain

30.04: Trentemoller @ 103 Club

30.04: Matthew Dear, Troy Pierce @ Watergate

30.04: A Guy Called Gerald @ Maria

Shit…I tried to narrow it down.

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12. March 2008 by Emmett.

My nightlife picks for the next few weeks:

13.03: Juan Atkins & Tyree Cooper @ Maria

14.03: SebastiAn @Icon

15.03: Sinden @ Weekend

19.03: John Acquaviva @ Tresor

20.03: Ellen Alien, Thomas Muller (Live) @ Watergate

21.03: The Herbaliser (DJ set) @ Icon

22.o3: The Operator @ Maria

22.03: Morgan Geist & Darshan Jesrani (DJ sets), Kelley Polar (Live) @ Panorama Bar

29.03: Jesper Dahlback @ Maria

29.03: Larry Heard/Mr. Fingers (Sunday afterparty set) @ Panorama Bar

29.o3: Dr. Lektroluv @ Tresor

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10. March 2008 by Emmett.

Continued from Part 1. My attempt at illuminating Berlin nightlife a little- through my own lens of bias & preferences.

Tresor

The club with the biggest brand name in Berlin, Tresor is definitely worth a visit. They have a long-running record label and mix CD series which draws a lot of attention to the club, but the place itself doesn’t need any help. It’s housed in an enormous, partially functioning power plant in the east part of the city. The tunnel (pictured above) connects the main underground dance floor to the upstairs levels. This is actually the second installment of Tresor Berlin- the old club used to incorporate an actual bank vault (”tresor” means vault in German).

Music is almost always hard and electronic. The main room sound system and light show seems designed to drive you insane- in a good way of course. Dave Clarke was a perfect act to see here, but the enormous size of the club means that lesser-known acts can sometimes fail to pack the floor.

Expect: the Tresor logo everywhere, crunchy techno, getting lost. Grade: B-

Watergate

One of the most popular clubs in the city, Watergate is a get-there-early-or-stand-in-line destination on weekends. Normally the musical lineups are worth it alone (M.A.N.D.Y. and A Guy Called Gerald both played last week), but the location and lighting are also draws. For one thing, the club sits directly on the river, with floor-to-ceiling windows on both floors, providing gorgeous views of the water and the illuminated Oberbaumbruecke bridge.

The ceiling of the top floor has hundreds and hundreds of tiny LED lights installed behind a translucent material, sending cascading light and patterns from behind the DJ, above the floor, and back behind the bar. Hard to explain- check the panoramic view on the club’s website.

Expect:  time spent staring at the eye candy, lineups, forward-thinking music. Grade: A

Golden Gate

Golden Gate is really a different creature altogether. It’s a well-known to locals as a weekend afterhours spot, and I’m not sure the place closes at any point between Friday and Monday. The interior (and the hilarious website) are unapologetically DIY and funky. The club is not big- capacity of a few hundred- but the clientele makes up for it with sheer personality. As my good friend Matt put it, “It’s a place for freaks.”

Despite the small size and weirdo aesthetic, they do manage to bring in some good music- I’m headed there tomorrow night to see Radio Slave and Jesse Rose, among others.

Expect: intoxication, conversation, experimentation. Grade: B+

Icon

Housed underground in an ex-brewery, Icon is a long-running part of Berlin’s club scene. I love how the place looks inside- small seperated rooms, exposed brick, candles, and visual projections everywhere. However, just because it’s vibey doesn’t mean it’s for lounging. Icon hosts monthly nights from dance music labels Ninja Tune and Ed Banger, as well as having huge drum n bass guests drop by on a regular basis. The sound system fills out the space nicely, and the music from guests and residents is usually top-notch.

Expect: funk! (a rarity in Berlin), meeting new people at the bar, big name DJs in a small venue. Grade: A

More to come…I just need to get out more often!

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