Berlin - Day 4
Recessed from the street in a large complex with two floors of dancing, we started the morning at Tresor for Tresor meets Dave Clarke. Deeper still, the basement level had the air of what you’d expect from concrete pillars and metal bars dividing space. The basement level maze held the main floor with a heavy night of Detroit stuff. I couldn’t tell you about the larger techno scene’s consensus of the “new” Tresor, probably something like it’s not what it used to be, but it felt legit outside of the some of the crowd which really was a mix of those in for a slow burn and those more explosive.
Leaving around 5:00am, we made our way to ://about blank for Warning: a Rave Odyssey, a couple day long fest that went from that Friday to Monday. Sun just starting to come up, the ride there was probably one of the highlights of the trip, seeing the city in that dewy light, chasing more and more with the rest of the zombies was perfect.
Kind of a side note but the Photoautomat booths across Berlin are everywhere and honestly so cool. It’s corny to have a nostalgic appreciation for this old tech when in reality, its a format that just produces such a beautiful result it’s a shame we don’t see chemical photobooths in America that much.
Funny interaction with the bouncer when she was trying to gauge if we were wasted, I think she was surprised these Americans had pre-purchased tickets. A pretty thinned out crowd by this point but still a lively dance floor spinning some sparkly trance. Best part was the outside, a pretty big area winding with trails, nooks to lay, and Jurassic period plants now in full bloom. We spent a good chunk of this part just sipping beers and yapping. Super playful and welcoming event.
Feeling pretty good and being in the area, we decided to try our luck with Berghain around 9:00am. Without much surprise, we didn’t make it in. In full daylight by this point, the behemoth of a building is really something to see. This goes to say about other venues in the city, but just walking by and hearing the faint thumping within is such an exciting feeling. Knowing the crowds inside completely unaware of time or at least ignoring it. The way clubbing is done in Berlin with such an extreme and hedonistic release of the self deep in the belly of the city really feels so unique from the puritan way we “play” in America. Pretty basic observation but I think there’s something to learn about protecting and creating more spaces in which the chthonian can be freely expressed and experienced on the weekly. Something about exploring these sides of ourselves more frequently and in varying amounts to become familiar with the ways it bubbles up in our daily lives whether with family, friends, co-workers, or strangers. From an outsider looking in, it feels like Berliners just have a more innate grasp on dealing with and expressing these things. I’ll get into this more with the next post but with the past this city has gone through, it makes sense.
Getting some sleep in, we woke up around 17:00 and left for Schnitzel in Friedrichshain. Sunset pouring down, the streets were so lively and full it was a beautiful mosaic of just more so-muchness.
Not many pics from this day (love that they sticker over phone cameras at the clubs).
Berlin - Day 3
Our first day in Berlin was pretty stacked with sight seeing and impromptu clothing shopping as at the time, we weren’t really sure whether we’d get our lost luggage back or not. It started with meeting Martin, the architect and our host at out first Airbnb. Located just off the river in Friedrichshain at an old prison turned mini neighborhood. The pavilion was a narrow studio with doors on either end which let a cross breeze through. Letting the outside in, the area was criss-crossed with paths between the converted red brick buildings amongst perfectly unkept gardens.
After picking up our bikes and a stop at Aldi, we rode through Kreuzberg around Görlitzer Park. Some clothing stores were what we set out to see but ended up going through a street market along the river, and an impromptu stop in at a furniture warehouse sale.
We had plans to go out that night so after checking out as much as we physically could, we made it back to the pavilion to nap before the night. Waking up feeling semi-rested, a quick stop for Doner where huge groups of people were hanging out. We got ourselves ready and and left around 2:00am. More to come.
Berlin - Days 1 & 2
The itch for seeing Berlin has been a pestering one for some time, probably coming from my first introduction to techno history and the city’s fabled similarity to Detroit, a city close to where I grew up. Lucky enough to have found someone down to share the experience with, my girlfriend Emily and I figured now is a better time than ever to both take some time off from work and see Europe for our first times.
Unsure how to approach a city that seems, and almost prides itself on, a certain impenetrability—whether that’s a product of a horrific history of fascistic dominance or a learned appreciation for selective discrimination to retain itself as a guarder of its culture and attitude, we’re appreciative of Tyler who was kind enough to meet us for coffee on one of the coldest days I’ve ever experienced for coffee to give us some advice. Sharing plenty of good recommendations on places to go and forewarnings on what to expect, he gave as a great document a friend of his wrote for first-timers.
Download the Berlin Everything List.
The first two days were spent traveling from Chicago to Frankfurt, dealing with a flight cancelation leading to a 10 hour layover, and eventually landing in Berlin around 21:00. Lost luggage was one last blow once we got to our first Airbnb, but thankfully it was shipped to us a day or so later.
Most of what I can say about these two days other than the expected feeling of exhaustion was how cold, metallic, and for a lack of a better word, strong the Frankfurt airport felt. Impressive in how cohesive these feelings stood across interior design, signage, and employees, I got the immediate impression of how much Germans appreciate hardware and industrial design.
A lot of our time was spent sleeping in empty terminals across bench seats, reading, and walking around.
Went to the Introduction to Digital Synthesis workshop at the Comfort Station this past weekend.