Berlin is tiring
So as soon as I leave Dublin and start my new job I’m obviously not going to listen to a single techno record, put one foot in a club, or ever think about house or techno again. As a result it was necessary for me to go to Berlin last weekend.
And since, as I’ve said, I am never going to go to any clubs ever again as long as I live, or hear any techno or house records or any music at all. Since I won’t ever write any blog posts or argue about dance music or DJ or have a social life, ever ever ever again. Since all those things are quite certainly true and anyone who says otherwise is being ridiculous, I also had to begin last weekend’s trip to Berlin with a long night. I had no choice in the matter.
The night started at Watergate where Ripperton and some other DJs were playing. I really love Watergate so I enjoyed this, even if the music was a bit up and down at times. There’s something amazing about that club, just hanging out with the black sky and the dark river right outside. And of course I probably don’t even need to mention the lights, but I will, just in case I do.
It was interesting to hear Ripperton playing Villalobos’s new track, “Enfants”, and to see the euphoric reactions to it. There’s been a lot of chat about this online and people keep calling it a tool. It is a tool in the technical sense but few people have mentioned how goofy and populist this record is. As tools go this seems about as difficult to use as a hammer.
That said Ripperton didn’t use it as well as I’d seen it used before by Ricardo, not to cite the latter’s near papal infallibility or something, just that when I first heard this in Kristal in Bucharest it was given a long triumphant rinsing, rather than a few minutes. I wonder will many DJs bother playing it now it’s out. I didn’t think anyone would, lest they be accused of copying Ricardo. But since it works so well maybe I’m wrong.
Ripperton also played one side of the new Mara Trax EP on Oslo, which I reviewed for RA last week. This went down really well and it made a pathetic Oslo fanboy like myself very happy! It seemed to get a bigger cheer than a lot of the other records too, so I look forward to playing it out.
We stayed in Watergate until 7am or so. We then went on to Panorama Bar to see Radio Slave begin a new bi-monthly Rekids residency. This was my first time in Panorama Bar, and it was weird to finally see it. I don’t want to call it an anti-climax, but I suppose all the hype and hallowed talk did make me expect to walk in and explode with shock and amazement. The reality was more predictably low key, though I definitely had an amazing night.
There was some element of fanfare involved though, albeit coincidental. As I walked in, Radio Slave was playing “I’ll Be Your Friend” by Robert Owens. That was a fitting first record to hear there really. It sounds quite of its time I guess, with that weird synthesised brass sound that was used so much afterwards in the 90s. Although I believe lots of good new music is still coming out, and innovations are still happening, I do think innovation isn’t emphasised much with house right now, whether in Germany or elsewhere.
But having said that, sometimes you just think “screw the politics of music, screw innovation, I’d like to go to Panorama Bar and hear classic house and techno and new music inspired by that sound until I’m old and grey”. I think though when you start loving the places and the atmosphere and the party then everything else takes a back seat, it’s a very purist and almost dangerous way for a music writer to think but I can easily imagine feeling that way if I was in Berlin for a while.
So as the sun streamed through the windows and after a few more (disgusting) bottles of Becks, Marcel Dettmann and Radio Slave seemed to take a half hour or so each on the decks. As you can imagine with those two at the helm, it was quite serious dubby stuff. I guess personally I just enjoyed the occasion and the place. I quite liked all the stuff that was played and I like both guys as producers, but I think I would also have liked to hear some vibey house music, especially by the end. Still a great party though.
I really love the way you don’t have to look at your watch in these sort of clubs, you just forget the time and dance. It’s such a loose and cathartic way to spend a weekend. You actually remember how enjoyable the actual act of dancing is. Oddly, dancing is not really discussed that often here or in other dance music places (I sadly don’t have any great moves to offer) but it is actually a part of dance music that I assume we all really love. I know I do.
I remember speaking to a co-worker before Christmas who said they couldn’t ever like dance music as they don’t dance. It seemed totally logical but also really alien. I can’t remember when being in a club and dancing didn’t just go together automatically like the most normal thing in the world. Well, I can, but it was about 8 years ago. I’m sure most of you probably dance when you play the decks at home. Anyone who says they don’t at least nod their heads is surely lying. Yet to people who don’t like dance music this probably seems faintly amusing. Oh well.
In the end, when we left Panorama Bar at 2pm on Saturday afternoon, the whole night was the longest I’ve ever spent in a club (or two consecutive clubs to be precise!) Memories of Saturday afternoon are a bit hazy, a walk back to a friend’s house, randomly meeting a German techno journalist along the way, before finally getting some sleep.
Of course I woke up Saturday night feeling so tired that I couldn’t really make it out. I guess 14 hours clubbing is seldom a pick me up! Mainly I was amazed how sore my legs were from dancing, though if you think about it, dancing for that long is probably as strenuous as running a long distance race.
I did make it out briefly on Sunday though, to a completely crazy party in Ballhaus which I think is called Im Fruhtau. In Ireland we have colloquialisms to describe nights like this, or I could make a few up that would be good. Although those descriptions only fitted Im Fruhtau in a Berlin way. That meant piratey looking guys in vests instead of Dublin’s angry Ben Shermanites.
The Ballhaus seems like a disused building of some kind. You wander around a few mazey corridors and emerge into a long narrow room with high ceilings. The decor and lights were extremely well done, with mannequins swinging from the roof and their shadows projected weirdly against the walls. Above all the place was furnace hot. So incredibly hot that I guarantee you the first thing anyone who was at this place will say to their friends is that it was so incredibly hot.
I mistakenly wore a shirt and after an hour I seriously considered taking it off, and not cos I was feeling particularly jubilant, nor because I am the type of dude who takes his shirts off on nights out. I don’t think I’ve ever ditched my shirt in a club, and I hope to be able to say that forever, so the fact that I considered it should tell you how warm it was. As ever, with the heat comes a certain kind of mania. There’s something about seeing people rinsing their t-shirts like sponges that has that effect I suppose.
Musically the night didn’t really blow me away. When I was there, it was Kollektiv Turmstrasse playing. I like some early Kollektiv Turmstrasse stuff (like “Disconnect” on Ostwind) but not quite enough of the subsequent stuff to enjoy a live set. It’s more a personal thing though: I always prefer seeing DJs to live acts.
In the end the heat and the smoke was a bit much for me and I couldn’t really breathe very well. So that’s why, like a lightweight still recovering from Friday at Panorama, I left to get some sleep. I’ve no doubt the party went on for another 16 hours or something. Who knows, it could be still going on now! That’s Berlin.
My friends told me Red Robin was very good after I left. Even though I was just there for a few minutes, the vibe was so good that if I was in Berlin I’d make sure I was checking the lineup for this monthly night regularly. It had a young friendly crowd too which was cool.
I spent the last two days of my trip doing non-dance stuff, and seeing some sights. Looking back it’s a bit of a shame the first night made me miss Prosumer at P-Bar the night after and barely enjoy the Sunday sweatbox. I guess I’ll have to do some fitness training in preparation for the next trip over! You find yourself instantly planning a return when you leave Berlin, if you are into clubs and dance music.
And of course like anyone who likes that scene and visits Berlin I did think about how easy it might be to live there. In fact that’s at the back of your mind during every great moment you have over there: “I could do this every week”. When you think about it after getting home though, it’s not so clear cut.
I sometimes am unsure whether living from money made solely by writing about electronic music and the odd DJ gig (which you could do in Berlin) and partying all weekend in the best clubs on the planet would be the most meaningful thing you could do with your life or the least. It’s not really something I want to do right now I don’t think, I’m happy to have a full-time job on the horizon.
Still, I guess I’m young enough that it might still be something I do for a time in the future!
pete wrote:
An interesting read, sounds similar to friends’experiences. I still need to go someday.
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 3:50 pm ¶
John Osborn wrote:
hey ronan,
i’ve been living here for the last 9 years, moved here from east london - i meant to stay a year and got stuck!
Shame u missed the p bar / berghain on sat night. It really is better on sat night than friday. In fact i don’t think i have been on a friday night for the last 2 years regardless of the line up.
Sunday is the one! I was also going to go to Frühtau, but Len Faki at berghain was just way to good, and then prosumer started upstairs so Frühtau lost the battle, and what great weather it was here on sunday!
Hmmm berlin and summer, my kness are weak already
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 3:57 pm ¶
Paul M wrote:
As before, enjoyed reading about your experience of Berlin. Pity you missed Prosumer, I’m not the biggest advocate for live sets either but I saw him in P Bar in October and he blew me away. I am still yet to get my hands on the new LP though.
Any time I’ve been in Berlin its only been for a few days or a week at a time and as night runs into day and back into night again by the time you get home it seems like a strange dream. Would love to go for a nice extended stay in the near future.
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 4:12 pm ¶
Cahony wrote:
Sounds like a good weekend!
At least you still have an excuse to go back soon for a Saturday night at Berghain
As John was saying, it’s a different kettle of fish altogether when all the energy from the main room is overflowing up the stairs into the Panoramabar on a Saturday night/Sunday.
I’ve only been in there once on a Friday night and it was quite a let down compared to previous experience of Saturday nights, so much so that I don’t think I’d go back on a Friday lest it tarnish my fondness for the place!
I hear you about the furnace heat in some places there. It was like that one time I was in Maria am Ostbahnhof. It was an Ellen Allien/Apparat live show followed by T. Raumschmiere with Daedelus in the smaller room. So hot you had to constantly pour water over your t-shirt. I guess that kind of atmosphere kind of induces abandon on the dancefloor. You can’t really bear to simply stand around and chill/chat in that kind of heat.
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 5:04 pm ¶
mind at large wrote:
i sincerly hope all that full-time-job-never-dance-again business is your idea of humor. who’s blog am i gonna read?
p. sherburne’s?
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 7:00 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
haha just a joke of course! I couldn’t stop if I tried…
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 7:15 pm ¶
mano wrote:
it was great seeing you over the weekend ronan. pity you missed synth eastwood and panorama on sat/sun…as for it being the most meaningful thing to do, i wonder that too, well at least from monday to thursday!
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 8:31 pm ¶
molko999 wrote:
“You find yourself instantly planning a return when you leave Berlin, if you are into clubs and dance music.”
absolutely! Its how i feel everytime i go there.
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 8:34 pm ¶
Bee En Juan wrote:
Interesting read.. I am making the trek over from New Zealand in June, due to the distances and money involved in getting there I really want to make the most of my time in Berlin. Better start getting my dancing fitness up to scratch by the sounds of it.
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 9:27 pm ¶
todd wrote:
so lemme get this straight, you can get a beer at 7am ?
Posted 27 Feb 2008 at 11:24 pm ¶
chrisdisco wrote:
‘But having said that, sometimes you just think “screw the politics of music, screw innovation, I’d like to go to Panorama Bar and hear classic house and techno and new music inspired by that sound until I’m old and grey”. I think though when you start loving the places and the atmosphere and the party then everything else takes a back seat, it’s a very purist and almost dangerous way for a music writer to think but I can easily imagine feeling that way if I was in Berlin for a while.’
i am not sure whether that is a completely fair take on panorama/berghain. the implication seems to be that they are ultimately about classics and classic sounding cuts - wouldnt agree with that at all.
as for place/space and atmosphere, this is something that has changed for me over the years. for so long i could go anywhere and as long as the music was good, i was happy. but it reached a point where if the environment wasnt good enough, it started to detract from the music. a good example would be one or two m-nus parties i went to. good music or not, you cant enjoy it if you cant move. the flipside is that the vibe you get at panorama and berghain really does make a difference and adds to it all i feel.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 12:08 am ¶
jeremy wrote:
Ronan you write your blog posts so quickly!
But I just gotta respond to this:
the flipside is that the vibe you get at panorama and berghain really does make a difference and adds to it all i feel.
or detracts from it! my impression is that place is full of not so happy faces intent on having the best time of their lives regardless of the music.
but that’d be bursting the myth though wouldn’t it
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 12:59 am ¶
Ronan wrote:
“i am not sure whether that is a completely fair take on panorama/berghain. the implication seems to be that they are ultimately about classics and classic sounding cuts - wouldnt agree with that at all.”
not all of it…but there is a sort of classicist vibe at work there as far as I can tell.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 1:55 am ¶
kenny wrote:
Panorama is fun, and can be pretty nuts on a friday (last friday i was there villalolobos had the place going nuts with some rude techno), but saturday is the time to go, esp for a first timer, as you would get blown away completely. its nuts.
Re: the classicist thing. Whats brilliant about the Berghain imo is that it strikes the perfect balance between old and new. last night i was in there in first twenty minutes i heard FUSE, Redshape, old Underworld. All the best djs/sets know thier roots, show them, and keep it up with the newest cuts too. Which is what you get there. Nothing more tedious than hours of music composed of nothing but the newest tunes, instantly limiting the scope of a music style (house/techno etc) that spans over 20yrs.
By the end of my last visit Vainquier, Koze and some other dude were rocking anything from old chi-town trax, to Burial (Raver on a sunday in panorama, i had a “moment”), dub techno and detroit sounds, both brand new and old and it was inspiring. I feel like if I ever feel im losing my way with this music a trip to there will invigorate it in a few hours.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 3:23 am ¶
Anko Painting wrote:
what’s berlin’s night life like during the week? I will fly there from in september, but I think i’ll only be monday to thursday.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 8:10 am ¶
John Osborn wrote:
Anko, there’s a new night on wed. at watergate - i haven’t been there yet but its put on by cle and mike vamp from martine brös / poker flat - they invite peeps like abe duque down and is probably a nice mid week rave
Also on thurs. night if ur still around its weekend - which is actually the best night out of the thur, fri, and sat partys they do.
also on tues. cookies can be good, the tues just gone cassy played there and sebo k is playing there soon. Also there is a dial night from lawrence at cookies.
cookies is always tuesday and thursday
have fun!
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 9:56 am ¶
Richard Carnage wrote:
Hmm… I’ve got a bit of a Berghain/P Bar dilemma when I go to Berlin in late March. It’ll be my first time, and I was originally planning on going to the Dial night at P Bar on the Friday (Lawrence, Pantha Du Prince, Carsten Jost), but what everyone is saying makes me think that Saturday may be a better idea. After all, they’ve got Cassy and Larry Heard in P Bar and Len Faki in Berghain. Are the Friday’s that much worse than the Saturdays?
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 1:16 pm ¶
Richard Carnage wrote:
Also, are there any other good parties on on the 28th-29th March? Seems like the RA listings for Watergate and Weekend haven’t been updated yet…
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 1:18 pm ¶
kenny wrote:
Just do both, thats what I did last time, while hitting weekend and tresor too.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 2:30 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
“Re: the classicist thing. Whats brilliant about the Berghain imo is that it strikes the perfect balance between old and new. last night i was in there in first twenty minutes i heard FUSE, Redshape, old Underworld. All the best djs/sets know thier roots, show them, and keep it up with the newest cuts too. Which is what you get there. Nothing more tedious than hours of music composed of nothing but the newest tunes, instantly limiting the scope of a music style (house/techno etc) that spans over 20yrs.”
Well I know we disagree on this sometimes Kenny, but in say, Watergate, you might often see DJs playing mostly new music and it can be great too.
There is a good wide breadth of new stuff around too.
For me it’s not really about breadth though, I mean, just as a guy playing lots of old stuff can be good, it also can be quite arresting to hear all the new stuff that I like mixed by a really good DJ, plus as ever plenty of tracks whose release dates I have no idea about. And mixing old and new is a different sort of eclecticism I reckon. A bit like the way I like to hear analogue sounding stuff and digi stuff, just two different sounds but there’s not anything objectively better about either. A DJ can mix old and new and still stick quite rigidly to a style is what I’m saying I suppose.
I guess also there’s so much retro stuff around that part of what I meant is, it’d be very easy to just totally celebrate all these current producers making retro music without a reservation in the world, when the spaces they’re using to air it are so good and make it seem so worthwhile.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 2:33 pm ¶
John Osborn wrote:
richard,
go sat night. there is no comparison.
friday is a ‘nromal’ club night - sat is true decadence
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 3:58 pm ¶
Marc wrote:
Another Berlin question for you guys. Headed there for the first time, was thinking of going to Watergate on the Saturday night and then not showing up to PBar until Sunday at some point, as I’ve heard that’s when the real party is going there. Thoughts? Should I go to PBar Sat night instead and just ride it out? Or is a mid-morning arrival on Sunday good?
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 5:50 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
I am not that sure about the actual question, but I should just add I really fucking love Watergate so I would try and see that too.
Not sure how others feel.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 5:52 pm ¶
clom wrote:
i think it’s like asking “how long is a piece of string” really.
we stumbled out of PBar at about 10am on the sunday and things were still going strong, there was still a healthy queue to get in.
I wanted to head to tape and see Carsten Jost play but the missus’ legs had given out so we just went for a kebab near where we were staying. classy. we met a couple of randoms we’d met in the club at the counter despite being over the other side of town. it was pretty funny.
no matter where you go you’ll have a ball.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 8:01 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
^^ this is true
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 8:03 pm ¶
Cahony wrote:
@ Marc. I’ve seen this thing about Sunday morning being the zenith at Panoramabar in a few places. I don’t subscribe to it at all though. Best Sunday morning I ever had there was seeing Nick Hoppner play 6am to 10am followed by Prosumer from 10 to 2 and it was really good don’t get me wrong. But I’ve been to Watergate too at peaktime, Maria and Week12end. Nothing, but nothing for me has come close to Berghain/Panoramabar from 3am - 6am on the occasions I’ve been on Sat/Sun. Truly extraordinary. I don’t dig the focus on Panoramabar either. Sure it’s the place to be on Sunday morning when downstairs gets a bit too intense and strung out, but flitting between the main floor in Berghain and Panoramabar at full tilt between 3am and 6am on Sat night/Sun is as good as it gets for me. The contrast between the two rooms. The Berghain floor with someone like Faki/Dettman/Slater conducting it _makes_ the Panoramabar.
Week12end and Maria don’t seem to register nearly as high as Berghain/Panoramabar and Watergate on the publicity radar, and probably for obvious reasons in terms of variety/volume/quality of guests, but both are still really unmissable in my opinion. You can’t be everywhere of course, so if you’ve only one bite at the cherry don’t be anywhere other than running up and down the stairs between Berghain and Panoramabar between 3 and 6 in my opinion!
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 9:56 pm ¶
E Huster wrote:
as a response to all comments. i think that in berlin the golden rule is not to go out too early. its hard as a brit to fully grasp the 24hr city thing.
most of the best dj’s play later (this is not always the case but mostly) so if you’ve been out since 10pm you can easily peak to early and miss the best bit of the party.
last time we went to pbar we arrived at 4.30am to be blown away by Jerome Sydenham followed by Konrad Black. what a party! Stayed till 1pm.
we also find that if you get a bit of sleep before hand, no matter how excited you are, it aids recovery time and leaves you more wanting to go somewhere else.
or maybe i’m just getting old.
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 10:24 pm ¶
martin donk wrote:
going back to berlin again next weekend to see autechre. woooo! looking forward to the trip very much since it is the first time in 3 years i’m going back.
we will be there 8-11 of march, autechre playing on the 9th @ berghain. (strange but totally right place for them to do a live set, i think.)
any tips? what is this frühtau you mention? googling gave me the flyer for the night you attended, ronan, but not much more info… will have to look into this.
last time we did watergate on a friday and then berghain/p-bar on saturday. mental. think there was sweet’n'candy + some kompakt guys playing at watergate (not sure) and there was an areal showcase at berghain. remember missing all but 10 minutes of ada’s live set, but i’m not a big fan so that was ok anyway. wasn’t very impressed with panoramabar but maybe that was because it was my first visit at berghain and the big venue is just so big and different from everything we call clubs here in sweden.
cheers on the post, was a nice read!
Posted 28 Feb 2008 at 10:44 pm ¶
G3RTY wrote:
Another great read Ronan, respect… : )
All going well i’ll make it again this summer, its a savage city.
Posted 29 Feb 2008 at 12:17 am ¶
Anko Painting wrote:
Thanks John, I’m really looking forward to it. Can most people over there speak english? Or do you need a fair bit of german to get by?
Also, what’s the best way to get to clubs over there? Taxi?
sorry about the slightly off topic comments but I don’t know where else to ask!
Posted 29 Feb 2008 at 11:46 am ¶
clom wrote:
martin, the low end of the berghain sound system’s would strip flesh from bone! we saw deepchord there a few months ago and quite a few people fled in terror!
Autechre should sound absolutely amazing, despite being a load of old DSP-centric nonsense!
I’m off to see them in Glasgow Art School tomorrow night- i’ll do a quick survey of the boy:girl ratio and report back immediately.
Posted 29 Feb 2008 at 1:13 pm ¶
pablo wrote:
hey ronan-
its pablo, mano introduced us at pannebar on the rekids night. thanks for the shout out for fruehtau. im a regular reader, so im surprised i didnt catch it sooner. unfortunately we had a bit of problem with the ordnungsamt that night (we are not really legal) and ballhaus is temporarily closed (pretty much until our next party at the end of march). we do plan on putting a ventilation system in, which wont be as good as air conditioning, but it will be something. so next time you are around the smoke and heat wont drive you homewards, as it did for a lot of people. anyway, it was nice to meet you and hopefully see you in berlin sometime soon.
pablo
Posted 02 Mar 2008 at 9:02 pm ¶
pablo/beaner wrote:
@carnage:
btw, i read the tape blog too, but havent ever commented.
march 28th/29th i would suggest the brothers vibe/sascha dive deep house night at tape on the 28th and maybe arena for berlin style minimal, then the 29th i would suggest the unsere kleine welt party at rosis for underground stuff or arena for dop, miss fitz, and ronan’s colleague marc from word and sound.
and panorama bar has pantha du prince on the 28th and on the 29th many people i would go see, including eric d. clark doing a live collaborative set (he gave me my first residency in berlin), gieger live, andre kraml, and frank martiniq…
BUT… you should be worrying about the 30th. thats the next im fruehtau.
pablo
Posted 03 Mar 2008 at 4:41 am ¶
Cian wrote:
Lovely review of your weekend. Makes me pine for my favourite city. Berghain/Panorama is exceptional on a Saturday. Pity that you missed Len Faki last Saturday (you had a valid excuse), but he really knows how to rock the main room. Superb techno DJ. I’m going to plan my next trip to Berlin around one of his Berghain sessions.
To the reader who enquired whether to go to Pbar, apres-Watergate. I say: do it. Visit both and pop down to Pbar around 7-8am. The day is still young then. And a change of scene is always invigorating at that hour of the day!
Posted 03 Mar 2008 at 5:39 pm ¶