{"id":249,"date":"2007-12-28T20:20:19","date_gmt":"2007-12-28T19:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/macumbista.net\/?p=249"},"modified":"2010-03-30T12:10:38","modified_gmt":"2010-03-30T10:10:38","slug":"macumbista-runs-the-voodoo-down-berlin-venues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/?p=249","title":{"rendered":"Macumbista runs the Voodoo down: Berlin venues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-249 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin7-panasonic.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin7-panasonic-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin5-dienstagsbar.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin5-dienstagsbar-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin2-eschloraque_r\u00fcmpschr\u00fcmp.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin2-eschloraque_r\u00fcmpschr\u00fcmp-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin10-st_kilda_tripstril.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin10-st_kilda_tripstril-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin9-sniper.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin9-sniper-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin6-kunst+technik.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/berlin6-kunst+technik-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><em>Images from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eigen-art.com\/Kuenstlerseiten\/KuenstlerseiteNM\/nm_texte\/NM_Bond.pdf\">Phantom Clubs of Berlin\/Liverpool<\/a> (1998-1999), by Nina Fischer &amp; Maroan el Sani. This photo series, of illegal clubs shot at midday when there&#8217;s simply no real sign of their existence, reminds me of my first few visits to Berlin, wandering around Mitte and Friedrichshain until all hours with a Brazilian architect friend looking for that <strong>totally happening<\/strong> club we&#8217;d read about in a magazine somewhere. Seeing this photo exhibit a year later in Prague, suddenly it all made sense!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Tonight, I just finished making a fairly long&#8211;but not exhaustive by any means&#8211;list of Berlin venues for a few people I know who are shipwrecked by the holidays here. Since so few people who live in Berlin (and almost none of the people in the art &amp; music scene) actually come from Berlin, it&#8217;s a pretty quiet place between Christmas and New Years, as those of you who live here probably already figured out. You can even find a parking space these days! I moved here myself at exactly this time of the year a while back, and it took me more than a week (of empty clubs and bars) to finally figure out what all the fuss about Berlin was for. Don&#8217;t worry, it picks back up after New Years.<\/p>\n<p>But if you were looking for things to do most of the year, you might want to get on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.echtzeitmusik.de\/\">Echtzeit<\/a> mailing list for &#8220;serious&#8221; improv\/experimental concerts.<\/p>\n<p>Also watch the calender of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ausland-berlin.de\/\">Ausland<\/a> (or subscribe to their mailing list) for more minimal improv and assorted other flavors.<\/p>\n<p>For more noisy stuff, check the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lepetitmignon.de\/\">Le Petit Mignon\/Staalplaat<\/a> list.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.clubtransmediale.de\/\">Club Transmediale\/DISK\/General Public<\/a> has lots of events and a mailing list, as well as a huge week long festival at the end of January that&#8217;s worth a look.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.neueberlinerinitiative.de\/\">NBI<\/a> has IDM (if you can stand that kind of shit).<\/p>\n<p>And <a href=\"http:\/\/m12.visomat.com\/m12.php\">M12<\/a> has lots of electronic music (and Mika Vainio&#8217;s dubious DJ sets) on the weekends [RIP]<\/p>\n<p>Lots of things are happening at the <strong>Festsaal Kreuzberg<\/strong> (Skalitzer Strasse 133, Kotbusser Tor) and also in their basement, but since different people run these events it&#8217;s hard to get info from one source&#8230;. Le Petit Mignon list is probably best source, although bigger events (recently Circle, Ghost, Crippled Black Phoenix, The Ex&#8230;) get postered around town.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/rinusvanalebeek\">Rinus van Alebeek<\/a> runs <a href=\"http:\/\/kleine-frf.blogspot.com\/\">Das Kleine Field Recording Festival<\/a> as well as things in spaces I&#8217;ve usually never heard of before or again.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/ohmnoise\">OHMNoise<\/a>\/Dienstbar does lo-fi noise in out-of-the-way places like Wedding.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nstp.de\/\">Wendel<\/a> (Schlesische Str.) has a weekly jazzy improv session with Andre Vida\/The Instrument.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hairentertainment.com\/\">Hair Entertainment<\/a> seems to favor booking the kind of North American &#8220;freak folk&#8221; that The Wire were falling all over themselves writing about a couple years back.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/battiston82\">Battiston82<\/a> book stuff that sounds like Lightning Bolt or Ariel Pink in different places around town.<\/p>\n<p>Jason Forrest\/Donna Summer and some other kooky French expats runs the ultra-trashy <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birthdaypartyberlin.com\/\">Birthday Party<\/a> series. Their New Year Party might be on my list this year for lack of anyplace better to go&#8230; [RIP?]<\/p>\n<p><strong>West Germany<\/strong> (Skalitzer Strasse, Kotbusser Tor, Kreuzberg) book things as well, but have no real website nor proper mailing list to speak of. Mostly, you&#8217;re left looking for photocopied posters, or if you&#8217;re lucky then one of the more outgoing promoters I&#8217;ve mentioned here might send you an email about it. In the same building (an old doctor&#8217;s office complex) are two of Berlin&#8217;s trendier\/trashier lounge\/bars: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.citylifeberlin.com\/?p=83\">Monarch and Paloma<\/a>. The gay\/lesbian version of these places is across the road in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moebel-olfe.de\/\">Moebel Olfe<\/a> building.<\/p>\n<p>This week only! Get your Geek on! The <a href=\"http:\/\/events.ccc.de\/congress\/2007\/Main_Page\">Chaos Computer Club<\/a> has it&#8217;s 24th annual meeting at C-Base.<\/p>\n<p>And lastly there&#8217;s the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kliklak.net\/mailman\/listinfo\/salonbruit_kliklak.net\">Salon Bruit<\/a> sessions, for electronics, noise and improv. (Probably one of the easiest places to get a gig in Berlin, for those who might be looking&#8230;)<\/p>\n<p>In fact, it just strikes me that this is a pretty good list for people trying to get booked in Berlin as well. Just be prepared for the Berlin performer&#8217;s cut of the Berlin door money. Is it enough for a taxi home? Another drink? D\u00f6ner-kebap and the greasy fist? Hmmm&#8230;..<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, a few very good venues have shut their doors forever here in Berlin in the last year: the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/zentralerandlageberlin\">Zentrale Randlage<\/a><a>, <\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tesla-berlin.de\/\">Tesla<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scherer8.de\/\">Scherer8<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.soundimplant.com\/stralau\/\">Stralau68<\/a> all called it quits. RIP. The <a href=\"http:\/\/ballhausnaunyn.de\/\">Ballhaus Naunynstrasse<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.volksbuehne-berlin.de\/\">Volksb\u00fchne<\/a> will soon change their artistic leadership and\/or profiles as well, quite possibly getting rid of the kind of concerts people like us dig in the process, and the <strong>Bastard<\/strong> will also close in 2008. Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Images from Phantom Clubs of Berlin\/Liverpool (1998-1999), by Nina Fischer &amp; Maroan el Sani. This photo series, of illegal clubs shot at midday when there&#8217;s simply no real sign of their existence, reminds me of my first few visits to Berlin, wandering around Mitte and Friedrichshain until all hours with a Brazilian architect friend looking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[35,29],"class_list":["post-249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-text","tag-berlin","tag-review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=249"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":850,"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249\/revisions\/850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/macumbista.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}