Unscene Berlin

Berlin's club scene can be a bit blah in February and that's why, this week, I'm taking my hat off to party people that are making an extra effort to keep it surreal. It was bound to happen eventually: a night fusing clubbing with opera and classical music.  This Friday all of the above will be melted down into a fluid new concept at the abandoned pool venue of Stattbad Wedding , on Gerichtstrasse.     The clinical tiles of a pool space seem ideal for an hour-long original performance entitled Insanity, a " dark, disturbing tale of a woman’s descent into madness, as she struggles to deal with a mysterious and tragic event in her past," (well, the name was kind of a giveaway).  "The timeless theme of insanity will be explored, evoking the chaos of a tortured consciousness." Sounds like the average winter day's train ride to work, but at least this one should have a better-looking crowd. The opera will feature live music by Gesualdo, Hande...

English-speaking Berlin writers! Have you lived here more than a year? Do you have an serious interest in Berlin's activist, arts and music scenes? Then read on... I have been writing about subcultural events in Berlin for two years and am now about to launch a print zine which covers an expanded range of Berlin topics: activism, women's issues, tourism, the environment, expat life, independent film a nd theatre, arts, festivals, street parties, clubs, openairs, gigs, reviews... basically, anything that's shaking Berlin's subterranean communities to their foundations. You will work in collaboration with the editorial team to put the zine together and spread the word, so you should be dedicated and wiling to help with all aspects of publication. This is not going to be volunteer/internship - all contributors get a share of the revenues. Please get in touch before March 1st if interested and pass this info on to your writer friends. To apply, please send an introductory ...

Winter is the season when Berlin gets that famous post-apocalyptic look to it:   the streets are empty, the wrecked buildings that people used to work in loom visibly over the more discreet, tidy ones they now live in; everywhere you look, the city's mottled grey shell is exposed by bare branches.   In the streets, nothing seems to move except a few furtive pedestrians, camouflaged in dark clothes that blend in with the post-industrial grime.   The crows and sparrows are silent, saving their energy to keep warm; the pigeons sip spilled beer and peck fallen drugs outside of clubs to blot out their existential despair.   Even the trains seem to have a touch of winter blues as they sluggishly creak their way between stations.  It's a bit bleak, if you get my drift. These weather conditions are perfect for checking out an exhibition like X Lab’s solo show of Ken Plotbot's work , this Saturday the 26th.  The show's “ dark nuclear graphic and post industria...

Above picture by Katie Brook When I told my Berlin friends and colleagues that I was going to London for New Year’s, many of them stared at me like I was mad. “My Gott...  why ? It’s so expensive there!” said one. "The last time I went to London, it was about 25 pounds to get in to one club!” said another. Other comments I got were: “London parties there are great... but they always finish too early.” “You cannot drink in London. One Prosecco and you’re broke!” “And the men in the clubs there are slimy. They just don’t leave you alone.” I said the same thing to them all: "I'll be fine... I know places that aren't like that." I mean, who needs clubs when you have the squat party scene? Exhibit A: North London.  January 1st.  12:30 a.m.   My friend Al and I are sitting on a bus, headed to a gabba/breakcore/drum n’ bass party in an abandoned church in North London. Not a rented, renovated or otherwise gentrified old church, just a...

I've been getting plenty of requests for New Year's Eve tips for Berlin and have been reluctant to provide any suggestions for two simple reasons: 1) I won't be around and 2) frankly, cheap underground parties are as rare as hen's teeth at New Year's Eve.  December 31st is probably the only time of year when the average Easyjet setter is actually better off staying home, as party prices rise enough to offset any of those great deals that they fly across Europe in the hope of finding.  It's a day when buses, tents, backyards and probably even large cardboard boxes sitting unattended in alleys will suddenly be converted, with the aid of a disco ball and a bouncer, into 'venues' charging for entry. New Year's Eve (Silvester as it's known in Germany) is all about finding a place that offers the best quality of experience for the relatively high price.  The Burning Man New Year's Eve party at Urban Spree seems to cover a lot of bases.  Altho...

Banksy, ducks and the Mayan apocalypse. Just another Xmas in Berlin! I have some appalling fantastic news: there's only two days left until the 2012Apocalypse Winter Solstice!  After Friday, everybody can breathe a sigh of relief because they'll never ever have to go through Christmas again the days start getting longer!  Better yet, the End Times carnage New Year's Eve is just around the corner! Sorry for all the scratched-out phrases.  I just wasn't sure whether this week's entry should be about the surviving the end of the world or about having a 'holly jolly Christmas'.  Should I be telling readers to stock up on stollen and head for the nearest Weinachtsmarkt , or to stock up on ammo and head for the nearest air-raid shelter?  Should everybody be singing "peace on earth and good will to all" or screaming, "OMFG the aliens just touched down we're all gonna dieeee"?   Sigh... every year writing these Christmas previews...

As quickly as capitalism snaps up new fashion styles, the underground cultures that spawned them cease to exist.  A glance around the Mitte quickly confirms that there is no longer any culture, subculture, counterculture, sexuality, spirituality or philosophy that does not have its own, dedicated boutique shop.  Meanwhile, the radical squatting scenes that popularized 'the Berlin style' have been evicted from the area en masse. Many people from those same scenes have accordingly abandoned fashion and art as a means of conveying their message, after seeing how quick its merchants are to abandon ethics and cash in at the slightest hint of popularity.  And yet, by ignoring the impact that art and fashion have on culture (whether underground or above-ground) those radicals are fighting the system with one hand tied behind their back. The organizers behind last week's Cult of the Personality : Commercial Christmas Special at Food/ZMF aim to cut through the ties that bind ...