Where I'm at Now+ FAQ about Berlin Nightlife

So I've been in Berlin since September and have now officially thrown 2 parties. The first Howl party was at Haus Am See Cosmic Kaspar and the second at cookies. I have learned much about Berlin in the last few months especially the nightlife and I thought I'd share my experiences. I asked myself the question when I came here "Why vinyl?" In other western cities vinyl or records would be regarded as old trash where as here the spirit of vinyl lives on, so why? Well I think it has a lot to do with German culture as well as the history of Berlin. Germans tend to keep old habits and reject others that exist. It is slowly changing as Americanization and a fast paced life are becoming the norm. But in Berlin people seem to hold on to the idea of habitual behavior. If it isn't broken why fix it? The popular opinion on vinyl is it is a space problem, it requires a turntable, and for DJS, it doesn't make sense when moving around. But in the past months I have been buying vinyl. There is something special about going to the store and taking time to listen to the track, thinking how it could fit into your mix. And you have something physical as well. It is not just an mp3 on your computer. I got bored of trying to find tracks online, endlessly searching for blogs, links, groups, with records you have a definitive place to go, there is an atmosphere and it's nice. It's been an interesting, difficult, expensive transition, but in a way its made me think more about the music I chose to play and the time I put into my sets. Next up, "Why is Berlin being voted one of the top places for artists to live?" My answer is this: The people who live in Berlin stay in Berlin, and those people who moved here before or shortly after the wall came down came here to start fresh. Think of Berlin in the 90's like San Francisco on steroids. Weirdos, Creeps, Painters, Designers, Poets, Writers, people with ideas, came here to express themselves. And they loved it so they never left. When you walk into a store the owner is usually there, if you talk to them they love what they do and they admire it when you show interest. So the artists who live here have never forgotten their beginnings, they remember Berlin in the 90's and they remember what it was like to struggle, so often times they want to help or offer advice. "Is it really a party every night" For most people no... but if you want to there is truly something going on 24/7 7 days a week in Berlin. Just today at about 4 o clock in the afternoon on a monday I saw one guy dancing on the dock of Club Der Visionaere, a popular berlin outdoor hang out club bar. So if you want to spend a week in Berlin, you could party all 7 days. "Do people look down upon outsiders?" Berliners are known for giving a cold shoulder to outsiders. To be honest the average person probably does not want to tell you where the U-bahn station is and the technical engineer definitely doesn't give a shit that you know what you're doing. People here are straight, they don't deal with bullshit. So if you don't give them a reason to be pissed off then they won't. For outsiders this can be a big shocker," how could my waitress not come over to me when I call her right away?" Well frankly people here just don't care about comfort or friendliness, they get everything done in the time they want to and should. "Is Berghain really that great?" Well I don't have much to say regarding Berghain it is basically a hype factory for innocent 20 something year olds trying to make themselves noticed, but I haven't been so I can't give details. All I'll say is Berlin has a strict if you don't fit in then you leave policy. So Berghain is basically the poster child for that. In my opinion you can spend an hour waiting in line on the off chance that you get in, or you could go to one of the many other great techno clubs with great resident DJs and for the average clubber you will have an equally enthralling experience. I guess the controversy of Berghain will exist until the place closes. One of my favorite spectacles is a block away from Berghain, in clear graffiti hand style it reads "Fuck Berghain" I guarantee the person who wrote that didn't get into Berghain. "Can anyone DJ in Berlin?" Well I'm tossed up about this one. It does take a certain persistence to make it in the Berlin Club scene here, but with the right friends you could probably play a set at a decent club. If you're really interested in playing in Berlin you should definitely work on your productions. Your mix will sound twice as good if there are good tracks to back it up. I guess this is true of most DJs nowadays. You definitely have to learn to love every type of music if you plan to DJ here. People are starting to get bored with 4/4 mind numbing techno, so if you have a great mix and you're doing something new, you probably have a better chance. In addition you have to recognize that some of the best music isn't always at your fingertips. Dj's who play Beatport top hits aren't going to make it here. People come for the music so they want to hear something unique. So if you drop a 90's house tune that everybody loves in the middle of the set and throw them for a spin, you will probably be remembered for that. It is the little things that matter. The way you faded xyz track out or the delay you are using on a track is what people love. There is no tolerance for a crappy unhyped mix. I have seen people lose a whole crowd in a matter of seconds with the wrong track. So you need to learn your art to perfection. These are the questions I will answer for now, I'll keep updating the Blog in the next weeks and I'll definitely tell you how the next party goes. Stay tuned! Cheers.