MELT! picknick

As I'm typing these lines, a mere 140km away from Berlin in the city of steel Ferropolis (near Dessau), Melt! resident DJ Markus Welby is already serving the first course of finest electro tunes. The musical banquet that Melt! Picknick rightfully can be described as will continue with Simina Grigoriu, a brunette bombshell who happens to double as first-class techno DJ and producer. And if the weather permits and (the predicted) heavy rainfall doesn't bust the party, these phenomenal acts will be followed by none other than Fritz Zander, Fritz Kalkbrenner and Robag Whrume. The grand finale a.k.a the cherry on top of this electronic feast will be a live set by the great Paul Kalkbrenner. Ever since Berlin Calling, this Berlin-based DJ has created a name (or shall we say legend?) for himself even outside the spheres of electronic music and Berlin underground parties, and made his way into mainstream. Whether that's desireable or not remains questionable, his bank account is certainly thanking him.

And while I'm sitting here in Berlin, receiving text message updates about the awesomeness of Melt! picknick by friends and secretly wishing that it would start raining so I'd have at least one teensie reason to be glad about getting stuck in Berlin (for personal reasons), I'll definitely round up a few photographic and video impressions post-picknick to share with you what we may have missed out on.

Ps. It just started raining cats and dogs...

the sunny side of life

"We start to party when others go to bed!" a Norwegian tourist proudly proclaimed last weekend, leaning against the bar at Zur Möbelfabrik, sucking on his Vodka Lemon and feeling oh so Berlin. I daresay it's not very unconventional to begin a night by catching the last S-Bahn (during the week) or running into a Kaiser's supermarket just before it closes at 24:00h to stock up on whatever will last you through the night. What many visitors and tourists are unaware of, however, is that here in Berlin we don't wait until the sun goes down to have a good time.

Especially in the summer time, all sorts of festivities and celebrations draw crowds of young and old to the streets of Berlin. The first of May - traditionally a day of street riots and political protests - nowadays also encompasses street fairs and open-air parties all throughout Kreuzberg and the Wrangelkiez. This year, one could enjoy some fine electro tunes in front of Luzia (Oranienstraße) and around the Spreewaldplatz (Görlitzer Park).



Last fall, 350 participants attended an anti-climate change demonstration which doubled as a silent rave party throughout the streets of Berlin-Mitte. While political activism and environmental consciousness stood at the forefront of this event, the tunes of legendary Dr. Motte and Dj Dirty Doehring (Bar 25) caused every electro-loving Berliner's heart to skip a beat.


Among the annual Karneval der Kulturen and Bergmannstraßenfest (which are coming up this and next weekend), there's a bunch of low-key and semi-secret rave parties taking place in and around Berlin all throughout the summer. To figure out the when&where, keep a lookout on the internet (Facebook; Berlin-based blogs such as IHeartBerlin.de) ...or simply ask one of the many hipsters milling around Görlitzer Park ;)

Having said that, I would like add that these parties rarely end when the sun sets... so even if you prefer spending the daytime hours in bed (and can actually afford to do so), you won't miss out!

what summer is all about...

in retrospect: rave for the environment

I didn't go to the parade to take great photography or shoot award-winning film material. I participated because climate change is a very important issue to me, because I think taking action is always better than simply discussing a matter and its pressing importance. I took part because it sounded like a great idea to spend the day dancing through Berlin with my friends and 350 other people.

Therefore, don't get your guns out when you watch my cinematic snippets of the event.

I was temporarily traumatized after handing back my headphones and finding myself without the tunes of Dirty Doering, which explains why my imbecile self conducted the interview with Peter Esser in German, rather than in English (as I had originally planned). Apologies go out to anyone not understanding a word of what he's saying.

Enough with the rambling ... enjoy!

make a change - have a party!

These days, raising awareness works best when firm conviction for your cause is paired with creativity and some kind of appeal for pop culture... On Ocotber 24th, people all over the world will come together and protest against the sky-rocketing amounts of CO2-emissions global industries are still producing. Here in Berlin, the protest will take place in form of a Silent Climate Parade.

The concept is simple: 350 people may pre-register online for a limited amount of headphones. These will be distributed at Potsdamer Platz (in front of the Ritz) at 14:ooh on Saturday. Come 15:ooh, the legendary Dr. Motte (Love Parade, anyone?) and DJ Dirty Doering (Bar25) will feed these babies with finest electro beats - and you will start dancing! All participants will follow an eco-powered vehicle from Potsdamer Platz all the way to Alexanderplatz. For the exact route, click here. Nobody except those wearing the headphones will be able to hear a thing, so curious and confused looks from passersbys and tourists should be expected!

Here's your chance to engage in a good cause and have tons of fun while you're at it. The 350 haven't been reached yet, so registrations are still welcome on the official website.

See you on Saturday!! ;)