The Art Of Feeling Music

Hoi iedereen en welkom op mijn blog,

Ik ben Steve Gl@mm en dit is mijn dj-blog. Bedoeling hiervan is uiteraard dat er dj mixen op het blog verschijnen maar ook de nodige info over alles wat met het dj gebeuren te maken heeft. Het is wel enigszins de bedoeling om een verschil te maken met andere dj’s en dit uiteraard in de muziekkeuze, underground met een lekkere groove.

De stijl van mijn keuze en voorkeur gaat in de richting van smooth deep house lounge tot deep house met een goeie dosis tech house en wat techno er doorheen. Het zal vooral lekker dansbaar zijn met een goeie stevige baslijn als rode draad door het genre. Wat ik absoluut wil vermijden is de commerciële housemuziek, die hoor je constant overal en is te doorzichtig en te algemeen. Mijn mening natuurlijk, no hard feelings voor de liefhebbers van dit genre.

Uiteraard zal er af en toe wel eens iets herkenbaar in voorkomen maar zolang het maar af en toe is, is het geoorloofd vind ik. Het is toch wel eerder de bedoeling van de iets mindere gangbare house te draaien, zeg maar het genre waar je lekker met je hoofd begint te knikken op het ritme van de grooves, daarna volgen de voeten en tenslotte ben je niet meer van de dansvloer weg te slaan. Het soort house-muziek dat je even alles doet vergeten, waarvan je alles van je af kan zetten en je kan laten drijven op de beats, pure underground dus.

Ik ben er in ieder geval hard mee bezig om dit alles te kunnen verwezenlijken. Het is een passie die kriebelt en waar ik niet aan kan weerstaan. Ben je zelf dj en heb je tips of een interessant voorstel dan mag je dat altijd doormailen naar steveglamm@gmail.com.

Ik heb ook een Mixcloud profiel aangemaakt waar mijn mixen te beluisteren zijn. Voel je vrij om deze te delen met liefhebbers van het genre, geef gerust comments en likes zoals je zelf wil. Uiteraard staan deze mixen ook hier op mijn blog. Je kan ook terecht op mijn facebook.

Ik ga ook op regelmatige basis muziek posten zodat jullie een idee krijgen van wat ik lekker vind en die je dan uiteraard ook in mijn mixen zal terugvinden. Ook interessante artikels over allerhande wat met het dj-gebeuren te maken heeft kan je terugvinden op mijn blog. Bedoeling is van een overzichtelijk geheel te maken met interessante informatie.

Hopelijk tot snel

Steve Gl@mm

Gl@mmertechno

Natural Born Techno Grooves

For more Gl@mmertechno you can go to my Mixcloud page

Gl@mmerwaves

Smooth Deep House Lounge

For more Gl@mmerwaves you can go to my Mixcloud page

Gl@mmergrooves

Groovy Deep/Tech House Dance Music

For more Gl@mmergrooves you can go to my Mixcloud page

Gl@mmervibes

Catchy Progressive House Beats

 

For more Gl@mmervibes you can go to my Mixcloud page

Why Great DJs Fail (6 Examples of Misguided Artists)

As the founder of Brand Me Silly, a writer for DJ Mag Canada, and radio host of The Basement Sessions, I have a lot of opportunities to work with great artists. Unfortunately, many artists find themselves short of their requirements: too little, too late.

Many artists are entirely misguided on things as simple as updating social media accounts, how to properly operate their own gear, and their understanding of the mental game.

Below are 6 misguided artists, whose mistakes can be learned from.

1. Artists That Do Not Understand Their Brand (Elevator Pitch)

If you had 2 minutes to tell me your identity, your market, and how you differentiate among other artists… what might you say?

Many cannot answer this, and when they do it often sounds bland and similar to what many others might say. Defining your brand, what people think when they hear your name (and the experience they attach to it) speak volumes about your influence. If you haven’t already, now is the time to establish this.

2. Artists That Do Not Have Press-Kits

There was a time where the press-kits were actually a mailed out package with press photos and physical copies of your music, with listed press releases. Nowadays, it can be sent or directly downloaded from a website.

Artists that are looking to release and have signed tunes absolutely need a press-kit. This is what I like to call a “DJ’s Resume.”

3. Artists Lacking an Online Presence

You can hate and fight it all you want, but 93% of marketers use an online presence.  46% of consumers turn to social media before making purchasing decisions.  If these numbers don’t concern you, they should.  They are rapidly growing and will continue to.

There is no better time to learn about social media, and how you can creatively market yourself, while staying true to your brand.

4. Artists That Become Stuck in Their Old Ways

As mentioned above, the popularity of social media is growing at an alarming rate… and most definitely affects the way we function with one another. While old techniques can be useful, it’s good to adapt and find new ways to influence your ever-growing fan base.

Become open and curious about learning and you’ll find there are some really cool way to go about things without “selling out.”

5. Artists With a Lack of Knowledge or Openness

It’s not just about the marketing and branding, as an understanding about your equipment and musical abilities can make you an expert in your local scene. Having a thirst for knowledge means you are often the “go-to person” when it comes to getting things done in your field.

Don’t be afraid if you’re wrong sometimes or make mistakes. It’s your chance to learn and grow. When we are open to the possibilities, the opportunities flow into our life.

6. Artists That Just Aren’t In It

Sometimes, people are not mentally “in the game” when it comes to getting work done.

Many successful artists will tell you that they were not in the right frame of mind, motivated, or really utilizing their time when they had it. Now, as a busy entrepreneur, everything they do is somehow involved with their business.

Whether it’s taking care of things at home so they are able to be present while at work, or simply educating themselves on a new piece of equipment rather than spend their time watching Netflix. They are focused on the bigger picture.

Summary

If you find yourself making these mistakes, take it as an opportunity to do things different. When what you are doing is not working, it’s time to try something else. Or, maybe you feel some of these things are working for you. Sometimes we don’t see that something is holding us back until it’s been years of that repeated behavior.

Be open to the idea that something else might actually propel you into the direction you’ve been working towards. If you’re open to these ideas, you’re opening up new opportunities to shine.

Kilma

Getting DJ Mixers Right

First things first, I have a confession to make: I have never owned a Rane mixer.  In fact, at the time of this writing, I’ve never owned a Rane product at all (though I’ve played on the occasional old-school Serato mixer here and there).

That being said, I really appreciate the company’s current approach to their mixer lineup… especially when compared to some of their competitors.

Circular Reasoning

Here’s the MP2015: a mixer with a rather spartan appearance, trimmed out in laser-etched wood and large knobs.  Not a single line fader to be found, Rane’s latest offering is a throwback to the club mixers of yore.

This mixer doesn’t just satisfy a market of people who prefer circles over lines.  This mixer is for control freaks.

Starting with the simple fact that it’s a rotary (knobs just feel more subtle than sliding forward-and-back), the very design of the mixer implies a need for precision.  Each meter has plenty of LEDs, for instance.  But aside from that, the mixer presents some intriguing routing and “shaping” options.

The MP2015 features a Submix – basically, an additional mix bus which you can have any or all of your mix channels routed to.  Think of it this way: in the same way that you can press any number of “CUE” buttons to hear those channels in your headphones, you have another button which routes any selected channels to a new “fifth” channel (complete with its own EQ, filter, and volume controls).

This allows you to do things that might otherwise require you to have four arms.  Example: If you are mixing 4-deck techno, and you want to “filter up” two of the channels while bringing in the bass of another song, this allows you to do that.

Another feature is the Isolator – a sort of glorified EQ which is applied to your entire output.  It has three frequency bands, with adjustable crossover frequencies between those bands. The crossover between lows and mids ranges from 80 to 640 Hz, the one between mids and highs ranges between 1kHz and 8kHz.

What this would mean for me, personally, is that I could properly listen to some of my OLD records (pre-1990s), and compensate a little bit for the sound of the room I’m in.

But, with great power comes great responsibility.  This level of control is easily abused by DJs who don’t know what they’re doing.  This mixer is meant for a seasoned ear.

The mixer may appear old-school, but don’t let it fool you.  It contains within, a dual-USB high quality sound card.  That’s right, two DJs can use the the internal sound card at once, making switch-overs a breeze.

Yes, that means that while this mixer harkens back to an analogue era, this is a digital mixer through-and-through… just to be clear.

Unfortunately, the sound card has no DVS-certification of any kind (including Serato).  Which means that using timecode involves the addition of a separate box in the chain (aside from, perhaps, Virtual DJ).  This seems severely limiting to the target demographic.

It is, however, nice to see that Rane is concerned with the level of quality in this product.  The thing looks like it’s built with Technics 1200-like indestructibility in mind.  Of course, only time will tell if this pans out… but Rane claims they are testing the knobs for a minimum of one million cycles.

This mixer, in all it’s sonically-OCD glory, does weigh in at a hefty price… advertised at $2199.  Unfortunately, this price tag makes the mixer prohibitively expensive for the average DJ.

Still, what I really like about this mixer is the statement it makes.  There’s been a long push of DJ hardware that was designed by marketers instead of experienced DJs.  The MP2015 says, “I’m a mixer for DJs.”  There is a recent trend of this, lately… we can only add so many bells, whistles, screens and lights.

I like hardware designed with intent.  Gear which is designed to support a certain workflow… to solve a particular artist’s problem.  This mixer is a shining example of this, and if it does well, may prompt similar moves by competitors.  I see this as only being good for the industry.

This mixer is too rich for my blood, but damned if I don’t fantasize about sitting behind my decks and playing records through it all night.

I suppose I’ll have to settle for a high-quality rotary kit for my Kontrol S8, for now.  Hint hint, NI…

Scratch DJs, Rejoice!

The TTM57SL was a popular choice for Serato DJs for years, and is still used by many.  But when Rane announced their discontinued support of classic SSL devices, owners couldn’t help but feel abandoned.

Serato hears the cries of their customers, and their answer is the TTM57MKII.  This mixer is for the no-nonsense scratch DJ.

A classic reborn, the “MKII” version of the mixer sports a familiar layout, while adding features now expected by the modern digital DJ. For example, the TTM57MKII also features the dual-USB architecture, making switch-overs between DJs a breeze.  And, of course, today’s staple feature: RGB-backlit buttons.

Some PR from Rane:

Rane Introduces the TTM57mkII for Serato DJ

When introduced in 2006 the TTM57SL broke ground as the first ever DJ mixer with built-in USB sound card and tightly integrated Serato software controls. When discontinued in 2013, the TTM57SL had developed a cult-like following.

TTM57mkII stays true to its original design by supporting familiar workflow while improving performance and software integration. Updated software controls include silicone RGB backlit pads for triggering 4 cue points per deck or the SP-6 sampler. Classic joystick controls toggle slip, instant doubles, internal mode, censor, and transform. Dedicated auto-loop & loop roll controls with back-lit buttons. Intuitive Serato DJ iZotope FX controls for easy & quick access.

The mixer features Rane’s exclusive dual USB port architecture for intuitive DJ change over and supports creative dual computer applications. The TTM57mkII is a classic reborn.

Key improvements include:

• 
  Dual USB 2.0 high speed class compliant audio and MIDI USB ports
  • No driver required on Mac
  • High performance ASIO driver for Windows
  • 10 record and 10 playback channels per port
• Sample rates of 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz and 96 kHz
• Dedicated Serato DJ iZotope USB FX inserts for each deck
• Software color coded silicone RGB back-lit pads.
• Aux Channel for SP-6 routing.
• High/Low-Pass sweep filters for Decks 1, 2 and Aux.
• Ranes proprietary non-contact magnetic faders

The Rane TTM57mkII Mixer is a plug-and-play package supporting one or two computers, with two-deck digital vinyl simulation (DVS), the Serato SP-6 sample player, software effects and all the record and playback channels you need.

Both USB ports connect to computers running Serato DJ or most DJ and DAW audio programs, working with Native Core Audio support for Mac and an ASIO driver for Windows. Class-compliant audio and MIDI means no driver installation on a Mac, and a unified ASIO Rane driver is provided for Windows. Dual USB ports help DJs seamlessly change over between sets, even if they use different software.

The TTM57mkII has so many improvements over the TTM57SL, it’s truly a new mixer with a lot more creative power.

• Each USB 2.0 port supports 5 stereo record and 5 stereo playback channels.

• Great-sounding 32-bit floating-point audio processing sampled at 44.1, 48 and 96 kHz.

• Deck controls include source select, Gain trim, 3-band full-cut isolator tone controls and a sweepable High/Low-pass Filter.

• An external analog insert can route the left, right, or both Decks to an analog effects processor.

• Independent USB FX Inserts for each deck support post-fader iZotope software FX.

• A dedicated USB Aux Input for SP-6 sample playback with Gain Trim, sweepable High/Low-pass Filter and a Headphone Cue.

• Long-life magnetic crossfader and channel faders have reverse and contour controls.

• All controls are MIDI-mappable.

A typical setup includes two Serato DVS decks, software FX through independent USB digital inserts for each Deck, and the SP-6 sample player on its own USB Aux input.

Rane Sets an Example

The thing I appreciate about the imminent Rane mixer lineup, is that each mixer serves a specific purpose.  Rane recognizes that there are different types of DJs, and different ways they like to play, so why discriminate?  Let’s serve each corner of the market.

This seems like good old basic business sense, but it’s surprising how many companies have gotten this wrong.  Pioneer has a well-earned hold on the “pro” mixer market, but their lineup is comparatively a mess.  The differences between a 750, an 850, and a 900 are strangely chosen and really seem to be a case of “slap more FX on it and double the price”.  Even Allen & Heath, god love ‘em, have made similar decisions with their mixer lineup.

I hope that other companies start to act in kind, and realize that DJs want equipment designed by real DJs and not by marketing firms. I’ve never owned a Rane mixer and I have no real stake in this… but I like where their heads are at.

Make it, Rane.

David Michael

The Truth About Tech House

As we dive headlong into 2015 ‘deep’ house is still riding high as dance music’s favourite sound – certainly in the UK and in a few places beyond our fair borders to boot. Last year saw the genre’s bubble swell in size, with countless producers contributing to both established underground and increasing commercial scenes. However, in the wake of this fascination a notable trend is emerging which shuns the bouncy basslines and catchy vocals proven popular in recent years and instead enforces that familiar house groove, with a stronger focus on polished percussion and no-nonsense, driving energy. That’s right ladies and gentleman, tech house is back – if indeed it ever went away.

Originally derived from record stores who coined the term tech house when referring to house music’s hybridisation with techno, the genre began taking shape early on in Detroit before growing in popularity during the 90s. According to Vladimir Bogdanov in All Music Guide to Electronica: The Definitive Guide to Electronic Music, tech house was used to describe the sound curated by “mostly European producers who culled many of the rhythms and effects of acid and progressive house yet with a clean, simplistic production style suggestive of Detroit and British techno.”

The End, one of the London’s most notorious nightclubs, was fundamental in the rise of tech house. Its founders Layo Paskin and Mr C were forerunners of the genre, their Saturday night parties at the club usually championing a theme of rolling kick drums, thunderous snares and mechanical sounds.

Although The End may have shut its doors for good back in 2009 it was only a small piece of a much bigger picture. Artists such as Anja Schneider, Re.you, Rodriguez Jr, Shlomi Aber, Marc Scholl, Tom Flynn, Steve Bug and Timo Garcia are all excellent examples of first-rate tech house artists, many of which have all been championing the sound for the best part of a decade. Furthermore, reputable imprints Moon Harbour, Mobilee Records and Leena Music are a few of the platforms which predominately put out quality tech house, of which Matthias Tanzmann’s label Moon Harbour has been doing so since its foundation in 2000.

Another advocate of the tech house scene is DJ and producer Nick Curly, an export of south-west Germany renowned for his seminal tech house imprints 8bit and Cecille Records. Curly also spearheaded the lauded ‘Mannheim sound’ alongside the likes of Marcus Fix, Johnny D and Gorge – a deep and groovy take on house which proved refreshing during the minimal era which was running rife at the time throughout Europe, with imprints such as Kompakt, Cocoon, BPitch Control and Traum Schallplatten leading the way.  

Now, many of those who have been enjoying deep house for the last couple of years are now becoming engrossed in something different. Whereas the more popular forms of house may come across as predictable, with pitched downvocals, garage elements and rumbling basslines becoming the norm in today’s market, tech house opposes these conventions to instead employ something darker and industrial. Similarly, deep house’s inflation in popularity means many producers are beginning to reject it and instead focus on other genres. Much like Skream, who publically disassociated himself from dubstep last year, producers can have a tendency to move away from a sound when it swells and saturates. 

“Things needed to evolve” said the Magnetic Man member in regards to his newfound direction, something many deep house producers may find sympathy with today. Whenever the spotlight is on a particular style of music it inherits fresh and exciting artists who can bring innovation and originality to the scene but also other newcomers who instead capitalise on formulaic production techniques, tainting a genres reputation and in turn diverting listeners away from the artists who have pioneered the sound from the beginning with passion and integrity.

The recent rise of tech house has even spurred on media controversy with Mixmag featuring an article entitled ‘Stop The Tech-House Takeover’. This initiated a wave of responses from readers who took to Twitter to either support or criticise the piece, resulting in a scene-wide debate that in turn lead to a further article in favour of the genre.

With all these precursors of the genres popularisation it is possible that we are on the cusp of a tech house boom? Whatever your take on tech house, this newfound popularity is reflective of the house music’s growing appeal to a wider audience and if this benefits the scene then who are we to complain?

Will Lawes

The rise of electronic music in Berlin

Soundtrack of a state of emergency

Techno has made its mark on Berlin for over 20 years and vice-versa. Whether it was Westbam who moved to West Berlin in the mid-80s and played an early form of what would later become known as Techno in his DJ sets, or in places like the legendary Tresor club after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the whole thing took on a dynamic of its own. By the mid-90s E-werk was playing a more populist sound and within the span of only a few years the Love Parade had turned into an event that drew millions and that was broadcast live on television. Nowadays Techno in Berlin still remains part of an experimental subculture while simultaneously bringing tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world to the city. As constantly evolving as the locations in which parties are being thrown, is the ever changing soundtrack of electronic music in the German capital, something which is as creative and as non-stop as ever.

Following 28 years of division, on October 3rd 1990 East and West Germany were reunited and resulted in the sudden emergence of a new space within Berlin in which to venture. Whether it was a former tank depot in the dusty no man’s land in the death strip, a bunker from the 2nd World War, a disused soap factory by the River Spree or a power station opposite the former ministry for aviation of the 3rd Reich – all of these places, which had become outdated by history, suddenly became the backdrop for the Techno scene and Techno just as suddenly became the underground soundtrack of the East-West reunification.

Techno itself had already started in Detroit back in the mid-80s, but the new electronic sound had never really made a home for itself there . A club scene surrounding the music had never really developed.

Berlin at the beginning of the 90s was quite the opposite as the city did not have a long history of electronic music. Unlike Frankfurt which from the 80s onwards had had a network of clubs, producers in place, at the time West Berlin was actually a city of Rock n Roll, albeit an experimental one. In East Berlin on the other hand, it was a highly secretive and dangerous task to be part of any youth culture and the first generation of punks were rigorously persecuted. Young people were accustomed to having to look hard for niches. For example Breakdance, which had a longer lasting effect on subculture in East Germany than in West Germany. This could possibly explain the roots of the East Germany’s love of electronic music. This love of the sound flourished in temporary clubs and parties in empty spaces and abandoned buildings in the city just after 1989. Some for were on just for just one night, others for weeks or even years. In the end it was Berlin, following the fall of the wall, that was able to provide the most fertile ground for a Techno to develop and a creative club scene to take shape.

A short and certainly uncomprehensive summary of the infinite places and protagonists that have left their mark on electronic music in Berlin since then will follow.

The magic of new sounds and undiscovered places

The promise of freedom hidden within the music turned Techno into the soundtrack of the state of emergency that followed the fall of the wall. Suddenly everyone could DJ, produce tracks or start fanzines. At the start, the Techno scene was not concentrated on star figures and even the DJ was just a part of the party and not the focus. Even today the stars of the city are not individuals, rather part of the collective i.e. Berlin’s clubs and it’s club goers. And at the beginning of the 90s there seemed hardly any music genre that could cause to such a disparate mix of people to dance so peacefully together in the way that techno did. Early parties were attended by breakdancers, football hooligans, punks from the former East Berlin and radio junkies, as well as a mass of former West Berliners from the gay scene, the squatter scene, students, artists or even off duty soldiers. They partied in clubs like Walfisch, Planet, UFO or at Tekknozid parties the latter of which was started by Wolle XDB amongst others. Tresor, a club which was situated in the former Wertheim department store building, also made a considerable mark on it’s city and in that in such a way that no other club did in the 90s. Having opened in 1991, Tresor gave rise to the Detroit-Berlin axis and not only took particular care to fortify and maintain it through the label Tresor Records, they even launched a number of DJ and producer careers. From the resident Djs , Tanith, Jonzon, Rok and Terrible are probably the most prominent. In May 2005 Tresor and the building that housed it was finally torn down because an office building was being planned on the same site. Only two years later the club reopened at a different location. Some of the original locker safes from the old club in the Wertheim building were removed and built into the new club, thus serving to preserve the memory of the old Tresor. However the spirit of the old club could never really be restored to it’s prior glory.

The old and the new ‘club mile’ of Berlin

Without doubt the Berlin scene has since then forged links with numerous places of revelry like Bar 25, Ostgut’s follow-up club Berghain or Watergate. Most of them gravitate somewhere along the axis between Alexanderplatz and Revelar Straße. Tobias Rapp, in his critically acclaimed book ‘Lost and Sound’ which was recently also published in English, refers to Berlin’s new ‘club mile’. The ‘club mile’ actually has a predecessor. There was also a time back in the 90s when club culture found itself concentrated in one area i.e. a kilometre stretch along Leipzigerstraße which runs between Friedrichstraße and Potsdamer Platz , itself still a barren wasteland at that time. Due to clubs like Tresor, WMF and E-werk which were located on that stretch, there were less people on the street during the day than at the night.

For those keen on finding out more about the Berlin clubscene from the late 80s till the mid-90s, Der Klang der Familie by Felix Denk and Sven von Thülen is highly recommended and will most probably find a place in the heart of any insatiable raver.

The book is a form of oral history and with the help of a collage of 150 interviews, it sheds light on the period surrounding the beginnings of the Berlin club scene. Even those who feel that there’s little that has not been said about this period will find an abundance of unknown facts, anedotes and cross references linger upon.

The babble of languages

Following what’s statistically been seen as the peak of Techno at the end of the 90s (1.5 million visitors at the 1999 Berlin Love Parade) and despite what some media predicted as the end of electronic music and the comeback of the Rockstar, there has been and continues to be a vibrant culture of House, Techno, Electro, Minimal – and whatever else one wants to name it! In fact in Berlin this music and it’s associated scene became bigger, more diverse and more interesting in the noughties than ever before. Never before have clubs in Berlin been able to draw such large crowds (especially on an international level) in the way that Berghain, Watergate, Weekend and the now extinct Bar 25 have done. Thousands upon thousands have , and continue to come ot Berlin week in and week out to spend the weekend partying endlessly.

When standing in the queue of a club in Berlin and upon hearing the babble of languages that surround you, it becomes apparent that it ‘s not a local but rather an international phenomenon which despite culminating in Berlin, is actually fuelled by clubbers from the all over the world, in particular from the USA but also from northern and southern parts of Europe. Some people stay for a few months or more while others just come for the weekend.

The noughties saw an ever increasing number of artists drawn to the city by relatively cheap rents and a network of labels, clubs, producers and record shops (e.g. the legendary Hard Wax which is run by the just as legendary Mark Ernestus, who together with Moritz von Oswald formed the dub techno duo Basic Channel which is a legend in itself) as well as ample opportunities to perform live. Such is the case with Luciano, Richie Hawtin or Zip, the latter of whom moved to Berlin from Frankfurt with his label Perlon and very much shaped the sound of the city and it’s afterhour culture. The same applies for Ricardo Villalobos who’s tracks „Dexter“ or „Easy Lee“ went on to become signature tracks of the new sound of Berlin.

Autumn 2008 saw the release of director Hannes Stöhr’s film Berlin Calling where Paul Kalkbrenner (meanwhile well on his way to being a superstar) acted in the main role. The film hit the cinema almost 20 years after the first serious attempt of a film about Berlin and it’s Techno culture. Since then there have been numerous documentaries that try to tell the story of Berlin’s clubs. The three most recent examples are Subberlin – The Story of Tresor, Bar 25 – Tage außerhalb der Zeit or Berlinized – Sexy An Eis.

The wild times are over but the spirit remains …

Even in the decade after the noughties, Berlin remains the ultimate mekka for EasyJet-Ravers and there’s nowhere else in Germany that has such a diverse, affordable and extensive kind of partying on offer. In fact there’s nowhere else in the world where there’s always another party waiting and before you know it, just as the last afterhour comes to an end the next weekend has commenced.

However on the relative scale of things the wild times of the 90s in Berlin are over, whereby many clubs (illegal or semi-legal) have become solidly-run small and middle sized businesses. However the spirit does continue to be felt. Each month sees the opening and closing of new locations and each weekend sees an array of illegal open air parties taking place all over the city. But in face of the discussion surrounding gentrification, the planned introduction of new fees which clubs will be forced to pay to the German royalties society (GEMA) and its consequent threat to clubs in 2013, the question is for just how long can this spirit actually remain? The fact that millions of club tourists not only fill the empty cash desks of the city and that the party szene itself has played a huge role in forming an image of Berlin as a creative hub is something that even the Berlin senate has recognized. Thus they are putting pressure on the German royalties society to change their detrimental reform which is planned.

One can hope that Techno will continue to create and develop smaller and larger niches in the city, although that certainly seems to have been easier to do 20 years ago than it is today.

Sascha Uhlig