A few weeks ago, one of my close friends introduced me to a musical genre he coined as
“Evil Techno.” Curious, I asked to hear more. Freshman Aidan McGill (to give credit where
credit is due) played me a few songs from his “Evil Techno” playlist. I was intrigued. This genre
was unlike anything I had heard before– dark, rapid, and charged, it sounded like something
you’d hear while watching a movie scene of 20-somethings partying at a euphoric underground
rave somewhere in Europe, clad in black clothes and moody makeup. Without elaborating on his
“evil” label, Aidan simply let the music play and allowed us to experience its energy. I was
quickly hooked. I needed to learn more. Talking with Aidan, I found out that he discovered this
genre while on a summer expedition to Berlin, Germany, and that “evil techno” has a larger
social and political context than I could have ever imagined.
In 1989, life in Berlin drastically changed. After living with a wall separating the city for
thirty years, readjusting individuals searched for something unifying to grasp and surprisingly,
that something came from none other than Detroit, Michigan. Techno (repetitive, rapid electronic
dance music) originated in the black community of Detroit, and became trans-Atlantic as it
piqued the interest of just a few young people from a struggling Berlin. Suddenly, the techno
scene took off in Berlin, and filled the existent emptiness after the Cold War left the city in a
state of desolation. Clubs were founded. Festivals, such as the Love Parade, were introduced. An
exciting new phenomenon had begun.
As the music developed, it became commercialized and popularized, soon developing
into a more stripped, laid-back style. Techno in Berlin became a new necessary reconciler– the
city’s greatest chance at reunification. As a result, the young community latched on tight,
refusing to give up their newfound identity. Today, techno music in Berlin has become a
synonym for youth culture, existing within some of the world’s most exclusive and intense
electronic dance music (EDM) clubs. And while neither of us has been to Berlin, we figured
we’d research a few of the most popular clubs so that anyone who may be interested can check
them out! (And don’t worry, we’ll get there someday!)
Club #1: Tresor
Founded in 1991 during the early stages of Berlin’s “evil” techno scene, Tresor exists in
an abandoned power plant, contributing to its uncanny and obscure nature. Initially created in a
repurposed department store, Tresor became extremely popular and rapidly accelerated the
spread of the Berlin techno phenomenon. As floors were added and new spaces constructed, the
club itself became somewhat of a legend, even founding its own record label soon after it opened
in 1991. Due to budget difficulties, Tresor was forced to close for two years from 2005-2007,
later reopening at its current location in the heart of Berlin.
Many argue that Tresor’s opening in Berlin significantly contributed to the reunification
of the city’s young society. People were open and receptive to social change as their entire world
had suddenly experienced abrupt upheaval, and Tresor offered a forum for a nonverbal creation
of community among estranged youth. For context, East and West Berlin quickly merged after
the destruction of the Berlin Wall: Youth from the East scrambled to explore the plethora of
opportunities in the West, and individuals from the West poured into the East searching for
inexpensive housing and abandoned sites for social revival. Consequently, Tresor was born,
morphing into an amalgamation of people from both sides of Berlin. Political reunification was
an inevitable reality. And progressively, Tresor became a synonym for Berlin’s revival.
Over time, Tresor has shifted from the anonymous, purposefully elusive first techno club
of Berlin to an internationally recognized institution, commissioning events and exhibitions at
local galleries and promoting its record label globally. Today, it is one of the most popular
locations that young people in Berlin try to get into (although many get denied on the basis of
style, demeanor, language, and/or prior knowledge). While I have never been there myself, based
on videos, I’ll do my best to describe the scene. Picture this: Upon being luckily granted access,
you walk into a dank, dimly-lit concrete hallway littered with graffiti, spilled drinks, and hints of
flashing lights in the distance. You feel the vibrations of the hypnotic techno beat in your chest.
Walking through winding hallways and weaving through crowds of young people dressed in
black, you somehow make it to the dance floor. There are pulsating lights and deafening music
that you can feel throughout your entire body. You start to dance. Euphoric.
Artists featured at Tresor are no joke. DJs booked typically sell out, and, if so, are often
signed to the Tresor record label. Some of the artists currently signed include AMX, Regis, and
Jeff Mills, just to name a few. Each artist’s music varies in style to some extent, but all focus
around the same central theory of techno music: create repetitive, experimental, and hypnotic
beats that unify anyone who walks into the club, no matter their background or circumstances.
Just for fun, I’ll include some of this week’s event performers in the off chance you happen to
find yourself in Berlin in the next few days!
October 9th: “Tresor New Faces hosted by PUSH
Network” featuring Caniche, CHEKA, and Mischa Beton.
October 11th: “Tresor meets
Downtown Records” featuring Ancient Methods, Birmingham Techno Collective, Laia, and
UVB.
October 12th: “Tresor Klubnacht” featuring Bloody Mary, DJ Plant Texture,
Exterminador, and Melania.
Definitely check out some of their music – it may make you feel like
catching a quick flight to Berlin.
Club #2: Berghain
Situated in the raw concrete remains of a towering former power station, Berghain is
perhaps the Berlin club best known to international audiences. The name “Berghain” is actually a
portmanteau, referring to its location between the districts of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain.
Though the founders ran various clubs in the ‘90s (known specifically for melding the techno
scene and contemporary gay liberation movement), the club as it exists today was not founded
until 2004. Because of its formation date and reputation for slightly older crowds, Berghain has
not had an influence on youth culture comparable to that of Tresor. However, it is still an emblem
of the way techno has shaped Berlin’s identity since 1989. The condemned power station sits
near the border between West and East Berlin; its harsh, industrial exterior contrasts with the
powerful historical and political symbolism of the techno played inside. And the club is massive,
as a metaphor and physical location. Berghain is home to nearly 40,000 square feet of dance
floors and a maze of hallways. There are 3 primary dance spaces – Berghain, Panorama Bar, and
Säule – each of which hosts a unique DJ lineup every night.
Berghain has always been associated with local DJs, and the club tends to prioritize booking
local acts over big-name ones. Ostgut Ton, Berghain’s in-house record label, operated from 2005
until 2021. Ostgut Ton artists have included resident DJs such as Barker and the 7th Plain, as
well as frequent performers Phase Fatale, Vatican Shadow, Virginia, Ben Klock, and Planetary
Assault Systems. (For anyone curious about the club’s music history, the Berghain website
allows you to comb through schedules of DJ sets going back to 2010.) In general, the label had a
deep and varied group of artists and producers, with a sound that defies easy categorization.
Rubbish of the Floodwaters EP by Vatican Shadow is one of the more interesting projects on the
Ostgut Ton label; the titular song “Rubbish of the Floodwaters” is vacant and ominous, with a
sinister driving beat and mechanical noise sampled from a plane engine. This EP, as well as other
projects by Ostgut Ton artists, offers a picture of the variety offered by Berghain and Berlin EDM as a whole.
But chances are, you haven’t heard of Berghain for its history or its musical influence. If
you know the name, you’ve likely heard its reputation for having a formidably difficult door
policy. Like Tresor, vibes seem to be the most important criteria for entry. It is apparently
common to be turned away by the bouncers on the basis of style, group size, language, and other
elements of presentation. Only once given an affirmative “Willkommen” by the bouncer can each
guest pay their €20 entrance fee, place opaque tape over phone cameras, and finally get to
dancing. The aura inside of the club is also very hard to articulate. One account identifies the
diversity of the crowds, striking scale of the rooms, prominence of drug use, and definitive
“coolness” as the most important attributes defining the character of Berghain.
Berghain has become the stuff of legend, garnering widespread interest on the internet. Its
extensive lore has spawned a sprawling array of internet discussions, video guides, TikToks, and
a subreddit, mostly of individuals sharing their experiences and advising on what habits might
help prospective club-goers get in. There is even an online simulator designed for this purpose,
where you converse with a virtual bouncer named Sven. We highly recommend giving this a try.
Neither of us were able to get past Sven in our attempts; still, trying to get through the virtual door
is fun practice for (potentially) getting through the real one. In all seriousness,
Berghaintrainer.com is a fascinating testament to the massive influence of this club on the
international perception of Berlin’s techno scene.
Music is certainly part of this mythos, and part of the reason the club has become so
notorious. Live sets at Berghain are legendary. They can run anywhere from 2 to 8 hours or
more, and headliners usually play from Friday night to Sunday morning. If you’re curious about what
Berghain sounds like on a weekend, look to some of the artists playing this Thursday through
Sunday, October 10th to 14th. Among them are Drumcell, Truncate, Lolsnake, Soundstream,
Dee Diggs, Honey Dijon, and Snow. These artists alone are incredibly diverse. Snow draws
heavily from disco, Honey Dijon from Chicago house, and Drumcell from industrial and techno.
Basically, if you spend a night at Berghain, you will be exposed to an incredible variety of relevant,
innovative dance music.
It’s the same kind of variety that Berghain promoted through Ostgut Ton, the same kind
of variety that has kept Berlin techno relevant since the early ‘90s. It is clear that the typical dark,
beat-driven iteration of evil techno is as alive as ever. But it is also apparent that new influences,
diverse in genre, nationality, and sound, are critical parts of Berlin’s modern club scene. Evil
techno is a force to be reckoned with. While these songs seem to be made to reverberate off of
the concrete walls and towering ceilings of a sprawling, dark warehouse, we don’t think any of
us are likely to experience them that way anytime soon. Instead, we can appreciate Berlin’s
techno music output for its variety, for its risk-taking qualities, and for the extensive history it
has been built from.
Our Favorite Berlin Techno Songs
Emma:
180db_[130] by Aphex Twin
Heroine by Dutch Disorder
Welcome to London (Remix) [Mixed] by Flowdan
Claire:
Raverd by Virginia (and really her entire debut album, Fierce for the Night.)
Neurosis by Virginia
Booster by Planetary Assault Systems
Walking With Clouds by Transllusion
