A quick visit to Kunsthaus Tacheles in Berlin

Prior to my German visit, besides the music scene, I also intended to see some art. As with most city breaks, galleries tend to be de rigueur for 80% of tourists, however when in Berlin, following the straight and narrow touristy road isn’t the point of being there.

As one of the most avant-garde creative hubs, artists have flocked to the city; mostly settling in the East Berlin districts of Kreuzberg and Freidrichshain since the wall came down in 1989. Due to cheap rents and a slight lawlessness about the place, artists and squatters gravitated towards Berlin and since 1990 a building once used as a Nazi prison has been occupied by artists. They named it Kunsthaus Tacheles and to this day it still stands as an art squat. I’ll save you my sketchy Wikipediad chronicle of Tacheles, so for all the ins and outs of its history, please Google it or read a Lonely Planet guidebook.

Before I go on I’ll be straight with you; I’m not that cool. When I go abroad visiting art squats isn’t often top of my list. It was actually a pal who told me to go, who was probably told by another pal to go. So not really knowing what to expect I jumped on the metro/subway, whatever the Germans call it, in the direction of Oranienburgerstrasse, with my friends in tow, in search of this mystical place.

When we arrived we nearly walked by it. At night it’s all dark and ghoulish but then we spotted a few dudes smoking and drinking beer outside so we knew we’d come to the right place. We then made the long hike to the top, up several flights of stairs seeking some arty people to mix with. The stairs are in fact a key feature of this building and a perfect location for taking some totally cool photos in because of the copious amount of graffiti all the way up. 

We then arrived at a large dark room on one of the levels, which was completely bare besides a ladder going up to some secret room I assume the artists/squatters use for kipping/partying in. I would’ve gone up but I’m a wuss and didn’t want to be told to sod off and embarrassed by one of the residents so I resumed walking up considerably more flights of stairs.

This time I arrived at a floor with some stalls selling surreal amalgamations of photographed body parts. See photos for examples of what I mean. I quite liked this art – so far so good – but resisted purchasing anything because it would get squashed in my hand-luggage sized suitcase, and I sure as hell wasn’t paying Easyjet for extra luggage to take home some photo of a nun with her bosoms out.

After resisting the urge to purchase obscure pictures to adorn my bedroom with, I coerced my friend into taking Instagrams of me up against some more graffitied walls trying to look like I’m completely unaware of the iPhone about 10 ft away. After my faux-posed photo shoot I went into a room with some real art. By this I mean art created using paint and papier-mâché. There were also some inexplicable genital moulds on display and an old telescope which I tried to look interested in.

The artists in this room were a bit hostile to say the least. Just as we were leaving they asked us to cough up some Euros for the pleasure of their aloof company, which we did because we didn’t want to look tight. I kind of begrudged it though; only because for all their squatting and ‘free love’ profanities, they were really just as money driven as the rest of us. The only difference is they can paint!

Nevertheless I enjoyed my squat escapade and urge people visit Tacheles when in Berlin sooner rather than later. As a Guardian reader, I frequently come across articles highlighting the imminent closure of the site due to developers wanting to get their manicured little hands on it. Therefore make it a priority to go and see what is one of the last bastions of Berlin’s art squat scene before it succumbs to The Man.

What to do in Berlin – Berghain nightclub

I went to Berlin back in November 2011 however being the lazy blogger that I am; I have only just decided to write about my time there. The city has been on my list of to dos for a few years now and when I heard some friends were going I jumped at the chance to tag along. I was going to include a variety of things to do in Berlin in one post, however I kind of waffled and so will do them in sequence.

A friend and I outside Berghain because photos are banned inside

Berlin is techno-mecca and being a bit of a techno head myself I’d always wanted to do some two stepping in one of the city’s esteemed nightclubs. As you may have read in one of my previous posts I’d raved about Berghain before I’d actually been there! Apologies for that – but rest assured because what I said before was absolutely true. Berghain has got to be the best club I’ve ever danced in.

Despite the precarious door policy, there was nothing I could fault about the place. All those who made it past the doorman, Sven Marquardt, were led into a place with the ambiance of a coffee shop. I mean this in a good way! It was so relaxed in there that you could just walk around and talk to anyone without the aid of booze. It felt like you had been invited into a private party where everyone wanted to interact with each other, minus the assumption that you were weird for feeling that way. I ended up in conversation with a Dane for some time while a giant picture of a man’s bum hole floated above our heads.

That’s another thing about Berghain; it’s one of the most gay friendly places you’ll ever visit. So gay friendly in fact, that Berghain folklore has it that at certain times of the night, they have a bit of a loveathon in one of the dark rooms. Tip – if you don’t want to see it, don’t go. If you do go, don’t judge, which I suppose is what they look for in a person when the bouncers assess whether you should be allowed entry into Berghain. Or it could just be that it’s an overly pretentious excuse to judge punters. Either way I got in, so I’m not too fussed about their fundamentals.

It will just be my luck that I won’t get in next time. And then I will bore you with another blog post about the club and how it’s so up itself and full of conceited people and the music weren’t that great anyway and Sven’s got too many piercings and Berliners are way hostile (they are a little bit to be honest)…….

Just remember to forget your camera. Keine Fotos (I used Google translate so forgive me if it’s wrong!)

The Greatest Clubbing Destinations in the World

Ibiza

Ibiza is the ultimate clubbing Mecca. It is where all the DJs decamp to between May and October for the summer club season on the White Isle. With some of the biggest and best clubs in the world such as Space, Amnesia and Pacha, Ibiza is the ultimate destination for all those into pure hedonism and electronic music.

Each season attracts the likes of Erick Morillo, Carl Cox, Luciano, Tiesto and David Guetta where they hold their weekly parties for an international clientele. Techno, house and trance are the music styles of the day and there are parties virtually 24/7 on beached, in clubs or at villas around this Balearic Island.

Miami

Home to the Miami Winter Music Conference held in March, this is where all the summer tunes are first heard. It may be the place where the stars from Jersey Shore have decamped for the latest series but doesn’t have to out a dampener on the party vibes of the city.

Head to South Beach where neon-lit art deco clubs are in abundance. Make sure that BED, Nikki Beach, Space and Mansion are on your list of places to drink and dance when in the sunshine state.

Berlin

Probably the coolest of all clubbing destinations, it was relayed to me once that “Berlin shits all over Ibiza”. With ma

ny of the most avant-garde clubs constructed from old buildings from the East and West Berlin divide, the city comprises history with modern dance culture.

The club Berghain/Panoramic Bar is probably the most famous club in Berlin and is set in a n old power plant. Photography is not allowed and  the strict door policy is as well known as the DJs that play there. Another club revered by clubbers is Watergate which is famed for its LED lighting system that runs through the entire club. Berlin is for the clubber after that special experience missing from other mainstream nightclubs.

Las Vegas

Vegas is otherwise known as Sin City, owing to its love of gambling and sex shows. However this city in the Nevada Desert is showing itself to be a contender in the clubbing world, which is proven by the amount of big name DJs holding nights there recently such as Swedish House Mafia. In recent reports some say it is giving Ibiza a run for its money as the clubbing Mecca, however it needs to seriously up the ante to own that title.

Las Vegas is all about flashing the cash, so make sure you hire a table out for the night or face lengthy queues to get in. Also as this is the playground of the rich and famous, keep your eyes peeled for any celebrities out and about.

Tokyo

I assume a surprised look may creep across your face after reading this, however the Shibuya district in Tokyo is making something of itself in the clubbing stratosphere. The Japanese tend to be some of the most technically advanced people in the world, so you can expect some amazing sound systems.

One such system can be experienced in the club Womb.  It really is like a womb with anything from drum and bass to techno belting out from a cylindrical chamber. Chase and Status, Carl Cox and Ricardo Villalobos have all DJ’d at Womb, so when in Asia make this one of your pit stops.