SO36

The main stage in SO36

Address: Oranienstraβe 190, 10999, Kreuzberg

U-Bahn: Kottbusser Tor

Opening times: Mon-Thur 9pm-late, Fri-Sat 6pm-late

Admission: 5€-10€

Website: so36.de 

There is a reason why this grimy rock club on Oranienstraβe is named after the old Kreuzberg area code. Unlike many venues in Berlin which open, become successful and disappear overnight, SO36 has been at the centre of Kreuzberg’s nightlife for decades. It has overcome it all - bankruptcy, forced evictions and tighter law restrictions. The venue has had many faces over the years; a beer garden, cinema, art space and a squatter’s music venue. In the 1980’s it became a punk rockers paradise with bands like The Dead Kennedys, The Damned, Bad Religion, and The Misfits all taking to the stage, plugging in their scratched guitars and performing blistering sets. Another forced eviction in 1987 left the building abandoned for three years until it was taken over by the Sub Opus 36 e.V. organisation who continue to run it to this day. The organisation prides itself on working with the local community; promoting creative projects and supporting diversity and the alternative scene. They collaborate with artists and event managers to provide an ever-changing calendar. Punk, electro, hip-hop, hardcore and techno are just some of the many styles of music the venue hosts. They also have regular nights that celebrate the G.L.B.T. community.

Once inside, a long corridor with walls plastered in band stickers and graffiti will lead you to a set of heavy steel doors. Open them and you are struck by a wall of noise coming from the clubs powerful sound system. The first room is the bar area. Luminous mazes and circular patterns are painted upon the dark walls. Here you can buy bottled beer for 3€, including the deposit for the bottle, or a shot of Absinth for 2,50€ if you are feeling more adventurous. The venues two stages are located in the large back room. Here a varied crowd consisting of hipsters with undercuts, punks and wide-eyed ravers dance beneath the white banners hanging from the ceiling. No barriers separate the acts from the audience in this intimate, sweaty music venue. Opening times and costs vary depending on the night’s event so check the website or the many posters stuck around Berlin for details. 

The Ramones Museum

Inside the Ramones Museum

Address : Krausnickstraße 23, 10115, Mitte

U-Bahn: Hackescher Markt

Opening times: Mon –Thus, 9am - 6pm, Fri 9am - 8pm

                            Sat 10am - 8pm, Sun 12am - 6pm 
Admission: 3,50€, 5€ with drink 
Website: ramonesmuseum.com

This intimate museum and bar, tucked away on a quiet street off Oranienburger Straβe, is a Mecca for Ramones fans. You may be wondering why the one and only museum dedicated to the legendary New York punk rockers is located in Berlin. The band actually had a great connection with the city. Bassist, Dee Dee Ramone, was brought up here. It was here where he first picked up the bass, had his first experience with drugs and changed his name from the rather less catchy Douglas Colvin Glen. The city inspired songs like ‘Born to Die in Berlin’ and ‘Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World’.

The museum developed out of one man’s passion (or some would say obsession). Flo Hayler has been a huge Ramones fan for many years and was good friends with the band’s manager. His collection, which started with just a t-shirt and ticket stub from his first gig, has grown to include over 500 pieces of memorabilia. You can see vintage posters, a pair of stage-worn denim jeans signed by Joey Ramone, and a list of bizarre back stage demands including specific details about which ketchup the band required. The collection documents their rise and fall, from their famous first gigs at the New York punk bar CBGB’s to their drug fuelled fights. It also illustrates how well the band branded themselves, making the Ramones image world famous. There is a documentary playing in a booth at the back and a big screen showing old, live footage of the band as you walk around.

You don’t have to be a diehard fan with a Ramones tattoo and vintage leather jacket to enjoy this museum. The small cafe at the front of the building provides a great place for music enthusiasts to cradle a beer on a lazy afternoon. The walls of the cafe are littered with band memorabilia. The graffiti plastered wall acts as a guestbook and displays photos of well-known visitors such as Greenday and Biffy Clyro. You can also purchase a souvenir here such as t-shirts, mugs, finger puppets or even that Joey Ramone action figure you always wanted. Entry to the museum costs 3.50€, or 5€ with a drink. You are also given a Ramones badge to show that you are a lifelong member to the museum and a true Ramones fan. 

Brunnen 70

Underground party at Brunnen 70

Address: Brunnenstraße 70, 13355, Mitte

U-Bahn: Voltastraße

Opening times: Fri – Sat, 11pm-late

Admission: 10€

Website: www.brunnen70.de

Based inside the sprawling foundations of a row of shops on Brunnenstraβe, this underground club has everything a music lover needs – and a lot more. Once you have found the club, there is no sign and only an iron railing indicating the entrance, you are ushered into a cargo lift by the heavily tattooed bouncers. You can hear the muffled bass as you descend in the lift. Then the metal doors open and you are in the depths of an expansive club. It is a dungeon labyrinth, with neon lights shining upon the crumbling grey walls and copper pipes trailing along the low ceilings. An eclectic crowd of ravers and music lovers span across the many concealed rooms. The first room offers live music throughout the night as local, unsigned bands share the stage and treat the crowds to a mix of electro, synth-rock, indie and punk. Unfortunately the sound system is not as earth shaking as the other major clubs, however the D.I.Y feel to this gritty venue generates an electric atmosphere.

If you explore deeper you will find other rooms with clubbers dancing to anything from psych-trance to Balkan beats. Each room has its own unique feel. You can be raving beneath strobe lights fitted inside empty petrol canisters upon the roof of one room and then relax on the tattered sofas in another room which walls are painted with luminous graffiti. There is even a karaoke bar where you can grab the microphone and sing your favourite Madonna song or just stay and dance along. Cult films are played in a cinema towards the back, a ‘hit the goat’ carnival game offers strawberry vodka shots as a prize and there is even a hairdressers just in case you feel like a trim at 4 o’clock in the morning.

The club only opens on Friday and Saturday nights at 11pm but the party goes on well into the morning. Entry costs 10€ and a beer is 2,50€, but remember to bring enough money with you as it is quite a mission to find the exit and go back up the lift just to use a cash machine.  

Summertime Jazz - A Guide to Berlin's Best Jazz Bars

The famous Yorchlӧsschen

Yorchschlӧsschen                                          

Address: Yorckstraβe 15, 10965, Kreuzberg  

U-Bahn: Yorckstraβe                                      
Opening times: 9pm-late

Admission: 4€ - 6€                                          

Website: yorckschloesschen.de                      

B Flat

Address: Rosenthaler Straße 13, 10119, Mitte

U-Bahn: Weinmeisterstraße

Opening times: Mon - Sun 9pm - 2am

Admission: 5€ - 15€, Wed-free

Website: www.b-flat-berlin.de

A-Trane

Address: Pestalozzistraβe 105, 10625, Charlottenburg

U-Bahn: Savignyplatz

Opening times: Mon -Thur 9pm-2pm, Fri-Sat 9pm-late

Admission: 5€ - 20€, Mon-free 
Website: a-trane.de

It seems like Berlin bops to a swing beat as the city is full of jazz venues providing quality live music all week long. But where is the best place for jazzsters to go when it is summertime and the living is easy?

In Mitte, along the busy Rosenthaler Straβe, you will find the comically named B Flat. This popular live music venue has bands playing to eager crowds most nights. Everything revolves around the music here, with minimalist decor and an intimate stage situated close to the audience. The high ceiling provides excellent acoustics, making the bass line shake your table and keep your toes tapping. You won’t find any cigar smoking, sharp-suited hipsters here either, just music enthusiast socialising over cocktails. The entry prices may vary and drinks are expensive at 3.50€ for a beer, however on Wednesday it is free entry to the mid-week jam sessions. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to endure excruciating sets from tuneless amateurs. These sessions attract the best local talent. Arrive early as the place soon fills up.

If you prefer a more traditional dimly lit, steamy jazz bar, however, then you can find no better than The Yorckschlӧsschen on the corner of Yorchstraβe in Kreuzberg. The club has existed for over 100 years and has been the cornerstone of the area’s jazz scene. The venue is instantly recognisable from the large, curved sign above the entrance which reminds you of a 50’s cinema. On weekends local music lovers pack themselves between the walls cluttered with vintage posters and memorabilia. Antique chandeliers cast light upon the crowd as local bands play anything from jazz and soul to Mississippi blues. You don’t have to break the bank here as a beer costs 2.50€ and entry normally around 4€ to 6€ depending on the night. There is even has a beautiful beer garden where you can enjoy a drink and a cigarette while the music filters out into the evening air.

For a more sophisticated jazz experience head towards ritzy Charlottenburg and the A-Trane jazz bar. Put out your smart shirt, order yourself a cocktail and grad one of the red, candlelit tables that are squeezed into the intimate venue. Yes the prices are more expensive (4.50€ for a large beer and 8€ for a cocktail) but the talent on display is of the highest category. Jazz heroes, like Oscar and Grammy award winning pianist Herbie Hancock and legendary drummer Billy Cobham, have all walked through its doors. Signed black and white portraits of jazz greats hang upon the walls. As you can imagine for gigs like this the entry fee will be pricey. However the open jam night run by pianist Andreas Schmidt on Monday nights is free and offers virtuoso and spontaneous performances from local musicians. For an extra treat before the show head to nearby Savignyplatz for dinner at the elegant Zwӧlf Apostles pizzeria.

White Trash Fast Food

Live music at White Trash

Address: Schönhauser Alle 6-7, 10119, Prenzlauer Berg

U-Bahn: Rosa-Luxemburg- Platz

Opening times: Mon - Sun 6pm - late

Admission: 2 € -5 €

Website: whitetrashfastfood.com

This well renowned restaurant and bar is actually a great live music venue and not a cheap version of MacDonald’s like its name suggests. Located on Schӧnhauser Alle the venue is instantly recognisable by the large dragon statues that sit either side of the entrance. Walk inside and you may be overwhelmed. The decor is an odd combination of an American dinner and an oriental temple. Posters of old horror films and vintage pinball machines sit beside golden Buddha statues and exotic fish tanks. There is even a palm tree and a glowing puff-a-fish suspended in a cage above a table.

During the weeknights a DJ plays anything from electro to good old fashioned rock n roll from the decks at the side of the bar. On the weekends, however, the restaurant is transformed at night into a raucous live music club. The tables are removed from the bar area and the audience jostle upon the small, makeshift dance floor. They have come to see local indie, rock and punk bands churn out riffs from the Marshall amps set up on the low stage. The entrance fee varies depending on the night, usually it is around 2€ to 5€. As the venue still doubles as a restaurant the atmosphere can be slightly unusual, with families still eating at the back while the bands begin to play. Still they take their live music very seriously here and their excellent sound system can rival any other rock venue.

It is definitely worth arriving early so you can try one of their whole hearty American dishes. The place is very dark and you may need to use the candle stuck in the becks bottle upon your table to decipher the menu. The octopus burger is highly recommended as is the King Elvis Supreme Burger, which they promise, ‘Eat this tonight and fart like a king tomorrow’.  

Bearpit Karaoke

Welcome to the Bearpit

Address: Erfahrungsbe-Richtestraße 25, 10347, Prenzlauer Berg

U-Bahn: Bernauer Straße

Opening times: Sun 3pm-6pm

Admission: Free of Charge

Website: bearpitkaraoke.com

There are two reasons why on every Sunday thousands of locals and tourists flock to Mauerpark. One is the sprawling flea market, where you can pick up anything from retro football kits to antique teapots, and the other reason is to witness, and maybe even participate, in the singing spectacle that is the Bearpit Karaoke. 
This world famous event, run by 38-year-old Dubliner Joe Hatchiban, came into life rather spontaneously four years ago. Joe and his friends, armed with just a laptop and microphone, decided one day to cycle around Berlin and attempt to get people to sing. Eventually they turned up at the stone amphitheatre set on the grassy bank at Mauerpark and Bearpit Karaoke was born. Weather permitting the show begins around 3pm, once Joe has set up his customised bicycle and laptop beneath two bright umbrellas. Arrive early to save a seat on the stone steps, sit back in the sunshine and buy a beer from one of the vendors.  For the next three hours you will see brave performers from all over the globe step up onto the makeshift cobblestone stage and sing their hearts out to thousands of eager spectators. From the brilliantly talented to, even better, the hopelessly disillusioned. Expect anything from performers in fancy dress and epic sing-a-longs to romantic, and often hilariously cringe worthy, love ballads. If you think you have what it takes and want to step into the Bearpit then all you have to do is put your name down on the waiting list at the start. You should make sure you do this early as for some reason there are always loads of enthusiastic participants waiting to grab their time in the spotlight. The huge crowds are always very supportive and a roar of applause is almost guaranteed whatever the quality of the act. 
Unfortunately the council is making life difficult for the weekly sing-fest to carry on; bringing in higher licensing fees and fixed dates which means that the event can’t take place every Sunday. It is free to watch however Joe will occasionally jump into the audience with a collection tin so you can give a donation and lend your support. Also it is important to take any rubbish away with you so that the council is not given any more fuel and this truly unique event can continue.

Tresor

Tresor Sign

Address: Köpenicker Straβe 70, 10179, Mitte

U-Bahn: Heinrich-Heine- Straβe

Opening times: Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat 11pm - late

Admission: 7€ -10€

Website: tresorberlin.com

This world famous club was once one of the major players in Berlin’s techno scene. It was there from the very beginning. The club first opened in 1991 housed in the old basement of a former department store on Leipziger Straβe. The original lock to this building was shaped as two circles and this formed the basis of the Tresor logo. Unfortunately the club was forced to close in 2005 however it was reopened two years later and now operates in the vault of a working power plant on Kopenicker Straβe in Mitte. Ravers queue beneath the two colossal ventilation towers which impose themselves upon the skyline for a chance to experience an authentic Berlin techno club.

Three floors are dedicated to showcasing the best in techno, house and electro music. Upstairs the Globus bar, which is the largest room, features a huge plasma ball sparking at its very centre. Inside this industrial sized warehouse top named DJ’s play house/electro music in front of a mesmerising light show. Sven Vӓth, Paul van Dyk and Juan Atkins are just some of the legendary DJs to have performed here.

If you venture down the rattling staircase and along the smoky corridor you will find the grimy, dungeon techno room at the heart of Tresor. Here shirtless clubbers sporting tribal tattoos rave to industrial beats while strobe lights flicker above. The rumbling bass reverberates along the low ceilings of the vault and rattles the prison bars that separate the DJ from the crowd.

Although the clubs reputation has fallen slightly after its previous closure there are still many reasons why it attracts thousands of clubbers each week. The prices are not as expensive compared to the other major clubs, beer costs 3.50€ including a drink deposit and entry prices vary between 7€ - 10€. You also don’t have to deal with any egotistical bouncers that are prevalent throughout the Berlin club scene. Tresor is also open five nights a week, with Electro Mondays allowing you to continue the weekend’s festivities. 

For the Record - A Guide to Berlin's Best Record Stores

                                                         

Rotation Boutique

Address: Weinbergsweg 3, 10119, Mitte

U-Bahn: Rosenthaler Platz

Opening times: Mon-Sat 12pm-7pm

Website: rotation-records.de                                                

                                                               

Da Capo                                                           

Address: Kastanienallee 96, 10432, Prenzlauer Berg                   

U-Bahn: Eberswalder Straβe                                

Opening times: Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm, Sat 12pm-6pm                     

Website: da-capo-vinyl.com    

Core Tex                                                                Hardwax

Address: Oranienstraβe 3, 10997, Kreuzberg            Address: Paul-Lincke-Ufer 44, 10999, Kreuzberg

U-Bahn: Kottbusser Tor                                           U-Bahn: Kottbusser Tor

Opening times: Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 11am-6pm  Opening times: Mon-Sat 12pm-8pm

Website: coretexrecords.com                                           Website: hardwax.com
                                  

It seems that record stores are quickly becoming a thing of the past; with digital media causing low CD sales and the closure of major chains. Thankfully this problem doesn’t seem to have affected Berlin. The city is heaving with small, independent record stores that form the basis of its vast and diverse music scene.
Hardwax is a world renowned record store that has been at the heart of Berlin’s techno scene since its emergence in the early 80’s. The shop is very well hidden on the third floor of a rundown building set behind a row of shops that overlook the canal on Paul-Lincke-Ufer.  Inside the bare brick walls and sticker-coated steel door there is an extensive collection of techno, electronic and dubstep records from the US, UK and Europe. There is also an alcove at the back lined with DJ decks where you can listen to the latest club bangers before purchasing.
All you hardcore, punk and metal fans, who like your music with a bit more bite, should spike up your Mohawks and head down to Core Tex on Oranienstraβe. Here you will find an impressive selection of all things heavy, from metalcore to psychorockabilly as well as tickets to upcoming gigs. You can snatch up a classic LP for a bargain from one of the second hand/rarities bins in front of the counter. The store also sells badges, patches, pins and an array of t-shirts and hoodies, including their signature ‘Don’t Mess with Kreuzberg’ top. But no punk rocker is complete without owning a pair of classic Doc Martin boots, costing just over 100€.
If you are more interested in your golden oldies then Da Capo, in Prenzlauer Berg, is the place to visit. The store, discernible by the group of locals outside smoking around an old petrol barrel, is a more traditional, dusty record store. The rooms are dimly lit, the walls cluttered with vintage posters and a black and white tarpaulin hanging from the ceiling. Flick through the shelves crammed with vintage pop, rock and soul vinyl from the 60’s and 70’s to discover some rare treasures. There is even a section dedicated records released during the GDR days. A small bookshop, selling German classics, is also squeezed into the tiny back room.
Rotation Boutique, in Mitte, is a stylish, modern record store. Once the centre of the city’s techno and house scene, it shifted focus in 2010 towards fashion. However if you search past the rails displaying overpriced shirts from independent designers you can still find a small yet rich selection of records. It remains a great place to pick up the latest releases in house/electronica as well as some classics from the second hand section stuffed in boxes at the back of the shop.

Balkan Beats

Dancing to Balkan Beats

Address: Revaler Straβe 99, 10245, Friedrichshain

U-Bahn: Wasser Straβe
Opening times: 10pm - late
Admission: 2€
Website: info@badehaus-berlin.com 

                  

Berlin is the birthplace of Balkan beats - a raucous musical genre that combines traditional Balkan songs with modern techno rhythms. Fiddles and accordions duel over electronic drum beats while heavy bass lines combine with blaring brass horns to create frantic, Eastern European dance tunes. This increasingly popular movement was the brainchild of DJ Robert Soko. Originally from Bosnia, he spent some time travelling around Europe before finally settling in Berlin soon after the wall had come down. His regular DJ sets at the Arcanoa in Kreuzberg soon became popular as punks as well as expats came to swig beer and Russian dance to traditional Baltic songs. Eventually he began mixing the music from his old country with the emerging techno scene in Berlin. Balkan beats was born.

There are some excellent Balkan beat nights set up around many clubs in Berlin. Kaffee Burger, made famous by the author Wladimir Kaminer in his novel Russian Disco, and Lido, where Soko still has a residency, both have regular Balkan nights that keep the people dancing and the vodka flowing. However for a particularly authentic experience you should head to the Hungarian Badehaus bar located in the Raw complex, an abandoned train station in Friedrichshain that has been transformed into a thriving nightspot littered with clubs and bars. The Badehaus building was originally used as a bath house for the railway repair workers. It still retains some of the buildings features such as the wooden beams at the centre of the bar and the high ceilings lined with small windows. Bright murals cover the walls and are illuminated by light fixtures made from ornate bath taps. You can drink a traditional Hungarian wine at one of the tables made out of film canisters before heading to the dance floor in the next room. On Balkan beat night you will find everyone here, from punks and ravers, to old, Eastern Europeans swinging each other round as the trumpets flair and the bass pounds the walls. It is not as expensive as other Balkan beat nights, just 2€ to enter and 3€ for a large beer. If you head there early you can also enjoy a traditional Hungarian meal to give you sustenance for the long, wild night you have in store. 

Club de Visionaere

Down by the River at Club de Visionaere

Address: Am Flutgraben, 12435, Treptow  

U-Bahn: Schlesisches Tor

Opening times: Mon - Fri 2pm - late, Sat-Sun 12pm - late

Admission: 5€ -10€

Website: clubdevisionaere.de

This club, overlooking Landwehr canal, is an excellent place to sup a chilled beer in the summer sun while nodding along to the latest dance tunes. It may look like a lopsided shed with a tarpaulin roof built vicariously around a tree that juts out from the riverbank, but don’t let appearances fool you. Walk down to the platform by the riverside, buy a cocktail from the bar and sit upon the wooden decking suspended over the water. From here you can spend the afternoon watching boats drift down the river while a DJ plays ambient techno tunes from decks situated in the small dance floor. Upstairs you will find a beer garden with benches overlooking the boardwalk below. Pizza is served from a small hut at the back for 3€ so you can enjoy your lunch while dangling your feet over the water’s edge.

When the sun begins to set over the canal the venue’s atmosphere changes. Lanterns are lit on the decking, the huge willow tree is illuminated and the techno turned up. The romantic setting is soon transformed into a rowdy club where cooler-than-thou hipsters come to dance to Berlin’s hottest new DJs. The crowds spill out from the cramped dance floor and onto the platform where the thumping bass shakes the decking that separates you from the water. Unfortunately the clubs increasing popularity means that it can get overcrowded and you may be waiting ages simply to get in. At night there is an entrance fee of between 2€ to 5€, although in the day you have to pay 2€ extra with your first beer for the DJ. It is best to arrive just before sunset when you can enjoy a few beers in the beautiful setting before the night really begins.   

Museum of Musical Instruments

Inside the Museum of Musical Instruments

Address: Tiergartenstraβe 1, 10785, Mitte
S-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz 
Opening times: Tue, Wed, Fri 9am - 5pm, Thu 9am -10pm,
                            Sat -Sun 10am-5pm
Admission: 4€

Tucked away behind the mustard coloured Philharmonic Hall is this museum of all things musical. Opened in 1888, the museum documents the history and evolution of musical instruments from the 16^th century to present day.

The deceptively large museum, holding around 800 instruments, is divided into two floors. The ground floor displays instruments from the 16^th and 17^th century. Here you will find opulently decorated harpsichords, hurdy-gurdies, and the rather unfortunately named fagott horn. The highlight has to be The Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ which sounds and looks like a prop from a cheesy Sc-Fi movie. Visit at noon on Saturday for a chance to see a live demonstration of this bizarre instrument.

Upstairs the exhibition, which covers the period from the 18^th century to the present day, has a smaller collection on display. The instruments become more recognisable and you begin to think the museum is pushing its luck with a display of piano tools. Still there are some intriguing instruments such as the model synthesiser that Pink Floyd used in their song ‘Welcome to the Machine’.  When you pay the snobbish attendants your 4€ entrance fee ask them for a free English audio guide (they will not offer you one). After the general introduction, read by a rather creepy sounding man, you can listen to samples of music played by the instruments on display. You can hear elegant harps, bassett horns (which look uncannily like artificial limbs) and a 16^th century serpent horn that sounds like a man blowing raspberries into a rusty bucket. The whole museum takes about an hour and offers great insight into the history of music. It is just a shame that you are not actually allowed to play anything.