A new book about Berlin club culture will be released in May

A new book exploring various elements of Berlin’s nightlife scene is to be published this May.

‘Coming To Berlin: Global Journeys Into An Electronic Music And Club Culture’ is the work of writer Paul Hanford, and sees him aim to explore the city’s club scene’s role as more than simply “techno ground zero”.

The book includes interviews with a number of musicians, events promoters and clubgoers, mixing their stories with his own narration. As a press release explains, “each chapter follows intimate encounters with migrants, settlers and newcomers who have made the city their own”.

Among those interviewed are Mark Reeder and Love Parade founder Danelle DePicciotto, who talk about how their lives were bound together by the city’s 1980s punk and art movement, the Genialle Dillentanten, and how it led towards the birth of modern club culture in the city.

In a more recent context, a young Syrian refugee speaks about how his relocation to the city has seen him immerse himself in DJing and music such as UK drill, while artists such as Ziúr and KMRU speak about how they’re bringing together experimental rhythms with electronic music and Berlin’s club culture.

“Writing ‘Coming To Berlin’ and Velocity Press publishing it is an opportunity to show a Berlin I recognise,” Hanford said in a statement. “Something that has the rhythms of the city in its words, understands the nuances of how these surrounding play into the music. Like you’e hanging out with the people I’ve written about, maybe going out for a night and then strolling through the park with a coffee the next day.

“I hope through reading it, people feel a kinship towards the artists, the city and the music and what Berlin represents as some sort of intangible global beacon for creative freedom.”

Velocity Press will publish the book on 5th May. Find more information here.

Earlier this month, clubs reopened in Berlin once again following the latest wave of COVID-19 shutdowns.