Berlin U-Bahn stations may start hosting techno DJ sets

U-Bahn stations in Berlin may start hosting techno DJ sets.

As Tagesspiegel reports, the Berlin Transport Company (BVG) intend to “bring the lively and vibrant Berlin into the station” to the city’s Kottbusser Tor station, colloquially known by Berliners as “Kotti”.

No specifics are known as of yet, but the BVG are reportedly interested in bringing jazz artists to the U1/3 platform and DJs “from the electronic and techno scene” to the U8 platform. Kottbusser Tor station is located on the U1, U3, and U8 lines.

Additionally, art exhibitions may also be introduced along the U8 line, according to Tagesspiegel.

The news has drawn some scepticism online, primarily from critics pointing to the underfunding of the public transport system. “… All money should first be invested in the core task: getting people from A to B as quickly and immediately as possible,” wrote one Redditor.

“Constantly it’s said that public transport is underfunded, in recent years not a single meter of additional track has been laid, in my residential area there hasn’t even been a bus connection for 3 years, but there are capacities for such topics – from my point of view, that doesn’t fit together,” wrote another.

Another Redditor described the idea as “absurd” and “grotesque,” referring to the ever-increasing gentrification of Berlin. “It’s the city’s identity, hollowed out and remixed into a 120 bpm parody of itself. This is the Berlin equivalent of Emily in Paris—just with fewer outfit changes, more self-importance, and absolutely none of the accidental charm.”

Last year, Berlin techno was awarded UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) status following a more than decade-long campaign to see the city’s techno and club culture added to the list.

In other Berlin news, a synthesizer museum recently opened in Kreuzberg that explores the history of electronic instruments and their influence on music culture. 

Last June, Nia Archives threw a rave on a train en route to her Glastonbury Festival performance.