Underground Heritage: Berlin Techno and the Changing City

Abstract

Berlin is changing, arguably more and faster than ever before. The city is striving to overcome political and social divisions of the Cold War, divisions that continue to shape development deep into the twenty-first century. From the rubble of the Cold War and Second World War, a new ultra-modern capital city is emerging. This is good. But it also creates a dilemma: Berlin has long attracted people who pursue alternative lifestyles, thus creating complex networks of alternative scenes that have come to characterize the city, specifically in “cool” or “hip” neighborhoods like Kreuzberg. These alternative scenes form an important part of the city's heritage, and one that is directly threatened by this re-emergence. Berlin Techno exemplifies this dilemma. Its clubs typically exist in historic (often former industrial) buildings and mark explicit reference to heritage both by retaining architectural elements that characterize the buildings and the sounds and scenes created there and by recalling iconic “historic” performances. Their distribution shifts in advance of gentrification, creating a distinctive and fast moving landscape that is itself characteristic of the contemporary city, and often of alternative or “underground” scenes in general. These “temporary autonomous zones” are important areas for cultural engagement and production. The music too has its heritage, as old (late 1980s) samples are included in contemporary compositions in much the same as older phases of a building are incorporated into new design. We argue that this “underground” heritage is essential to social and cultural sustainability. To deny that here, in Berlin of all places, is to deny the city its capacity to attract and sustain alternative lifestyles, thus compromising its very identity.

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