What are the roots of the music genre known as the "Sound of Berlin" which has just been added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage? Techno hit it big in Berlin after the fall of the Wall in 1989, when the hard, fast electro beats could be found playing in dark basement clubs and run-down buildings.
The Love Parade was a musical festival that brought techno and partying to the streets of Berlin, attracting ravers from all over the world. In 1999, when it was at its peak, there were 1.5 million attendees. Berlin is now known as the city where the party never ends. There is no curfew and in clubs like Tresor or Berghain you can dance for days and nights on end. But how did techno actually originate, and where?
Arts Explainer digs deep into the archives, meets techno legends in Berlin, and looks across the Atlantic to Detroit. What influence did DJs from the former industrial and musical metropolis in the USA have on techno and what roles did Black and queer communities play in the genesis of this musical genre?
And: How did techno become the unofficial soundtrack for Berlin? A lot has been forgotten since techno emerged in the early 1980s. "Every kind of music comes out of a different kind of music," says Detroit DJ Stacey Hotwaxx Hale, "no matter what it is!"" Now, it’s time to revisit history.