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What is it about Berlin that makes it such a special hub for electronic music? Is it the high unemployment rates that seem to promote creativity in the city? Or the cheap rent which attracts thousands of carefree musicians to its centre? Perhaps even, it’s the cities raw, industrial, post communist feel for which repetitive techno beats seem a natural soundtrack. 

Either way, realizing early on that Berlin had little option but to play to its strengths, its mayor, Klaus Wowereit inadvertently coined the term “Berlin. Arm aber sexy” (poor, but sexy). It’s a phrase which fits the bill perfectly and pretty perfectly sums up the mood of Berliners when asked to describe their city. Liberated cities have always tended to promote positive music scenes. From another European perspective, Amsterdam is the latest city to musically flourish, helped in no small part by the cities relaxed, laid back vibe. Stateside, San Francisco’s tales of hippies, rock and roll are general excess are as legendary as they come. Even New York, (pre Mayor Giuliani's simply ridiculous licensing laws) once reverberated to a mix of hip-hop, rap, techno and house music. The point here, is that when people are given the ingredients by which music scenes can thrive, the results are usually spectacular. 

Even before Berlin was as liberated, cultured, cosmopolitan and crucially undivided as it is today, rock greats such as David Bowie and the Beatles still looked to Germanys capital for inspiration. While Berlin's musical tastes may have shifted somewhat in recent times, music still occupies a pivotal role in the cities fabric. So pivotal in fact, that a recent Guardian article named the music industry as the cities third largest employer. With over 250 clubs and a slew of record labels, it's hardly surprising. Berlin, put simply, is the undoubted epicenter of the global  contemporary dance music community. As if to emphasise the point, San Francisco based Dj Claude von Stroke (on his well worth checking-out blog) speaks of a recent gig at Watergate, that “looked more like a producers convention than a show for fans" with "Sebo K, Jesse Rose, Heidi, Seth Troxler, Jay Haze, Sascha Braemer and Dan Caster all in attendance.” About New York, crooner Frank Sinatra once sang "If I can make it there….I can make it anywhere." From a Dj's perspective, the same philosophy seems to attach itself to Berlin.

To quote old blue eyes again, Berlin, just like New York, "is a city which never sleeps." Superstar Djs on a Thursday? You better believe it. The trips first clubbing destination was Kreuzberg’s Watergate, for the 'People Like Us' opening party, featuring tINI and Loco Dice. Watergate is quite simply a cracking little club. No longer the underground purveyor it once was, it's charms are no longer a secret to the masses of clued in foreign clubbers who plough through its doors every weekend. That said, it’s still a more than intriguing spectacle and wholesome introduction to Berlin clubbing. Their line ups aren't half bad either. On the very weekend we visited, the club was playing host to Loco Dice's energetic tech house on Thursday, entertaining cosmic disco don Lindstrom on Friday and featuring more techno from the Schwarz brothers on Saturday. Impressive, we think you'll agree. 

Of course, a trip to Berlin isn't confined to nightclubs. Friday, to my shame however, was spent nursing a colossal hangover as opposed to visiting gates, walls or memorials. Such are the sacrifices one pays for arriving home at daybreak. On the plus side, with temperatures hitting the -15 mark, trying to convince anyone to do anything but leave the comfort of our €10 a night hostel was futile at best. With beers and spirits almost reluctantly knocked back around the 11pm mark, Saturday ended up being the most spontaneous and least planned night of the trip.

Spontaneity however, isn't always a recipe for success. In fairness, trying to get 20 people in to the same club in Berlin while satisfying all tastes is something of a mammoth task. Berlin's selective door policy hardly helps for that matter either, and clubs that do gain entrance to large touristy groups tend to a bit…..well..….shit basically. Case in point - VCF in Alexanderplatz. What struck me as a dingy underground club underneath a train station seemed promising on initial inspection. My perceptions were soon shattered however - via a not so welcome dose of David Guetta and the Black Eyed Peas emitting from the soundsystem. Cursing my decision to leave the hostel, I decided the best idea would be to weather the storm and ride this one out, all the time being careful not to go overboard on the jagermeisters, with Saturday nights imminent revelry firmly on my mind. And then something very bizarre happened - the music policy was suddenly altered dramatically and cheesy eurodance was replaced by the sounds of a technically talented Dj with an ear for some seriously catchy tech house. All of a sudden the teenage crowd who'd once occupied a sizeable proportion of the crowd were nowhere to be seen. To my delight, the music continued in this vein for the next 4 hours or so. As a first time visitor, I should have known better. This is Berlin. Techno is fucking EVERYWHERE.

Which brings me on nicely to Saturday and personally, my most anticipated night of the weekend. Saturdays in Berlin of course, mean one thing – Berghain/Panoramabar, which, from what I’d heard and read about incessantly over the past few years, allegedly offered the ultimate clubbing experience. Saturday afternoon was spent asking practically every Berliner in proximity for last minute advice on how best to gain entrance to a club which has become as notorious for it's strict door policy as it's debauchery.

Having collected all the advice I could possibly fathom, I shrewdly decided the best time to leave for the club was around the 3am mark. After embarking on (and leaving) a voluntarily sober pub crawl (I didn't want to jeopardize my chances of entering the club) I arrived at the Berghain around 4am.

After queuing for the best part of an hour in weather conditions which can only be described as arctic, (Berliners are a dedicated bunch) I finally found myself at the entrance, confronted by possibly the scariest looking individual I've ever laid eyes on. My curiosity and subsequent research has since revealed this man to be Sven Marquardt - a full time photographer and part time doorman for Berghain - and a cult figure to the clubs regular visitors. At that moment though, all I saw was a man with a tattooed face who represented my last barrier of entry to the fabled Berghain. Clubbing in Berlin is, as previously mentioned, 'somewhat' exclusive. To say I apprehensive about gaining entrance is something of an understatement. To my surprise and delight, I was permitted with minimum fuss – exactly the opposite of what I'd expected. Once inside however, I was subjected to a search more thorough than you'd see at most airports with the bouncers looking for drugs and camera’s, with the latter in particular, representing a serious faux pas in a club where the shocking may, and often does occur. All of a sudden, I found myself inside the cavernous Berghain - a club which really is a shock to the senses. While big clubs are often criticized for not lacking any sort of tangible atmosphere, the same cannot be said for Berghain.

Len Faki was manning the Berghain decks, playing a no nonsense blend of pumping techno and industrial sounding tech house which seemed to fit the environment, and mood, perfectly. Meanwhile, in the crammed Panoramabar, Glimpse and D Play were playing an astute blend of lush house music to a baying audience. The next few hours were spent taking in the sounds and curiously wandering around the club in a strange sort of sober haze. Regardless of your doubtlessly outgoing perspective on life, prepare to witness some very public displays of affection in the Berghain (which aren’t always confined to hetrosexuals either.)

The club is however, designed for open-minded, party loving people. Yes, admittedly it took some time to adjust to the surroundings and find my bearings, but the Berghain represents and extremely rewarding experience once you let your inhibitions go. Your best bet then, is to leave your presumptions and stereotypes at home and get involved in an atmosphere than can be seriously spine tingling on occasion. Put it this way, if you don’t look like the type who conforms to the clubs strict ethos, you can expect to be refused at the door. Arriving back at the hostel around breakfast time gave me time to reflect on my Berghain experience before I packed my bags for the next days flight. Berghain is an initially scary, yet equally wonderful, eye-opening experience, with a liberal attitude which acts as a mirror image to the city it calls home. Berlin is, in its entirety at least, a far from beautiful city. Scratch underneath the surface however, and in clubbing terms at least, you'll be met with a clubbing experience like no other. Years of repression in the East have, it seems, open the floodgates to a city brimming with creative energy. Cosmopolitan, cheap and liberal, Berlin certainly represents a unique and brilliant clubbing voyage. If only they could do something about the weather.

www.water-gate.de | www.berghain.de |  www.marquardtfotografie.com

World Dance Music Capital : Berlin Club Guide Here