Berlin Music Commission

Listen to Berlin Vol. II

Welcome to Europe's top music location. 200 clubs, 8000 scene professionals and countless event organizers are in action 24/7 to keep both native Berliners and international clubbing tourists grooving, transforming the city into a gigantic dancefloor every night of the week. 1600 music-related business – including 500 record labels – are constantly recrafting and renewing the sound of the city.

Is there a „Sound of Berlin“? The city is tougher, faster, more liberal and vividly multicultural than any other in Germany. It's reported to be THE hotspot for creatives of all kinds, but clearly demonstrates a special magnetism on DJs and musicians. But does their work reflect the sound of a major metropolis? The BMC set out to hunt down Berlin's urban beat, unique sounds which innovate, challenge, open doors and broaden horizons. For music that matters. That matters to people ready to spend their hard-earned cash for it. But that's another topic.

This is what we discovered – 1. Berlin is more than simply the ultimate party location; it has it's own creative profile 2. The soundtrack is no longer just electronic; it runs from tango to techno and everywhere in between 3. Genre boundries are meaningless to Berlin's creative innovators; anything and everything goes.

Listen closely. It's worth it. The city leaves clear traces in the musical productions of the protagonists, the majority of whom were born elsewhere. These musical nomads have imported the seeds of their native sounds, planting them in the fertile, creative North German sand. This is Berlin's „world music“ – not folk but rather a global freedom of sound.

The music business might be broke, but not the music. And since music says more than a thousand words, listen to the CD placed next to this text and hear the full message.

A press copy can be requested at cd@berlin-music-commission.de.