Berlin Club Leaders Criticize Hamburger Bahnhof's Free 'Berlin Beats' Techno Series
The Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin has kicked off the fourth season of its "Berlin Beats" series, drawing large crowds on Thursday evenings throughout the summer. From 19:00 to 22:00, entry is free, featuring DJs such as Ellen Allien and Ben Klock. Critics Dimitri Hegemann and Marcel Weber have expressed concerns that the museum is capitalizing on Berlin's club culture without engaging the local community. Hegemann pointed out that this approach threatens a 35-year-old business model, while Weber highlighted the museum's success in attracting sponsors like Chanel. Hegemann recommended a voluntary donation system, and Weber suggested highlighting local talent. Notably, Berlin Beats only provides 36 hours of events each year, reflecting ongoing cultural distribution conflicts in the city.
Key facts
- Berlin Beats is an open-air series in the Hamburger Bahnhof forecourt, held for a fourth season with free entry from 19:00 to 22:00.
- DJs Ellen Allien, Stingray 313 and Ben Klock performed at the free events.
- Tresor founder Dimitri Hegemann and Clubcommission board member Marcel Weber criticized the series in the magazine Groove.
- Hegemann said the museum interferes in a core business built over more than 35 years and cited 110 employees and a 15-euro entry fee needed to survive economically.
- Tresor is usually closed on Thursdays during Berlin Beats, which runs three early evening hours weekly for two months, about 36 hours a year.
- Weber cited public museums' ability to attract sponsors like Chanel, though Chanel sponsors the museum, not Berlin Beats, which has small sponsors.
- Hegemann proposed a voluntary two-to-three-euro donation per event; Weber suggested featuring Berlin labels or emerging artists and pointing to clubs open afterward.
- The text references 1990s venues Galerie Berlintokyo and INIT-Kunsthalle, the Loveparade's 50,000,000 ravers, and Berlin's 1.5-million-euro image campaign.
Entities
Artists
- Dimitri Hegemann
- Marcel Weber
- Ellen Allien
- Stingray 313
- Ben Klock
Institutions
- Hamburger Bahnhof
- Tresor
- Clubcommission
- Groove
- Tresor Foundation
- Kraftwerk
- Galerie Berlintokyo
- INIT-Kunsthalle
- Loveparade
- Chanel
- Atonal
- Berghain
- Monopol
- ARD
- TTT
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Invalidenstraße
- Hamburg