Name: “MORGEN IST DIE FRAGE” – Current Issues of Berlin’s Club Culture [offline přednáška Anity Jóri]
Start: 2024-12-02T19:30:00+01:00
Location: Kavárna Na Boršově

$\u201cMORGEN IST DIE FRAGE\u201d \u2013 Current Issues of Berlin\u2019s Club Culture [offline p\u0159edn\u00e1\u0161ka Anity J\u00f3ri]$

🙏 PŘEDNÁŠKA BUDE ANGLICKY / THE EVENT WILL BE HELD IN ENGLISH 🇬🇧
Berlin has an iconic position in the histories and developments of the global electronic dance music scene. After the Berlin Wall came down, hundreds of empty spaces were used for (illegal) events, and Berlin became one of the capitals (if not THE capital) of electronic dance music – especially of techno. Since Berlin was extraordinary in this early development, it could also be a home for the newest ideological discourses and trends. One of these discussions is the question of diversity within the male-dominated scene. Therefore, the city gives home to different activist groups, organizations, and networks that aim to challenge this imbalance and support musicians with diverse backgrounds. Another important current issue is the fact that the local club culture has been placed at risk by gentrification and property investments. Around 100 clubs were shut down in the last 10 years, and many are under continuous threat. By analyzing some of the club closing cases and taking a critical look at the political decisions behind them, we might come closer to understanding the characteristics and processes of local policies. On top of these issues, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the local club culture moved to online platforms, and virtual clubbing became a widespread phenomenon. Empty clubs turned into streaming locations, exhibition spaces, or even COVID-19 test stations. The possibilities and dangers of this phase – especially from a post-COVID standpoint – are also highlighted in this presentation. Also, since March 2024, “Berlin Techno” has been part of Germany’s UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, which might (or might not) bring changes to the local club culture. Will it stop club closings and the fast pace of gentrification? The aim of this presentation is to find answers to such questions, compare the abovementioned phenomena, and identify connections between them, such as the correlations between commodification and diversity or the need for protecting safer spaces from the consequences of gentrification. This can be significant for understanding the current situation of Berlin’s club culture in terms of cultural initiatives and policymaking.
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Podpořeno Česko-německým fondem budoucnosti.
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About the author:
Dr. Anita Jóri is a postdoc research associate at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Jóri’s research and publications focus on the discursive and terminological aspects of electronic (dance) music culture. She is one of the curators of CTM Festival’s Discourse programme. She is also the author of the monograph The Discourse Community of Electronic Dance Music (transcript, 2022) and one of the editors of the books The New Age of Electronic Dance Music and Club Culture (Springer, 2020), Musik & Empowerment (Springer, 2020), Musik & Marken (Springer, 2022), and Living at Night in Times of Pandemic: Night Studies and Club Culture in France and Germany (transcript, 2024).