Reflecting on his burst of musical creativity in 1970s West Berlin, David Bowie reportedly said that recording albums in a studio close to the Wall gave him a “sense of being on the edge … I need the dangerous level, emotionally, mentally and physically”. During the 1970s and 80s, Bowie was not alone. The divided, fascinating city was famously a magnet for young people drawn by a music and club scene unique in Europe.
Sadly, living on the edge has these days taken on a different meaning for Berlin clubs struggling to survive in altered times. In a sobering dispatch at the weekend, the Guardian reported that one of Germany’s oldest and most important gay dance clubs has just declared itself bankrupt. Founded in 1977 – the year Bowie brought out his classic Low album – SchwuZ became a pioneering presence in the development of Berlin’s LGBTQ+ networks, and a symbol of the freedoms available in a city with a thriving counterculture. It will stay open until October and has launched a fundraising drive, but the prospects look bleak.
More broadly, Clubsterben (the death of clubs) is becoming an unhappy fact of Berliner life. Industry organisations warn that a combination of factors is undermining a proud cultural inheritance. Some clubs have failed to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Inflation and higher electricity costs have further ratcheted up the pressure.
Soaring commercial rents and gentrification – in a city once described by its mayor as “poor but sexy” – are cumulatively taking their toll. Busche, another famous gay and lesbian club with its roots in communist East Berlin, closed last month, citing rising costs. Wilde Renate, part of a more recent wave of 21st-century household names, will close at the end of the year, after unsustainable rent rises in the down-at-heel Friedrichshain district.
Changing habits among the young may also be playing a part. One recent survey of Berlin club owners found that the estimated average age of clubbers was 30, with less buy-in from those aged 18 to 21. Generation Z loves an outdoor festival, but its relish for hedonistic excess in smallish independent venues may not be as pronounced as in previous generations. Cost-of-living related issues have undoubtedly contributed to a fall in overall club attendance numbers.
In October, a celebratory festival will make the case for the “long-term visibility and recognition” of the city’s clubs. A fightback on their behalf is surely overdue. Last year the federal government added Berlin’s techno scene to a list of Germany’s “intangible cultural heritage”, compiled for Unesco. But the dangers faced by a sector that risks tipping into sad decline are all too tangible. Regulating commercial rents for locations deemed to be of cultural importance would be one significant way to offer a lifeline.
From the Cabaret-style glitz of the Weimar era to 1990s techno startups based in urban wasteland, Berlin nightlife has always known how to adapt to the times. But a history so precious should not be abandoned to the whims of market forces. In recent years, many Berliners have mourned the demise of thousands of traditional corner pubs, or Kneipen, as rents have gone up and leases have not been renewed. The city’s remarkable, historic club scene deserves to be treated with more care and respect.
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