‘Meet The Locals’ Archives
Night Of The Pawn
Joseph Pearson of Berlin Memory Blog explores Berlin's underground chess scene... It's an abandoned brewery. You enter a gate, a waif-like woman lit by candlelight admits you, but gives no directions. You find yourself in a yard with a hundred parked bikes but no people. Lamps do little to up-light the darkened buildings. There's hesitation, you try a few doors, they're all locked. But you hear music, perhaps the static of conversation, and you divine the right stairwell. It's broken [...]
Berlin’s Most Interesting Person
Paul Sullivan talks to Stuart Acker Holt about his Most Interesting Person project in Berlin... What makes a person interesting? It's a very good question, and one that a new 'long-trail' film series called Most Interesting Person (MIP) sets out to answer. A series of innovative films that provide insights into the lives of exceptional people and the impact they have had on our cultural landscape, the project has taken its founder Stuart Acker Holt to New York, LA, London, Sao Paulo, Tel [...]
The Musik Department
Thought vinyl was a dying format? Dave Tinning profiles a brand new Berlin store that underlines its continuing vitality... What’s immediately alluring about Musik Department, located on Mitte’s Invalidenstrasse, is its welcoming, well-lit interior, tastefully decorated with original posters from the 60s and 70s, and littered with album sleeves and music-related curios. There’s plenty of space in the shop to browse the vinyl, CDs and books, and plenty of reasons to take your time; [...]
Peter Broderick: Musical Minimalist
Peter Broderick has swiftly made a reputation for himself as one of the most adventurous musicians around. Born in Portland, Oregon, he now lives in Berlin, though only when he’s not touring or collaborating with artists like Efterklang. He’s just released two albums: How They Are is a ‘stop-gap’ release, according to the label behind it, Bella Union, and its stark but beautiful arrangements have won him further plaudits, not only thanks to the inclusion of a song written from the [...]
Thyme For Supper
Kirstin Gernath visits one of Berlin's most consistently delicious supperclubs, Thyme... My booking at brand new underground restaurant Thyme Supperclub led me recently to a cobbled side street in a residential part of Prenzlauer Berg. The hosts, Caroline and Tobias, live on the third floor of a Berlin Altbau home that has customary wing doors and high ceilings, but which has been customised and extended to include not just an expansive home but an art workshop (Tobias, from Stuttgart, is a [...]
Teller – A Plateful Of Stories
A Q&A with Katherine Hunt and Ruby Russell founders of brand new Berlin 'story-telling' magazine, Teller... When did you decide to start Teller Magazine? The idea was brewing in the back of Ruby’s mind for years – having worked in the photo industry she thought it a shame that all the good photography magazines were so expensive and aimed exclusively people with an interest in photography. The great thing about photography is that it’s an art form that anyone can appreciate, [...]
A Time Of Waist
Mairi Beautyman meets Miss Moss, Berlin's very own corset maker... Theatrical wardrobe touches - say a man wearing a hoody with sequined bunny ears recently spotted skipping the line at waterfront club Bar 25 - open doors in Berlin. A tanked economy, an influx of artists and Flapper roots converge to make this city one that scoffs at fashion for the sake of a pricey designer label. Dressing up here is all about individualism - precision-scattering of one-off, hand-made, or vintage pieces. [...]
Melting Point Records
STB's wax professor Dave Tinning pays a visit to Kastanienallee's Melting Point records, a legendary Mecca for house, soul, funk and boogie vinyl... When Melting Point opened on Mitte’s Neue Schönhauser Straße in 1994, it was the only store - of any type, really - in Hackesche Höfe, an area which is now jam-packed with designer boutiques and chain stores. By 2005 the store was feeling the squeeze of increasing rents and decided to move to the (then) more affordable [...]
The Barn
A chic and health-conscious Slow Food hub in the heart of Berlin Mitte… The Barn isn’t a difficult place to find if you’re strolling along pretty Grosse Hamburger Strasse. Just look out for the bales of hay outside - a somewhat incongruous sight in this trendy downtown part of Berlin Mitte. The hay is symbolic as well as ornamental. As befits a place called The Barn located purposefully in the middle of a modern city, this small café – which opened just a few weeks ago - does a [...]
The Shy Chef
A slightly disappointing date with Berlin's underground dining scene... I first heard about Berlin’s Shy Chef around a year ago, when a friend enthused about an incredible, intimate dinner party they’d been to, where they met all these lovely people and ate really exquisite food...“all in the chef’s own lounge!" Even then the idea of ‘underground’ or ‘guerilla’ dining wasn't so new, nor was there a dearth of it in Berlin. For visitors or incoming residents to the city, [...]
