Berlin Zwanzig: A City in 20 Songs

Under the name Monolake, sound designer, programmer and techno icon Robert Henke mined the intersection between abstract computer music and dance-derived techno. Today, albums like 2001’s Gravity remain touchstones for new generations of electronic musicians. On this episode of Berlin Zwanzig, Sick Girls DJ Alexandra Dröner joins Vivian Host to discuss Gravity standout “Zero Gravity” and Henke’s vital role in creating music-making software Ableton Live.

After several years in Halle, Annegret Fiedler moved to Berlin in 2010 with aspirations of producing a new sound. She combined her rock sensibilities and love for electronic music to create Perel, her current alias as a DJ and producer. Her debut single “Die Dimension,” released through DFA in 2017, shows a multilayered approach and helped establish her as an emerging force in the Berlin scene. Vivian Host is joined by the 2018 RBMA participant to discuss the track that started it all.

From the margins of techno and noise, Chinese-born artist Pan Daijing pulls from myriad influences, including migration, dreams and sensuality, to create catharsis-inducing soundscapes. Since moving to Berlin in 2016, the PAN affiliate and RBMA alum has been an integral part of the post-club scene in Berlin. On this episode, Vivian Host is joined by Pan Daijing to discuss the inspiration behind her track “Exile” and the roads that led to living and working in Berlin.

Rap will forever be preoccupied with regionality. With his trap-influenced single "Ich bin ein Berliner" (“I’m a Berliner”), Berlin rapper Ufo361 created an anthem for his hometown while spotlighting some of the city’s more sordid circles. On this episode of Berlin Zwanzig, Vivian Host sits down with Marcus Staiger, the journalist and founder of trailblazing German rap label Royal Bunker, to discuss the impact of the track and the social implications of its lyrics.

Indie rock band Isolation Berlin offset their melancholic lyrics with jangling, often upbeat melodies. This juxtaposition has resonated with German music fans since the group’s critically-acclaimed debut Und aus den Wolken tropft die Zeit (And Time Drips from the Clouds). On this episode, music journalist and radio presenter Martin Böttcher joins Vivian Host to discuss Isolation Berlin’s "Alles Grau" (“Everything’s Gray”) and the band’s place in Berlin’s contemporary music scene.

When Lotic moved to Berlin from Texas in 2012, they found a scene that wasn’t quite fitting their needs. Since then, Lotic and other expats – such as Janus co-founders Michael Ladner and Dan DeNorch – have been instrumental in carving out a radical and experimental space in the city’s nightlife. Lotic’s 2015 EP, "Heterocetera," left an indelible mark on Berlin clubs. On this episode, Lotic joins Vivian Host to discuss how this powerful record came to be, and navigating Berlin as a queer person of

Berlin-bred duo Modeselektor came of age in the post-Wall era. As such, their unique blend of electronic music ignores all divisions, pulling from a variety of seemingly incongruous genres. Though they were always hometown heroes, Modeselektor’s joint project with Apparat, Moderat, earned them fans around the world. On this episode, Vivian Host sits down with Sick Girls affiliate Alexandra Dröner, who has worked in the Berlin club scene since the ’90s, to discuss Moderat’s breakthrough hit “Bad Kin

Under his Head High and Shed aliases (to name but two), Berlin producer René Pawlowitz has established himself as one of the city's most essential techno artists – and his chiming, hard-as-nails "Rave (Dirt Mix)," released on Modeselektor's Monkeytown label, is one of many gems in his incredible discography. On this episode, Vivian Host sits down with Pawlowitz to discuss the genesis of "Rave," his intro to dance music and his time working behind the counter at the celebrated Berlin record store Hard Wax

Berlin label BPitch Control has a reputation for releasing techno and electronic music, but the imprint has also trafficked in non-techno sounds – including music by the Brazilian singer-songwriter Dillon, who has released two albums through BPitch over the last decade. On this episode, Vivian Host sits down with former BPitch Control manager Daniel Rérat to discuss bringing Dillon onto the label, her unexpectedly big single "Thirteen Thirtyfive," and BPitch's history of releasing eclectic sounds.

Brotherly techno duo Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner are perhaps best known for "Sky and Sand," which featured in the smash 2008 film _Berlin Calling_ (which Paul also starred in). The track became an anthem when BPitch Control released it as a single a year later. On this episode, Vivian Host sits down with Dirty Doering – a mainstay of shuttered Berlin club Bar 25, which featured in Berlin Calling – to discuss the explosion of rave tourism in the late 2000s and the film's legacy.