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All this week, Soundcheck presents a series of shows from Berlin. The German capital has been getting plenty of attention lately. Billboard magazine place it among its top five cities to watch in 2007; London's Guardian recently wrote that Berlin is "on it's way to becoming the new New York." Today we kick off our series by examining why the music scene seems to be so hot right now -- and whether it's already peaked. Also: The Berlin-based band Contriva combines elements of minimalism, acoustic folk and electronica in their sound. They perform live in their home studio.

Soundcheck in Berlin is supported in part by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.