On Demand
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The concert hall that's home to the Berlin Philharmonic. (WNYC)Berlin: is it hot or is it over?
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.
Booming Berlin
In recent years, Berlin has become a destination for musicians thanks to its low cost of living, cheap rents, and creative atmosphere. Still, some critics wonder if the city has already peaked and the lifestyle that drew musicians here in the 1990s could soon be a thing of the past. Today, a debate over the Berlin music's present and future with musician Alec Empire, a founding member of the band Atari Teenage Riot as well as founder of Berlin's Digital Hardcore Recordings; and Birgit Herdlitschke, a filmmaker, journalist and editor of "Tracks," an arts program on Europe’s ARTE TV network.
Alec Empire's MySpace page
"Tracks" on Arte TV (in German)
Soundcheck's Berlin Blog
Contriva Live in Berlin
Since the mid '90s, the Berlin-based band Contriva has created music that combines elements of post-rock, acoustic folk and electronica. We join two members of the band, Masha Qrella and Rike Schuberty, in their home studio. They perform live, talk about writing lyrics in both English and German, and discuss how Berlin has changed over the past decade.
Contriva's MySpace page
More about Contriva on the Soundcheck Blog
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