Raving into Berlin’s Cultural Future
In our final live episode in April, we sat down with one of the most prominent voices from Berlin’s evolving club scene, Katharin Ahrend, to discuss what defines culture and the importance of preserving Berlin’s ever changing club landscape.
As guests took their seats in the beautiful surroundings of AchtBerlin on Schönhauser Allee, the room buzzed with excitement as Katharin Ahrend, Managing Director of Clubcommission, took to the stage.
A Berlin-based cultural manager, creative producer and consultant with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of music, culture, urban development, cultural policy and social justice, Katharin is a key figure in the preservation of the club scene that makes Berlin so unique.
“Club culture was always very much connected to my upbringing.”
Starting by reflecting on her childhood, sharing that she grew up in East Germany shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Katharin speaks about how her early life was abruptly transformed when the Wall came down and how the country she and her parents had known suddenly ceased to exist." After taking out a substantial loan, her father originally planned to open a sports shop, but regulatory hurdles redirected him toward the world of nightlife and instead, he opened a nightclub. It seems a passion for nightlife truly runs in Katharin’s DNA!
“Suddenly, you had people who could explore life on their own terms.”
Surrounded by role models determined to carve out a new future for themselves and for her, Katharin absorbed the spirit of nightlife early on, along with a deep appreciation for what hard work, determination, and resilience could achieve. It was through rave culture that she discovered a powerful means of expression.
Katharin’s personal connection to electronic music began early, when she started raving at a young age. Before long, she and her friends were organising their own parties and events, creating spaces of refuge and freedom. However, she quickly came to realise that pursuing a career driven by a passion for culture would not be an easy path.
“Talking and thinking about culture was not really an option in my environment.”
It was whilst studying Business Psychology at university, that Katharin joined a cultural initiative that would become a turning point in her life. It was through this involvement that she and others went on to launch the first music festival in a mountainous rural region of Germany.
But the path forward wasn’t always so clear. After graduating, she took a marketing job and moved to Hamburg, a decision she quickly realised wasn’t the right fit. After two years of trying to make it work, Katharin spoke about how she took the daunting leap: she quit her job, went travelling, and returned with a renewed sense of direction, only to return and start her “dream” Master’s in Cultural Management – a decision that laid the foundation for the career path she walks today.
“We are the network of Berlin’s club culture. We are an advocacy group.”
Katharin is full with pride when speaking about the essential role the Clubcommission Berlin plays in the city’s underground nightlife scene. With over 350 members, the organisation spans everything from clubs and events to festivals, promoters, and venues. Founded in 2002, the Clubcommission is a vital non-profit association that represents Berlin’s clubs, party organisers, and cultural event producers. Their dedication to preserving and protecting the city’s rich musical heritage is both wide-reaching and deeply rooted in their mission, as they work to protect and promote a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable club culture.
“I see a shift in dialogues and I see a mutual respect. Now we are all sitting on one table.”
Defending the idea that partying and clubbing are, in fact, a form of culture, Katharin explained that the question of “What is culture?" is one she encounters all too often. One of the central aspects of her advocacy work at Clubcommission is to explain why club culture is culture.
She goes on to share how she and the team at Clubcommission spend countless hours researching and exploring various themes: from aesthetics and innovation to architecture and curated music – for Katharin, club culture is undeniably culture because it informs society and fosters both experimentation and respect.
“Club culture is a culture that comes from resistance.”
When speaking specifically about Berlin’s unique history, Katharin passionately describes how the city’s abandoned buildings helped to fuel the thirst for freedom through nightlife and hedonism, something that she believes was the birth of the club culture we now know, with creatives flocking to the city, eager to experiment and push boundaries.
“It was a time where you could do a rave, do whatever, and there were no regulations.”
As the conversation drew to a close, Katharin acknowledges the challenges the city faces, from budget cuts to the nationwide shift to the right. However, she remains confident that Berlin's club culture will endure, regardless of how many new offices or investors take over spaces that once shaped the city's identity.
Yet, it isn't all doom and gloom in Katharin's eyes. She ended the evening on a positive note, viewing the current moment not as the decline of culture, but as an opportunity to come together, form collectives, and take over new spaces and find ways to promote fresh talent and foster intergenerational discourse.
“Club culture is not just music, it’s the whole spectrum of arts that come together.”
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to AchtBerlin for hosting us in such beautiful surroundings, to Jaguar Mezcal Boutique for creating the mouth-wateringly delicious drinks of the evening, Laura Angelone for the stunning flowers and, of course, to flaconi for the special goodies.