The music scene in Berlin is different but does share similarities to what I am used to in South Florida. In this blog when I write music scene, I am referring to the music that is played in the nightclubs I have visited. So far I have visited Carambar, the Palm Beach Club and Adigio.
I visited Carambar with Nadia (as seen above) and we both did not know what to expect. This was both of our first time in a Berlin club and we were shocked and pleasantly surprised to hear them playing the mixture they did. When we first walked to the dance floor they were playing the Black Eyed Peas so we knew that this DJ was at least playing some American music. Then he went on to play Jamaican music and Indian music, and of course topped if off with German chart-toppers.
I think it is a good strategy to play music from all over the world especially at Carambar because it is in a central tourist location (Alexanderplatz). It is a great strategy to keep the customers in a comfortable environment as well as leaving them open to party with all different cultures.
The Palm Beach club was more of a bar, but the night we went was Karaoke night. All the Germans in the establishment were singing American songs. The songs were not exactly recent but we were able to recognize them. This club was also located in Alexanderplatz so I wondered if all the nightclubs in the area have the same marketing strategy. Again the group I went with and myself were comfortable and were able to party alongside the locals.
The latest nightclub I’ve visited was Adigio. Walking into Adigio was like walking into one of the finer clubs in South Beach for a quarter of the price. The music here was a world mix but the American music played was very recent. I heard a song in Adigio that I hadn’t heard in the American clubs yet. The music played also reflected the crowd that was there as there were many different, shapes, colors, and orientations.
Of the nightclubs I visited it seems as if the strategy is to make everyone feel welcome and play music that agrees with the crowd. The Berlin DJ’s seem aware that there are tourists present in the crowd and they play music to keep everyone happy and moving their feet.
I think you are absolutely right in saying that Alexanderplatz provides an area that is comfortable to American tourists. This particular venue allowed us the opportunity to listen to music that was familiar to us and to also to see what music the German's enjoy. Since, this was one of the first nightclubs we visited it gave us the opportunity to pick up on the fashion trends and to get a feel for how nightlife was both similar and different in respect to the United States. I think this club in particular is successful because of the marketing strategy they used. As you mention they play a variety of music, I think in combination of being located in a tourist spot, they are reaching a large demographic- both tourists and locals. Of the clubs we visited during our stay in Berlin I felt that they either took one of two approaches. First, they either chose to have a western feel playing mainstream hip hop and resembling clubs in America. Two, they took a more European approach and played more electronica and techno music. I think both strategies were effective for the crowds they are targeting.
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