For decades, Berlin has been regarded as a musical sound laboratory. The city offers space for artistic experimentation, subcultural practices, and aesthetic boundary shifts. These conditions make Berlin an international magnet for musicians from diverse cultural and geographical backgrounds.
Beyond the dominant narratives—especially those surrounding electronic music and techno—there exists a multitude of less visible communities and scenes in Berlin, often shaped by queer, migrant, and diasporic perspectives. Their music is closely tied to everyday life in the city, reflecting on social, cultural, and political questions of the present.
This is where Sound Base Berlin: What Does the City Sound Like Today? comes in. The event series does not intend to provide an overview of scenes or genres, but rather highlights musical practices from the perspective of the artists themselves. They take centre stage on each evening, combining live performances with conversations and DJ sets, with the performance forming the starting point. The music makes audible the aesthetic decisions, influences, and ideas shaping the current Berlin music scene.
The conversations that follow the performances offer a glimpse behind the scenes of this process and provide a space to talk about the development, working methods, and perspectives of the musicians involved. Music is not only seen as an aesthetic form, but also as a social practice in which political attitudes and questions of belonging and coexistence are negotiated.
Curated by Pamela Owusu-Brenyah