Club entertainment in Germany
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KitKatClub @ Sage
This 'kitty' is naughty, sexy, decadent, listens to techno and house and fancies leather and lace, vinyl and whips. Berlin's infamous erotic nightclub currently hides out at Sage Club with its multiple dance floors, shimmering pools and fire-breathing dragon. Check the website for dress code instructions.
reviewed
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Tresor
The techno pioneer is back in the dark industrial maze of a former power station.
reviewed
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Insomnia
For a night of hedonistic pleasure, travel to far-flung Tempelhof, south of Schöneberg, the home of Insomnia. This late-19th-century ballroom has been reincarnated as a classy playground of passion presided over by SM and fetish queen Dominique. Besides the dance floor and big-screen Andrew Blake porn, there are performances and various pleasure pits, including a whirlpool, a bondage room and gynaecological chair. Saturday’s Circus Bizarre is good for first-timers; Sundays are reserved for couples and their playmates. The special-themed sex parties during the week are for more advanced players; many require preregistration.
reviewed
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Stubu Dancehouse
This long-term Bremen institution has spread its wings and now offers five different spaces over three floors, from the traditional 'music club' in the basement to the new Skyline area, with house, funk and chart hits. Stubu is on a street of wall-to-wall clubs, including the huge, ex-multiplex La Viva (cnr Rembertiring & Auf der Brake). Many Bremers, however, dismiss this area as largely for 'teenies'.
Clubbing in Bremen is relatively cheap; expect to pay around €4 to around €8 at the door for regular nights, although special events may cost more.
reviewed
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Berghain/Panoramabar
It’s the best club in the world, according to Britain’s well-regarded DJ Mag, and we have no problem seconding the hype. Only vinyl masters such as André Galluzzi and Ricardo Villalobos heat up this hedonistic bass junkie hellhole inside a labyrinthine ex-power plant. The upper floor (Panoramabar, aka ‘Pannebar’) is all about house; the gay-leaning big factory hall below (Berghain) pounds with minimal techno beats. Strict door and no cameras. In summer there’s a beer garden for daytime chilling.
reviewed
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Bar 25
With the 'Mediaspree' river development likely to become reality, some of Berlin’s most beloved riverside party spots are threatened. Summers just wouldn’t be the same without this surreal playground where you can arrive on Thursday and stumble home on Sunday without the party letting up. The setting is straight out of Twin Peaks : rustic log-cabin-style bar, candle-lit restaurant, a rope swing, an outdoor cinema, a spa with sauna and a trancey, thumpy club with disco ball.
reviewed
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Rechenzentrum
This club had its start in April 2008, so fingers are crossed it’ll survive. Far, far off the beaten track, in a GDR-era data processing centre (some of the chunky old computers are still there), you can feel the electro beat on Saturday night, then chill by the UFO in the riverside Funkpark on Sunday (summer only). Opening times vary, but it’s usually open Saturday and Sunday. A free bus shuttles between the club and Ostkreuz (corner Neue Bahnhofstrasse and Sonntagstrasse) between 11pm and 5am.
reviewed
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Maxxim
The moneyed and beautiful (or surgically enhanced) with A-list aspirations cavort at this snazzy party pen that’s a veritable jet-set oasis in ghetto-glam Berlin. Once you’ve made it past the velvet rope, you too can be shaking that booty to ‘international club sounds’, sipping champagne cocktails at the sleek bar and – who knows? – maybe even meeting your very own Carrie or Mr Big.
reviewed
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Grüner Salon
Sultry sophistication rules in the Volksbühne’s intimate ‘Green Salon’, an elegant 1920s glamour vixen that lures natty, chatty sophisticates with mellow lighting and eardrum-friendly indie, jazz, chanson and tango concerts and club nights. On Tuesdays it’s the place in town to kick up your salsa heels. Come early for lessons. The entrance is on the right side of the theatre building.
reviewed
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Icon
This labyrinthine cellar of a former brewery is Berlin’s holy grail of drum and bass – Recycle on Saturday is an eardrum-rinsing local institution. Friday is generally given over to special events, with some very strong nu-skool breakbeat and downtempo nights. International DJ royalty such as Grooverider and Nightmares on Wax occasionally head the line-up here.
reviewed
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Yaam
With the "Mediaspree' river development likely to become reality, some of Berlin’s most beloved riverside party spots are threatened. The granddaddy of all summer parties is the home of reggae, samba, soca, rap and the birthplace of the band Seeed. The Beach Classic on Sunday has been dishing up food, drink, music, beach volleyball and other sports for years.
reviewed
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Oxymoron
By day, the opulent baroque salon in front - complete with plump velvet sofas, gold-leaf mirrors and chandeliers - caters to the cafe crowd. After dark, it morphs into an eats-and-lounge act before turning into a chic club hosting a variety of retro and electro nights with occasional 'extras' such as go-go dancers. Dress on the smarter side of casual.
reviewed
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Rosi’s
This derelict house-cum-garden- lounge next to the railway tracks catches the Friedrichshain vibe spot on – dim lighting, dank concrete, mismatched furniture and an alchemy of sounds (surf music to Latin, breakbeat to dancehall) that gets a punky-funky crowd fired up for extended dance-a-thons. Live acts and the relaxed beer garden are bonuses.
reviewed
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Ratskeller
Augsburg's hippest new hangout is the reconfigured, multilevel Ratskeller. Ambiently lit corners, ante-rooms and mezzanines are strewn with comfy lounges, and there's a wide terrace out the back. Ratskeller's kitchen also has a strong local following, especially for its Schweinebraten - roast pork with dumplings and red-cabbage sauerkraut.
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Cassiopeia
An old-time train-repair shop has been given a new life by being turned into an urban playground that includes a skate hall, a beer garden, a climbing tower and an attitude-free, two-floor party den. The crowd defines the word eclectic and so does the music, which covers the spectrum from vintage hip hop to hard funk, roots, reggae and punk.
reviewed
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Diablo Latino
Latin club Diablo Latino is based at Raschplatz (the so-called 'golden triangle'), a main clubbing destination - a concrete environs behind the train station.
Raschplatz was due to be renovated in 2007, and the future of all these clubs has been thrown into doubt. Check local listings before heading in this direction.
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SO36
Check in your attitude at the door of scruffy 'Esso' where the Dead Kennedys and the Toten Hosen were playing gigs when many of today's patrons were still in diapers. Overall, though, who goes when depends on what's on that night: a solidarity concert, a lesbigay theme party, a night flea market: anything goes at SO36.
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40 Seconds
Possibly the best thing about this posh penthouse boîte is the outdoor areas, which are perfect for smooching, smoking and looking out over Potsdamer Platz. Inside, deep-pocketed poseurs seem too busy with SM (standing and modelling, that is) to actually have fun. Look good, or forget about joining them.
reviewed
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Loop Club
With three dance areas and a languid chill-out zone with lounge music, this place attracts a slightly more mature crowd. Thursdays are 150-Cent night, a collective send-up with cheap mixed drinks flowing to the sound of '80s hits and karaoke. Take the U2 to Herrnhütte, turn right and it's a five-minute walk.
reviewed
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Club Culture Houze
This sex party palace has hot ‘n’ heavy themes ranging from ‘Naked’ Mondays to ‘Balls’ (underwear) Thursdays and ‘Fist Factory’ Fridays. Adventurous hets and bis can get in on the action on Wednesdays and Sundays. Check the website before heading out.
reviewed
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3001
A clubber's nirvana, this hot 'n' heavy club in Medienhafen has a giant dance floor where DJs whip shiny, happy and barely legal hotties into a frenzy with electro and sizzling light and video projections. The crowd's a bit older and admission is free during 'Milchbar' on Thursdays.
reviewed
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Felix Clubrestaurant
Once past the velvet rope of this exclusive supper club at the Adlon, you too can be shaking that booty to 'international club sounds', sip champagne cocktails and - who knows? - maybe even meet your very own Carrie or 'Mr Big'. Great after-work party on Thursday (from 9pm).
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Tape Club
There's a tantalising underground vibe to this dancing den where top local and visiting DJs get clubbers going with Chicago- and Detroit-influenced house, deep house, dub house and dub techno. Watch out for the 'Tape Modern' party series, a fusion of club and art expo.
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Lab.oratory
Part of the Berghain complex, this is a ‘lab’ for advanced sexual experimentation in what looks like the engine room of a U-boat. Party names like Yellow Facts, Fausthaus and Rubber leave little to the imagination. Check the website before heading out.
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Osho Diskothek
Traditionally, a main clubbing destination is in the revamped environs of Raschplatz (the so-called 'golden triangle'). Here you find Osho Diskothek, or 'Baggi' as Hanoverians fondly call it, playing a mix of classic disco hits for the over-25s.
reviewed
