Berlin’s Finest: Projekt Gestalten
Joining us for Berlin Berlin on 23rd February with Pornceptual, the Brazilian selector shares five of his favourite things about Berlin...
Projekt Gestalten is a Berlin-based DJ who plays up front, no-messing melodies which border on the more on the raw side of electronic music. Joining us for Berlin Berlin on 23rd February with Pornceptual, the Brazilian selector shares five of his favourite things about Berlin, from digging in renowned record shops in the capital to the wavering weather throughout the year…
Freedom
I like that people have so much freedom to do whatever they want to. However, Berlin is a city that can take away a lot from you and you might get lost if you don’t have goals and ambitions. When you have so many options and possibilities, things can get a little hard in Berlin (not in a good way). But, if your mind is in the right place and you meet people you are comfortable with, Berlin is the most magical place you can be.
Clubbing
It may sound like a cliché, but, of course, the clubbing life is a big part of the reasons that brought me here. If you have the stamina, you can party pretty much every single day of the week. I choose to keep my mental sanity intact and the only party a few days of the week, though. There’s also many many options and parties with different concepts, music and crowd - depending on your mood and your expectations.
History
Coming from Brazil, a place colonised a merely 500 or so years ago, it’s very weird to be living next to buildings and landmarks that were built thousands of years ago. Berlin’s recent history, although tragic, is also very interesting to me. Its scars are all around and I like the fact that Germany doesn’t try to mask anything. They are well aware that when history is forgotten, the same mistakes are repeated.
Weather
I like the Berlin weather. Unlike other European cities, I find the weather not as hostile especially coming from a tropical country. It’s nice to be here around Spring or Autumn. Summer and Winter can get a bit too much, but the extreme temperatures don’t last for too long. I heard the winters in Berlin were way harsher a few years back. Now, it only gets really cold in the last month of winter. I’m not sure if this is a bad or good thing considering the global warming issues and stuff.
Record Shops
Being a music freak in a pre-internet and pre-digital music era; I really miss going to record shops and dig for records as I used to in my teens. So I find really great that there is a profusion of great record shops around Berlin. You can even find multiple record shops in a single street - something I have never observed in any other cities I have been in. I am not saying that you can’t find nice record shops in other places, but, certainly, you don’t have as many options and variety like in Berlin. This is a tradition that was kept alive to young newer generations and I am so glad they did.