Raw food for thought: Andre Williams

INTERVIEW. Starting with his run as a singer in mid-1950s Detroit, the history of Williams might well be considered the story of rhythm and blues.

May 11, 2012 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

Sticks rekindled: Stuart A. Staples of Tindersticks

INTERVIEW. After having reconvened in a somewhat altered shape, Tindersticks and their frontman Stuart A. Staples may be the closest the English have come to the French tradition of melancholic pop.

Feb 29, 2012 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews (1 Comments)

ICU at CTM 2012: Spectral

2012’s CTM rightly lives up to its ‘Spectral’ sobriquet with a gaggle of icy chillwave superstars and well-handled, grizzled tech-hands. D. Strauss' one-a-day picks are here: make sure to reserve an extra seat for your ectoplasm.

Feb 1, 2012 by D. Strauss in Nightlife

Land of the lox: Can you get deli food in Berlin?

The odds of finding an authentic Jewish delicatessen in Berlin are about the same as those of stumbling upon a bratwurst stand in Kabul. D. Strauss investigates what we got.

Jan 9, 2012 by D. Strauss in Restaurants

Top 10 records: 2011

2011 was dominated by the ubiquity of Kanye and the persistency of “Friday”; it’s no wonder, then, that D. Strauss was generally drawn to records in which moody ambiguity cloaked personality.

Jan 3, 2012 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews (3 Comments)

Peaking at Midnight

What are we going to do on New Year's? Funny you should ask, tourist from Barcelona. For a city in which nothing ever really changes, Berlin remains the New Year’s capital of the world. Let’s dig in.

Dec 19, 2011 by Alexandra Khan-Anselmo | D. Strauss in What's On (2 Comments)

Tango and Cash: Gotan Project’s Philippe Cohen Solal

The electro-tango superstars celebrate 10 years of Argentinean steak with a DJ gig at Prince Charles on Nov 17. Exberliner did the dip with go-getter Solal in February 2007.

Nov 15, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

Matt Didemus: Junior Boys

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Berlin based Canadian expat motivates the soft-Moroder duo at Berghain Tue, Dec 6. We discoursed before Berlin Festival 2009.

Nov 8, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

Five questions for... Leningrad Cowboys' Sakke Järvenpää

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Undying Finnish alcoholic Elvis obsessives return to SO36 on Fri, Dec 9. Leader Järvenpää explained in Oct 2009.

Nov 4, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

“I think all of us deserve booing at some point in our life”

Interview: Carla Bley. The polymathic jazz figure plays bass with Steve Swallow’s Quintet on Nov 6 as part of JazzFest Berlin, opening Nov 2.

Nov 1, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

I'm so green: Can's Holger Czukay on his Berlin youth

FROM THE ARCHIVES. Künstlerhaus Bethanien hosts group show Halleluhwah! Hommage à Can, opening Thu, Nov 24. Czukay spoke with us in Sep 2006.

Sep 12, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

"I'm a Groucho-Marxist": Buzz Osborne of Melvins

FROM THE ARCHIVES. King Buzzo lays down the law for us after touring behind the Chicken Switch remix album. More law comes when they play Volksbühne on Oct 16.

Sep 1, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

An interview with Hey Ø Hansen

The duo is now embraced by the avant crowd as witnessed by their upcoming gig at Ausland on September 3. They chose to communicate with us in one voice, Hey typing, Hansen cooking.

Aug 30, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews (2 Comments)

Tauron Nowa Muzyka Festival 2011

Running from Thu, August 25 through Sun, August 28 the totality of the acts underlines not just the eclecticism of Polish taste but also provides a pretty solid snapshot of the state of the club in 2011. Plus, we've got tickets to give away.

Aug 9, 2011 by D. Strauss in What's On

The Summers of Sergio Mendes

Interview: Sergio Mendes. The career of the Brazilian pianist and bandleader has taken many turns over the last half-a-century. Mendes is back in Berlin for the first time in decades, with a large band dedicated to his entire repertoire.

Jul 19, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews (1 Comments)

Photo by Cherie Nutting

Bachir Attar in five dates

Jun 29, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

“I have the archive in my brain”

Interview: Bachir Attar, the Master Musicians of Jajouka. The music has been as celebrated for being celebrated as they have for their insistent and otherworldly appeal.

Jun 29, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews (1 Comments)

Fête de la Musique 2011

Long celebrated as Berlin’s peaceful riot, institutional creep has infected the annual street music fest Fête de la Musique over the last couple of years, which isn’t to say that your day won’t be noisy if we plan it for you.

Jun 16, 2011 by D. Strauss in What's On (1 Comments)

Interview: J. Mascis of Dinosaur, Jr.

FROM THE ARCHIVES. Dinosaur, Jr. bandleader J. Mascis will be blasting Festsaal Kreuzberg on Thursday, July 14 – hopefully without the head cold he had in September 2009.

Jun 3, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

The new old underground

Despite the incessancy of gentrification, this has not been a bad year for your inner party-noctambule, with a spate of new nightspots that run the gamut from hole-in-the-wall to ever-fresher hipster meat market.

May 27, 2011 by D. Strauss in Zeitgeist

The brave at home

FROM THE ARCHIVES. Interview: Laurie Anderson. The tinkerer and performance artist gives us insight into her own Big Science. Anderson will be performing at Volksbühne on May 17 supporting her new album Delusion.

Apr 14, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

Air and ear

A couple of recent, highly touted headphones to replace your Berghain scented ones: the Marshall Major and Aiaiai's TMA-1.

Mar 10, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

Best of 2010: The obligatory year end list

What reflects 2010 in the best possible light for our monolithic music editor... tabloid fodder, appreciating the tastes of 11-year-olds and the kind of band names that sound like something you accidentally said after your sixth shot of vodka. OMFG!

Jan 3, 2011 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

Best of 2010: What made the nightlife

In Germany the name Strauss used to be synonymous with waltzes and strolls along the promenade. But in this century, our music editor has taken over. No more lily-livered saches down memory lane. D. Strauss bulls through 2010. 2011, beware!

Dec 31, 2010 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews

A chat with... Wildbirds & Peacedrums

The Swedish duo talks to us about being a band of two and the complexity still possible when working this way.

Oct 5, 2010 by D. Strauss in Reviews & Interviews (1 Comments)