Clubbing Heritage x Else Klub
The first Clubbing Heritage in Berlin unfolds on the 8th of May at ELSE Klub, marking a powerful reunion of dialogue and music.
The event kicks off with an opening panel featuring respected voices from the scene, setting the tone for what’s to come. Afterward, over 14 hours of high-quality sound will unfold, with majestic selectors delivering rare B2Bs and unforgettable, genre-blending sets.
As gentrification, skyrocketing rents, and endless bureaucracy threaten Berlin’s independent clubs, nightlife spaces are becoming more fragile than ever. To respond, Clubbing Heritage is gathering the community at ELSE Klub on Thursday, 8th of May, for a special 16-hour celebration.
This event will bring music and dialogue together, reclaiming nightlife as a space of resistance, healing, and collective imagination.
Tickets will be available at the door and on
Resident Advisor
Clubbing Heritage will open at 2 PM, starting with a panel of industry experts: Dimitri Hegemann (Tresor founder), Robert Henke aka Monolake (pioneering German producer and sound artist), Steve Rachmad (DJ, producer, and electronic innovator), Manuela Budimilic (founder of AD Sound), Michael Matuschek (Triangle Agency), and Maria Jose Mejia (Source Artists), moderated by Domenico Pallotta.
The panel will be discussing some of the existential threats facing clubs today:
- Commodification of once-radical spaces to restrictive local policies, digital fragmentation of communities, and the looming cultural void caused by disconnection and displacement.
- Gentrification— the saturation of specific cities and venues with mainstream interest—displaces grassroots spaces in favor of profitability. As real estate pressure grows, nightlife is increasingly shaped by landlords and governments, not communities. Cities like Berlin are full of empty buildings that could be clubs, but bureaucratic hurdles and inflated rents are a barrier, or city developments like the A100 highway expansion stand in the way.
- Financial pressure in the face of inflation, tax laws and dwindling cultural funding, combined with the cost of living crisis guests are also experiencing further squeeze the financial viability of independent venues.
- Community ties are becoming less tangible and more digital. Faster lifestyles erode the depth of real-life interaction, and commercial pressures push clubs to mimic corporate events, alienating older generations and splintering subcultures. The impact social media has on the way people discover and engage with the culture is also impacting the ways clubs are operating, and how artists are able to carve their own path.
However, the organizers say, solutions do exist and dialogue is key. Clubbing Heritage serves as a platform to support the sustainability, awareness, and accessibility of community collectives and cultural venues. Together, they say we can confront difficult realities while also imagining—and building—a better future for club culture.
Lineup (A-Z)
Cio D’Or
DJ Pete B2B D-Leria
Lake Haze B2B Dtekk
Mareena B2B Madalba
Stanislav Tolkachev & Sarah Wreath
Sterac Electronics
About Else
ELSE is Berlin’s most popular outdoor venue, offering a unique experience for lovers of electronic music. With its idyllic location next to Treptower Hafen and an outstanding line-up of international and local artists, ELSE is the hotspot for unforgettable nights under the open sky.
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Our next event : Else x KEYI Magazine – 29.05.2025 -> more info here
