Freedom: Berlin Club Culture

Help us to publish a bilingual book about the Berlin club scene in great quality!

"Freiräume Berliner Clubkultur" delves deep into the world of Berlin's clubs - Tobi Allers tells of their history, of the people who keep them going, and of their importance to the city of Berlin.

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Funding period

3/25/23 - 5/11/23

Realisation

Publication date: October 2023

Website & Social Media

Minimum amount (Start level): 1,500 €

Das Geld verwenden wir für die Übersetzung des Textes ins Englische.

City

Berlin

What is this project all about?

Berlin is famous for its club culture. Berghain, Tresor, Kater Blau - these names are known far beyond the country's borders. Berlin's nightlife has long attracted people from all over the world. And yet, the preservation of Berlin clubs seems to be a constant battle against investors, against displacement and gentrification.

There is certainly a lot of literature on the history of Berlin clubs, but Tobi Allers is not only interested in what makes them so fascinating, but also in the socio-cultural aspects. Even more than 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, techno lives on in the clubs of Berlin, but in what social context does it operate today? And what more can a club be?

In "Freiräume Berliner Clubkultur" Tobi Allers dives deep into this cultural landscape, in which he himself is firmly anchored. He covers these topics, among others:

Clubs as Safe(r) Spaces.
Why clubs are political
Art in the club and the club as art
Diversity and inclusion
Urban development and displacement of clubs

What is the project goal and who is the project for?

The book is aimed at all those who are out and about in the clubs of Berlin, who love the nightlife and dance their way through the capital, as well as those who have just arrived in the city.

Why would you support this project?

Making good books is our passion. We believe in fair payment for all service providers - editors, sensitivity readers, proofreaders, printers, illustrators, photographers and, of course, layouters. We work with people who understand and love their job.

Making books is rarely a profit-making business. As an indie publisher, it is not our primary goal to make big money with our books. But the energy crisis and ever-increasing paper and printing prices will very soon make it impossible for us to produce books.

Our goal, with your support, is to produce a book together with people who understand their job and love what they do. With your help, we can produce a decent and beautiful book and have it printed in the EU - always with a focus on sustainability.

How will we use the money if the project is successfully funded?

With your contributions we plan to hire the translator Britta Fietzke and Vera Brand as Sensitivity Reader.

If you would like to give us more, your support will go to Björn Hofmann from the agency elf62.net, who is doing the design of the book for us.

And what is left over, we invest in the sustainable printing of the first edition.

Who are the people behind the project?

We are ammian Verlag , a small independent publishing house from Berlin. What started as a magazine publishing house is complemented with a book program since 2020. We are still discovering ourselves and are searching for our publishing identity. "Freiräume Berliner Clubkultur" is an important step for us in this search. Combining Berlin history with culture and current city topics – that's where we want to go.

Author Tobi Allers knows Berlin's history well. With his company Berlin Kultour, he has been guiding visitors through the city for almost ten years. He is part of the scene himself and has been working for some time at various festivals, is part of a collective with which he organizes events and, as Schallers 2000, occasionally plays records himself. The book is therefore an affair of the heart for him. He knows what makes Berlin's nightlife so special and unique, but is also aware that these free spaces are fought over. With this book, he wants to raise awareness of the city's history. Clubs in Berlin are much more than places where people party. They are safe spaces, inspiration for artists, political places and help shape urban development.

Bettina Bergmann, the program director of ammian Verlag. Born and raised in Berlin, she still navigates every S-Bahn station without looking. And that's despite the fact that she now lives in Dortmund, where she translates and edits. Berlin nevertheless remains eternally in her heart. She used to dance at Sage Club, Kit Kat, Tresor and K17. Today she has Tresor West on her doorstep.

Translator Britta Fietzke has fought her way up and still has big things in store. Based in Hamburg, she edits and translates mainly for publishers. Britta will translate the text into English so that it can reach the many Berliners who don't yet speak the local dialect yet who bring so many impulses for club life.

ammian Verlag

Tobias Allers

What are the sustainable development goals of this project?

Primary sustainable development goal

Cities & communities

Why does this project contribute to this goal?

Literature contributes to a better understanding of our environment, of the society in which we live. Books must not become a luxury good that is only made available by large publishing houses and selected purely according to economic guidelines. As an indie publisher, we see ourselves as transmitters of topics that are at home away from the mainstream - and yet should be heard.

This project also pays toward those goals

Reduced inequality

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