Germany Calling Joins France’s Radio FG
click on the picture for program schedules
Leading French dance music station Radio FG have added Jonty Skrufff and Fidelity Kastrow’s weekly BLN.FM radio show Germany Calling to their station, broadcasting each edition three times a week.
The one-hour weekly show is being broadcast on Tuesdays at 8am (CET), Thursdays at 17.00 and Sundays at 14.00 on Underground FG, the cutting edge channel of the massively successful radio group, said station administrator Nicolas Chanel.
“Underground FG was launched in 2004 at the same time as Paris’ Techno Parade began, which FG DJ Radio cofounded together with Technopole,” he explained.
“The channel is specialised, similar to how FG was in its early days, focusing on house, techno and new genres, with a wide variety of radio shows, DJ live sets and a playlist featuring both classic and cutting edge music,” he said.
“I’d say the channel is aimed at electronic music lovers. From early Warp records to the latest Skrillex, you got it all on Underground FG.”
Fidelity Kastrow & Jonty Skrufff
Germany Calling (with some Warp tracks but almost certainly no Skrillex) joins a roster of DJs including mainstream stars Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold and Sander Van Doorn and alternative ‘underground’ DJs including M.A.N.D.Y., Jesse Voorn and Adam Beyer.
“The DJS we feature on Underground FG are either historical ‘big name’ scene DJs or underground DJs that might not have a sound that is “easy listening” enough for an FM broadcast,” Nicolas continued.
“But because today’s underground and mainstream scenes seem to be blending more and more together all the time, it’s getting hard to define who is underground or not, especially with all the niches of genre of the electronic music scene out there today.”
“Basically there are many criteria we use for selecting shows, with quality being the main show. And Germany Calling fits perfectly. We’re very happy to welcome Jonty and Fidelity to the FG team,” he said.
Click here to listen: http://bit.ly/aayywD (clicl the ‘ecoute/ listen’ button): Underground FG showtimes are Tuesdays at 8am (CET), Thursdays at 17.00 and Sundays at 14.00 (CET: ie Berlin/ Paris mainland Europe time).
Germany Calling also continues to be broadcast on BLN.FM at the regular times of Friday evening (20.00 CET) and Saturday nights (23.00 CET): http://bln.fm
Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff
Moving To Berlin? Pet Duo, Axel Bartsch, Ralf Gutterslut, Steffa Superheilig, Patrick DSP & Snuff Crew Discuss (feature)
Berghain (taken from Snuff Crew's video for God; click for more)
“A lot of times people move to Berlin for just three years or something and then they go back to America or Italy or whatever. But they bring the impact, the energy. That’s really good for the scene, because we have all these new people doing something, trying something. That’s why the music scene here is super dynamic.”
Chatting to US lifestyle guide Flavorwire.com in 2010, born and bred Berliner star Ellen Allien was positive about the hordes of incomers relocating to the German capital though added one important proviso:
“Rich people just visiting for the weekend, that’s what’s killing the city,” she warned, “but as long as people keep moving here, Berlin will remain cool.” (http://bit.ly/97ZU85 )
International DJs who’ve since gone include Made to Play’s Jesse Rose (who moved to LA this year) and Visionquest’s Seth Troxler (now based in London) plus Berghain resident Cassy, a Berliner for 8 years up until recently.
“The rent is cheaper than elsewhere, this of course is a very tempting factor for staying in Berlin but the world is big, there are so many places to look at and live in,” she told Sweatlodge Magazine last month.
“I wanted to live in a place where the food is amazing and there’s more life in the street, more energy,” she explained (Sweatlodge Radio; http://bit.ly/uL8SYy )
Styling by Steffa Superheilig: picture by Jannis Mayr for Proud Mag
That Berlin can be bitterly bleak on windswept wintry nights (and uber-cold; down to minus 20ºC) is certainly true though it can be equally sweat-drippingly hot in July and August when temperatures regularly top 30ºC.
In energy terms too, it’s searingly scalding, at least according to Wired magazine who recently branded Berlin ‘one of Europe’s hottest start-up capitals’.
German magazine Der Spiegel agreed too, reprinting Wired’s words plus another interesting assessment from leading US technology blog TechCrunch.
“It’s become the place where misfits in Europe — people who want to be artists and creators, people who don’t fit in rigid social structures of cities like London — flock to do what they want,’ Der Spiegel (Tech-Crunch) reported
“If London feels like a European New York; Berlin feels like a European Portland or an Austin or a Boulder. And perhaps one day a European San Francisco,” they predicted.
If London feels like ‘a European New York’, Berlin feels more like a retro New York, specifically the avant-garde, anything goes, ultra decadent lower East Side playground of the 80s.
Packed with clubbers, punks, gays, DJs, freaks, nerds and assorted global (and German) misfits, Berlin (or rather its three inner city districts of Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Neukoln) shares the same mix of graffiti tagged brownstone tenements, though unlike 80s era New York, it’s safe.
Remarkably so, in fact, despite the fact that every other street light is switched off after dark, as a budget saving device by cash strapped local authorities. And while it’s superficially menacing after dark, it’s also a surprisingly tranquil city, packed with cafes, parks and trees (Berliners will proudly tell you it’s the most tree filled city in Europe.)
It’s also full of cyclists and bicycle lanes; legend has it that hundreds were built after the second world war, both because so much of the old narrow street grid was flattened and because fuel shortages meant cars were beyond most people’s means.
Snuff Crew
Skrufff chatted to six Berliners who presently call the city their home: Steffa Superheilig (stylist, door selector at Renate, Kater Holzig and formerly Bar 25); German producers Snuff Crew and Axel Bartsch (Sportsclub), Brazilian incomers Pet Duo, Gutterslut (German) co-promoter Ralf Obergfell and Canadian producer Patrick DSP and asked them to share their insider tips for making the most of the city.
Ralf Obergfell's new series 'C U R R Y 6 6 6'
Spartak’s Martyn Walsh on Inspiral Carpets, Fidelity Kastrow & Noel Gallagher (interview)
Click on the picture for latest Inspiral Carpets news
Legendary Madchester psychedelic rockers the Inspiral Carpets announced they’re reforming this week, featuring the original line-up of Stephen Holt and Clint Boon, Craig Gill, Graham Lambert and Martyn Walsh.
The Manchester group, who achieved four number one albums in the 90s, are working on new material, they revealed on their website, in preparation for a world tour starting in South America in November. (http://www.inspiralcarpets.com)
Chatting to Skrufff some time before the announcement about his follow up project Spartak, Inspiral Carpet’s bassist Martyn Walsh spoke happily about his Inspirals days including hanging around with future Oasis star Noel Gallagher.
“Noel auditioned to be the Inspirals singer when Stephen Holt left (in 1989). We didn’t think he was good enough so we offered him a roadie job instead,” Martyn recalled.
“He was the sort of guy who was always at gigs and someone who seemed to know everyone. Some of his mates were the sort of people who it was better to know than get on the wrong side of.”
“I knew he played guitar when we first met him but for all the time he worked for us, he seemed more interested in U2 and the recreational lifestyle of being in a band than becoming the Beatles obsessive he is now,” said Martyn.
He also chatted in greater detail about his Spartak collaboration with (Skrufff DJ) Fidelity Kastrow on ‘Bad Love’, a rocking electro flavoured mash-up topped off by the Berlin DJ/ performer’s unique vocals.
Click on the picture to listen to Bad Love
Fidelity Kastrow; 21st Century Girl (more pictures)
This week, we’re uploading a selection of pictures from Skrufff DJ Fidelity Kastrow’s new video to 21st Century Girl . . . Styling done by Berlin’s Steffa Superheilig.
click for more
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this one (above) is by Rüdiger Muller
Secret Island’s Berlin Reunion (October 8)
FK on the island (click for more party details)
Secret Island Nation (SIN) festival promoter Bjorn chatted to Skrufff this week as he finalised preparations for the latest Berlin party at brand new Kreuzberg club S.K Robinson (October 
and vowed that he’s capping capacity for future events.
“This year we actually sold out all 500 tickets in advance and while we didn’t turn away few additional guests who without pre-sale tickets we really want to keep numbers down in future,” he said, “Rather than growing in size we’d prefer to enrich the non-musical program and the hippiesque vision of how to make the world a better place to party.”
Revealing that he’s also in discussion about putting on events in Oslo, Copenhagen and Iceland next year, he sounded a note of caution about limiting the numbers of spin-off parties too.
“As you all know the world goes down on 21/12/2012 so SIN 2012 will be the last one,” he chuckled, “So make sure to grab one of the only 500 tickets soon, especially as half of the contingent is reserved for “veteran islanders” (though I haven’t figured out a fair way yet….),” he added,
The upcoming Berlin party takes over all three floors of the brand new club with a line-up of island regulars including Dirk Sid Eno, Skrufff DJs Fidelity Kastrow and Jonty Skrufff, Seyman, German Lachs and Dirty Ragga Squad. Partygoers can also buy uber cheap SIN tickets for 2012.
“Pre-sale will start at the Reunion party, again with discounted early-bird-tickets: the first 50 will be available for 50EUR,” said Bjorn.
“Then they increase in price, with 50 more for 60EUR, and again 70EUR. Regular price for the remaining 350 tickets is 90 EUR.”
“As always, we will provide travel packages by bus or flight from Berlin, Oslo and Copenhagen/Malmö. Tickets sale outlets and online purchase information are to be found on www.secret-island.eu in the next days.”
Seb Mortimer (Skrufff.com)
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