On your marks, get set, RAVE!

On your marks, get set, RAVE!

25 April, 2008 | 12.28PM

• Section: Music News Topics: Berlin
• Written by: Ben Raven

The city with a split personality is about to go party crazy.

If you’re a foreigner living in Berlin like me, it’s inevitable that everyone back home will hound you for suggestions of a good time to visit.

But with such an incredible array of talent playing at a variety of kick ass clubs every week, it’s always difficult to pick one weekend to rule them all.

And that’s simply because every weekend is usually guaranteed great music and a stylishly debauched party. 

Mayday, however, stands tall on Berlin’s impossibly action packed calendar.

Think of Berlin like a city with two personalities.

In the winter, it’s cold and grim.

The clubs are indoors, the mood is edgy and the dancefloor feels like a warm bosom away from the intense grey and biting cold outside.

The summer, however, is a different story.

The outside clubs like Club der Visionaere and Bar 25 kick off every weekend for days on end.

Panorama Bar opens its garden.

Watergate unchains its waterside open air bar and Weekend unlocks its rooftop terrace.

And that’s just the start.

Keep your ears to the ground and you’ll hear of parties in parks and old buildings all summer long that add a whole different dimension to Berlin party life.

The Berliners themselves are also a different people.

Faces you might not see out so much in the winter are everywhere in the summer; rave hibernation is over and it’s time to release.

If you’re thinking of coming to Berlin, then consider booking your flights for April 30th.

The fun kicks off on the night before Mayday with a series of quality parties.

Then, when daytime takes over, it’s time to hit the riverside afterhours clubs Bar 25 or Club der Visionaere.

Bar 25 has been battling to stay open all year, but management have confirmed to Beatportal that they’ll be open on Mayday.

How long they will continue throwing parties this summer remains to be seen.

Club der Visionaere, with its outside tarpaulin covered area to dance, has already opened the past couple of Sundays and will be fully firing on Mayday.

Line-ups aren’t decided, but it’s not about who’s playing when it’s about the party.

And in any case, DJs will casually drop in and play depending on who’s around.

With a list of expat Berliners like Richie Hawtin and Magda on hand, you can expect an endless line of expert rave tacticians to make an appearance at some point in this annual never-ending session.

But in the words of another expat Berliner, Ewan Pearson, “Don’t forget to go home.”

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