On December 4 , 2020, a commemorative plaque for the Electronic Beat Studio, which existed here until 1984, was unveiled by Bernd Kistenmacher, who already belongs to the “New Berlin School”, personally at the school-building during a little celebration revealed. The Electronic Beat studio was an important place where a lot of Berlin School and Krautrock music was born.
The following article, by Lutz Tubular was published in the ‘Zeit fur Berlin‘ news. Please note all (c) are with the Author and Zeit fur Berlin.
Just a more inconspicuous rehearsal cellar …
it is already exciting too one revelation invited to a memorial plaque to become that at something remembers that oneself just somewhere at the fringe via the youth magazine “Bravo” and groups like Tangerine Dream and yet , starting from Berlin , the music world changed .
Then during worldwide Berlin groups like Tangerine Dream to this day successes celebrate , Hollywood composers like Hans Zimmer ( among others film music for Lion King , Pirates of the Caribbean and Gladiator, respectively a star up the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the boulevard of the stars in Berlin) . on those Berlin bands with their back then fully new synthesizer sounds of the so -called . “Berlin School ” called , which was typical of the time psychedelic sound of the 1960s to 1980s created , the Berliner himself has from all to the mostly ” nope ever heard ”. To it could also occasional Press reports in the newspapers or Reports from the rbb evening show just little change .
Our parents had your evenings mostly still in music clubs like that studio 13 at the Kottbusser dam or in the of Nero Brandenburg guided Senate clubs like the ” Dachluke ” am Mehringdamm at that time usual beat music spent , which has changed over time thanks to Beatles & Co. to the pop music changed .
But with time _ one began – mostly in makeshift furnished basement rooms – closed experiment how to get this genre renew and to enhance could . So also in the Pfalzburger street _ 30 in Wilmersdorf in the basement of the former professional school for hairdressers …
Peter Schneider on Konrad Latte
In front of today ‘s Nelson Mandela High School in the Pfalzburger Street 30 had itself loaded on December 4 , 2020 guests , passers-by and press representatives gathered here for the inauguration to attend a commemorative plaque by the Berlin musician Bernd Kistenmacher (“ New Berlin School ” ) and to the Composer Hans Zimmer had been donated . The board reminds at those time when in the basement of that time professional school itself Boy music enthusiasts met to pursue their passion here . _
The writer and Biographer Peter Schneider outlined in his moving Speech the life of the Jewish musician Konrad Latte – dem Founder of the studio – and his courage during the Nazi persecution among the adverse circumstances his education to continue and his decision to end of war , too continue to in Berlin stay .
The founding of the studio
Without Konrad Latte, after to the War Conductor of the Berlin Baroque Orchestra and the music school Wilmersdorf would be the history of modern music sure to be different . So but he set up in 1968 in the basement of the former professional school for hairdressers a exercise room a , so that Christopher Franke, whose mother in his orchestra played and itself about the lute music hers son annoyed , now undisturbed together with his _ founded rock band “The Agitation ” – the soon then called ” Agitation Free” – to pursue his passion could . In the band and in order to also represented in the studio were Klaus Schulze and Lutz ” Lülel ” Graf – Ulbricht – who also celebrated the day of the unveiling of the commemorative plaque musically accompanied . Christopher Franke changed however soon , like Klaus Schulze too Tangerine Dream and became through Burghard Rausch ( later a well-known RIAS music presenter under Nero Brandenburg ) replaced .
Konrad Latte, the meaning this offside university facilities fully free to using Studios for Boy Musician understood , hired the then art student Thomas Kessler as head of the “Beat Studios ” . Kessler built the studio and experimented with here Tape Looping Experiments , out those out the krautrock arose .
Soon after he probably did also the first in Berlin at all – one of those at that time New emerging synthesizer – the triumph of the electronic pop music began . To the participants of the event Kessler set up a monitor due to the Corona situation Greeting message – not without humorous mission just that first synthesizer that is still in his _ _ possession located .
Because synthesizers were still sinful back then expensive boxes whose adjustable tones however, the way to do it prepared that _ something arose , which henceforth as a psychedelic Sound carpet the musical background a whole slew of student protests and anti – Vietnam War demonstrations certain era formed . This tech-oriented Electronic sound later pointed the way to techno music .
Agitation Free, Tangerine Dream. The Berlin School
With to the back then casually as “Beat Studio”, in the documents however already from the beginning referred to as “Electronic Beat Studio” . Musikstudio bands and names such as Agitation Free, Ash Ra Tempel, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and Michael Hoenig join forces , which the soon to be referred to as the “Berlin School ” . music style became known internationally .
Because in contrast to the by Conrad Schnitzler and Hans-Joachim Roedelius (both founders of the band ” Harmonia “, who also belonged to the ” Berlin School ” ) founded “Zodiak Free Alt Lab” on Halleschen Shore , its studio rooms and performance areas in the building of the ” Schaubühne at the Halleschen shore ” were located and that – despite big influence to what was then called Krautrock designated music genre ( like all the aforementioned bands performed here ) – only existed from the end of 1967 to the beginning of 1969 , the Electronic Beat Studio survived many decades consist .
diverse links and contacts also existed between the “Berliner” and the ” Düsseldorfer “. school ” , dem second Founding place of electronic music . So worried approximately Members of Tangerine Dream for Düsseldorf _ Electronics group Kraftwerk developed the first synthesizer.
A breakthrough in the Germans living room should the music of the “Berlin School ” of all things by means of one today legendary nature films create for television . In 1975, Horst Stern’s two-part report on “Spiders – Life on silken thread” . broadcast . for the Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream delivered the psychedelic synthesizer soundtrack , which not only made the two-parter unusual themes to one event . _ _
Also to that took place in 1984 Relocation of the Electronic Beat Studio With to the Studio manager Gerd Bluhm to the Halensee – elementary school on Joachim-Friedrich- Str . 35-36 bands like Nina Hagen and Neonbabies rehearsed here or IDEAL – where IDEAL in turn through the influence of their new cheeky lyrics also to the Co-founder of the ” New Germans wave”. should .
Consequently West Berlin at the time also played at this one Music direction again central role . 2007 became the legendary studio, since one of its rooms well for the actual one school operation needed , closed
The film music composer Hans Zimmer
The Hollywood film composer Hans Zimmer grew up in the Taunus near Frankfurt am Main in the “Villa Gans” ( erected by the way from that also significant for Berlin architect Peter Behrens), came during his English boarding school time early With synthesizers in touch and stepped With this instrument in groups like Krisma and heroes on .
early 1990s _ he was before everything through his combinations of orchestras and synthesizer sounds in film music known . The intensive occupation of Hans Zimmer With synthesizers is on the much stronger ones in the US influence of musicians and bands of the “Berlin School ” , as before Tangerine Dream, too which he himself expressly professes to attribute . And to this day Hans Zimmer is in contact to some Musicians of the Berlin School . In addition is Hans Zimmer a more passionate Collectors of Synthesizers .
The initiative of Bernd Kistenmacher , itself With him together at the planned commemorative plaque for the “Electronic Beat Studio” in Berlin participate , he therefore agreed right away to . Due to the Corona situation , Hans Zimmer just virtual through on the monitor one greeting message present .
The unveiling of the memorial plaque
On December 4 , 2020 , the commemorative plaque for the Electronic Beat Studio , which existed here until 1984 , was unveiled by Bernd Kistenmacher , who already belongs to the “ New Berlin School ” , personally at the school-building during a little celebration revealed . The ones in the bigger one Celebration planned in the school auditorium unfortunately had to be omitted . The music duo LÜÜL & FRANZ ( Lutz ” Lüül ” Graf – Ulbrich and Franz Bargmann ) provided for the musical Frame , while Ms. Annegret Hansen, member of the District Plaque Commission Charlottenburg – Wilmersdorf and BVV head , in your Addressing the complex _ _ History of the commemorative plaque reported .
I self had to given the commitment younger musicians who through your willingness to experiment unintentionally the music a whole era influenced , silently those think with words those to me Wilhelm von Boddien his decades-long commitment to the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace explained : “It is important in front all the passion for one thing . Then just With her is one able to too largest obstacles to overcome and so something to the to move for the benefit of all .” He is right.