Campaigners say Berlin’s techno music scene should be protected by Unesco world heritage status | World News

DJs and music fans are hoping to secure Unesco’s world heritage status for Berlin’s techno culture amid fears it may struggle to survive.

Music fans from all over the world still come Capital of Germany visits to popular clubs like Tresor and Berghain – and a growing campaign is calling for the authorities to apply to Unesco to defend the counterculture genre.

Techno’s popularity has grown in Germany following the fall of the Berlin Wall with abandoned sites such as power stations and factories providing a setting for club members to express themselves freely with their music.

Although still considered the world capital of the music genre, there are concerns about Covid pandemic and the soaring real estate values ​​of the city would threaten its very existence.

Some estimates say about 100 clubs have closed over the past decade in a city that first adopted the techno sound after it emerged in Detroit in the 1980s.

Berlin’s creative scenes are the ‘currency of the city’

Detroit DJ Alan Oldham, now based in Berlin, said the recognition from Unesco will help protect key venues.

He told the Observer: “Unesco’s defense will go a long way towards maintaining that old spirit.

“Heritage sites such as Tresor and Berghain for example will be protected as cultural landmarks.

“A lot of places have closed in just the seven years I’ve lived here full-time.

“In other cities, it would be the natural club cycle at work, but Berlin is a different kind of place where clubs and creative scenes are the currency of the city.”

Support is growing for the campaign, which is led by Berlin-based organization Rave The Planet, which says the technocratic scene should be “protected by Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage”.

If granted by Unesco, clubs would have greater protection under zoning laws and would also have access to grants and other funding.