Berlin's techno DJs seek Unesco World Heritage status

A group of DJs, artists and industry officials are campaigning to protect Berlin's famous techno scene. Photo / Unsplash
A group of DJs, artists and industry officials are campaigning to protect Berlin's famous techno scene. Photo / Unsplash

An underground club packed with sweaty dancers, ground-shaking music and strobe lights may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if one group of DJs get their way, it will be considered just as cultured as a night at the Sydney Opera house or Vienna's Historic Centre.

Rave the Planet, a group of Berlin DJs, artists and industry officials are campaigning to get the German capital's infamous techno scene recognized by Unesco.

The group was launched by Dr Motte, a techno trailblazer who claims the genre deserved recognition for its unifying influence following the fall of the Berlin wall.

Rather than a specific club or physical place, the UNESCO status would instead fall into the category of 'intangible cultural heritage'. Within this, food, events, music genres and dance styles such as Finnish sauna culture and Jamaican reggae have been recognized as worth preserving.

Considering Finnish sauna culture and Jamaican reggae are recognised by Unesco, Rave the Planet's request to give Berlin's iconic Club Kulture the same esteemed status doesn't seem quite so crazy.

Rowdy clubs blaring electronic techno music may evoke thoughts of millennial teens but the trend's roots trace all the way back to the 1980s.

The style of music originated in Detroit but in 1990 the music migrated to Berlin, where the reunification of Germany, the fall of the Berlin wall and the city's expanse of disused industrial plants and factories made it the perfect location for techno to take off.

During the following three decades, the city has become synonymous with techno culture, with some tourists visiting the capital specifically to visit clubs like Berghain and Tresor.

However, the clubs have faced a rising threat in recent years, not from Government regulation but gentrification.

As the old industrial areas became popular with residents and tourists, property developers soon followed.

According to Rave the Planet, a Unesco status would help these venues secure government funding and subsidy.

It's no guarantee though. This July Liverpool was stripped of its world heritage status after years of development damaged the historic value of its Victorian docks.

After years of ignoring Berlin's music scene, Germany seems determined not to follow in Britain's footsteps. In 2016, Berghain was given the status of a 'high art' venue following a court case.

In 2020, Germany's financial high court officially techno as a genre of music, which allowed clubs to receive lockdown funding.

According to Motte, gaining a Unesco status can take anywhere between two and ten years, but already the UN body "seems supportive" of their initial application.

As Covid-19 restrictions (such as a recent ban on dancing in nightclubs) and gentrification continue to pressure the capital's remaining clubs, this coveted reputation will become all the more important.