How Frankfurt Became An Early Techno Music Hub
In the 1980s, Frankfurt shaped the techno music scene. Director of the Museum of Contemporary Electronic Music, DJ and movement pioneer Alex Azarri shares how.
© ZUCCHI / DPA / Picture-ALALANCE TECHNO PARTY 1995 in FrankfurtThe genre of techno music emerged in the 1980s, when electronic music pioneers such as Kraftwerk inspired young music producers to experiment with synthesizers and turntables. Detroit was very progressive at the time, but Europe was also very creative, and one of the centers of the fast-growing art scene was Frankfurt AM.
From 2022, Frankfurt will become the first museum of its kind in the world, the Museum of Modern Electronic Music (MOMEM). MOMEM director Alex Azari tells DW how he and other music pioneers like Sven Vet and DJ Tala 2XLC helped shape his Time Movement.
DW: Why has Techno grown so much in Frankfurt?
Alex Hazard. From the very beginning, it was one of the few cities where the scene could be found whole and intact. There are clubs, producers, musicians, record companies and stores. In the early 1980s, perhaps five or six cities in the world had this status.
Another important reason is, of course, Dorian Gray, the then Frankfurt Airport Club. They always play the most innovative music. It actually started as an extension of Studio 54 New York with a disco-oriented concept spirit. But soon DJs started playing electronic music there.
With the lighting and atmosphere in this place, you can feel something change in the room when the electronic music plays. It inspires and motivates people to keep playing progressive music.
Are you part of this scene?
Yes, I am this person. I distinctly remember the first time I left Grey's. I am not yet 20 years old. I walked into this big club, and as I reached for the subwoofer, I suddenly felt my heart beat irregularly until it matched the beat.
I approached a DJ who was playing a mix of Planet Rock and Kraftwerk, mixing one with the other. I'm still following the progress of the recording and suddenly the DJ takes the turntable and erases the recording. To my surprise, the music was still playing. Then I realized he was making a transition I had never heard of before. I'm hooked.
I started DJing in 1982 and in 1984 my friend Tala started a techno club. He also worked as a promoter for Dorian Gray and brought Tala with him. From 1987 to the end of 2000 we ran the techno club and all the big festivals there.
This club is unique in the world. Many people, including DJs, travel from abroad, party and then come back.
Frankfurt Airport is an international area and there are no closing hours, so it is possible to work around the clock.
And of course, the party goers who meet there are very popular and in the best atmosphere, which makes it special because it is a real melting pot. It is a very important place. Unfortunately it has had to close due to fire safety reasons.
Berlin is currently Germany's tech hot spot. What is happening?
There are not many places in Frankfurt. It is difficult for creators to open a club and develop their own concepts. Thus, the club we have today is not really aimed at the development of music. In particular, they want to sell drinks. And this is a big problem.
On the other hand, Berlin stood up again after the fall of the wall. From old warehouses and factories to gasworks, they have all the right spaces for a jukebox in terms of industrial look. Something can happen in a room like this. Unfortunately, we don't have that.
For almost a year now, technology lovers have another reason to come to Frankfurt with your museum. What is the idea behind MOMEM?
The idea of this museum is my colleague Tali's. In 2011, he traveled to southern Europe with the Goethe Institute and gave lectures for young people and students. And he was so fascinated that at one point he called me and said: you know what? There should be a museum for all this."
In fact, we see ourselves more as an arts and culture center because club culture is so important and exists today. Nothing ended, it spread further. Now it has become an international phenomenon.
But the term museum clearly indicates that it is an institution, which I think is important because we are talking about a cultural movement that has inspired people for 40 years and given an important boost to society.
Frankfurt MOMEM is currently presenting the personal playlists of famous DJs together with photos of international artists in the exhibition "Milestones - Favorite Club Tracks 1985-2020".
This interview was originally conducted in German.
Written by Rachel Stewart
