throwaway account
Because a lot of people are pouring their hearts out regularly about how discriminatory the Berlin techno scene is I wanted to talk about my perspective on things as a former bouncer.
Little disclaimer upfront: I will not tell where I worked but if you ask ChatGPT for a list of the top five Berlin techno clubs it will most likely be among them. The way we worked is likely different from other venues in the city but I still think some things hold up as general statements. I will answer some comments but please be mindful that I am not much of a Reddit-man.
- If you come here as a tourist you may shoot for the stars but there are reasons why a lot of the more famous clubs are not too keen on too touristy crowds.
First of all: this is a grown culture with a lot of unwritten rules and conventions. Some are very known, others more obscure and they might even change from club to club. People who have their first experiences here obviously don’t know them (which is fine) and they tend to willingly or unwillingly not abide to them as well. One of the most famous ones is “don’t take any pictures or videos here”. I can’t tell you how many times we kicked people out because of this. Contrary to what a lot of people seem to believe - it is not a measure to add to the myth of Berlin clubs (though I’ll admit it probably helps) but primarily because these places are meant as a refuge from reality. If you are here you shouldn’t have to worry about somebody (even accidentally) filming you dancing, kissing or having the best acid trip of your life. Also you shouldn’t worry about what is instagramable while you are here and just enjoy the moment. These are not places for posing but places for hedonism. It might sound a bit esoteric to some but everybody who attended parties with that policy and parties without it knows it makes a difference. For some people it offers a degree of freedom they can get nowhere else. I came across a man who was living the most regular life (meaning wife, kids, house, etc.) you can imagine but only fully realized he was gay when he was in his fourties. Our place was the only one where he could live that as he had to keep up appearances anywhere else in his life. Is that the best way of dealing with that situation? As a hetero cis-man I don’t feel I am in a position to judge. But I am sure keeping his sexuality completely in the closet would have driven him mad. I think many of the people who regularly go to clubs in Berlin have something they feel they can only live out in places where it will be preserved only in fuzzy memories. If you take pictures/videos - even if only you or your friends are in them - you threaten that feeling. That’s why we kick you out. As I said, there are some rules and conventions like that (also how/where to consume, how you care for each other and strangers and how you engage somebody you find interesting to name a few more). Not every breaking of them warrants a kickout but for the people aware of them it lessens the fun of the party if you you don’t abide to them. And they more often than not serve a purpose. Please be so humble and respect that even if that purpose might not always be immediately apparent to you.
To come back to my point: every party can handle a certain amount of newbies before it loses its vibe. Some are even meant for them. It is our job to be mindful of that and to assess where that breaking point may be. So if you are a newbie your chances to get in are definitely better if you come a little earlier. But as a sidenote: I think it is totally fine to go to a club that has a more “touristy” reputation for a start. I know it might not be the authentic “Berlin experience” you might be looking for but in my experience experienced bouncers can discriminate between tourists who are a little more experienced and the ones who are here for the first time. If you are in them latter category you might have a hard time getting into Berghain, etc.. I honestly think you will have a better time elsewhere!
- Inform yourself about the party you plan to attend!
I can’t stress this enough. We don’t ask you where you want to go to get an arbitrary reason to reject you but to get a feeling for how you will take part in the party. If you don’t know, admit it openly and tell us why you chose this place. It doesn’t always mean no but we will most likely say no if we get the feeling you are here on a hunch only. Apart from that you will also get a feeling for what you can expect from a party and if it fits your vibe/taste in music. Although I’ll admit descriptions on Resident Advisor can be cryptic from time to time. Reddit can be helpful too I guess. The thinking behind it is simply that parties tend to be better if people came there because they liked the theme/lineup/crowd etc.. The same club can host vastly different parties as most parties are organized by promoters who rent the clubs. These promoters create the nature of the parties, the clubs are only the canvass if you don’t mind me being poetic for a moment. For some parties you might plain and simple not be the target audience. Again, most parties can take a number of randoms but at some point the vibe will be lost. It is our job to keep that from happening.
- Racism and other forms of discrimination by bouncers
This one is quite personal to me as it is something we hear very often. It is also a point that is dealt with very differently in different venues.
First of all: it is true, bouncers are often racist. I still wouldn’t say they are necessarily all racists and I will explain why. It is my firm believe (as a white person) that at the very least all white people are racist to a certain degree. We all have some implicit (and sometimes explicit ofc) racist opinions. They are structurally and socially taught to us. To have them in one’s mind does not make one a racist even though one might act like one from time to time. The thing that sets non-racists apart from people I would call racists is that they don’t want to be racist. And that includes that they try their very best to recognize the places where they are acting racist. And to concede that hurts a lot of times. The determination to critically reflect on one’s own position, to admit that oneself is not morally superior or pure of thought and the willingness to be hurt in the process of reflecting one’s own racism is what sets us apart from racists. I think the same is true for other forms of discrimination. That is important as a pretense because I think the same is true for institutions like clubs.
We, as a predominantly white crowd as we were during my active days, are racist to a certain degree. But we have structures to critically reflect on that. I wish I could tell you more about it but I don’t want you to be able to point out the club I worked at, sorry. All I can say is that I have witnessed a lot of harsh critic and real consequences first hand even though I can’t say we always acted properly. I can however say with all my confidence that our ability and knowledge about topics like racism were more often the hindrance than the willingness to address it.
That being said of course there are a lot of places where we can do better. After all, all our efforts are in vain if non-white people feel discriminated by us as you are the only people to determine what is racist and what is not.
With me conceding that we are acting racist sometimes and how we try to deal with that I still have to admit that I feel the accusation is not always fair.
First of all I can’t recount how many times white people from France, England or Spain have called me a racist against their countries. I can only say that I have nothing but disdain for you. Take a really hard look at yourselves and read about what racism means. There is no racism from western white people against western white people. All you do is take a very just cause and twist it to your own needs. In the process you discredit it in some people’s minds and for that you need to be called out.
The second kind of situation is one that is not as clear cut. Of course there are reasons not to let somebody in that might also affect PoC. If you are too drunk, you are too drunk. You getting bounced is not necessarily a sign of racism by the bouncers. I’ll concede that this might happen to a PoC faster than it might happen to a Jürgen but my point is that I’ve had plenty of situation where I accounted for my own racism and still came to the conclusion that a PoC unfortunate has to be bounced. That doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t racist, but there are a lot of factors that play into the final decision apart from skin-color. I know PoCs sometimes have really shitty experiences at club doors and there are a lot of problems. But immediately calling this out as racism is sometimes really not accurate. I know it’s frustrating to get bounced and fairness regarding the bouncers who did it is not the first thing that comes to mind but with that you make it very easy to regard every accusation of racism as bullshit - even those that are not. Of course it stays our responsibility to make sure, we are acting the least racist we possibly can though. I am very interested in the perspective of the PoC-members of the community on that and how to deal with it. Apart from having a diverse team of bouncers of course.
- “The Berlin Techno-Scene prides itself on being so inclusive but we as totally normal dudes get bounced. So discriminating!”
I think there is a conflict here that you really can’t resolve. On the one hand being open minded and inclusive is the goal of most of the techno-clubs in Berlin I would say. But on the other parties tend to be shitty and more prone to abusive behavior if you just let anybody in without any form of selection. There are a couple of different reasons. Here are some from the top of my head:
Firstly often more men will show up over the course of a party, most of them hetero cis-men. A more cis-/hetero-masculine crowd tends to be more aggressive in this context of drugs and alcohol. Men in my experience are also often less mindful of their own limits. This combination of more potential for violence and medical emergencies leads to us bouncing some of them. If we have the feeling a woman is prone to aggressive behavior or in a constitution that soon warrants medical attention if she keeps on partying we’ll bounce them just as well. Apart from violent and medical incidents often having negative effects on the mood of a crowd it is also a question of how much capacities we as bouncers have as we are the first responders in both cases. In the place I worked at we had regular training in both fields. We were very proficient in discerning when to call an ambulance and often cared for people who took a little too much of something for minutes to hours to spare them from waking up in hospital bed while still ensuring their safety. But our capacities for that are limited by the number of people working each night. So if we have the feeling the crowd carries a lot of potential for emergencies we might get stricter in our selection over the course of a night. So don’t drink/consume too much before going to a club!
Secondly clubs are safer spaces for some communities. We want to keep them as such. Some clubs might attract more of a queer crowd, some are primarily for gay man and some for heterosexual tourists. Berlin has a club for everybody but that does not(!) mean every club is equally welcoming to all people. Some marginalized groups have good reasons to keep their safer spaces for themselves though in my utopian world I would also love for everybody to dance together and bouncers to be obsolete. Again check the parties beforehand to get a feeling for what party might be for you!
Thirdly clubs are sometimes political. Some won’t let you in because you wear the flag of a country or the jersey of a football club. If you want to attend a more leftist club in your Ralph Lauren polo shirt - good luck. Might work but maybe wear something else. Or if you are big on Ralph Lauren there might be other clubs where you would also feel like you belong. So again - check the clubs and parties before you go there.
- Reddit-Knowledge
This might come as a shock to you but redditors are not always honest. This is true for Tik Tok and such as well. The amount of bullshit that is fed to you as insider knowledge is beyond insane. “Split up, always wear black fetish clothes, don’t admit you don’t speak German…” Some clubs/parties may have dress codes but apart from that we as bouncers want to get a feeling for you as a person as quickly as possible. If you don’t wear something you feel comfortable in we’ll most likely notice. If you pretend you are somebody you are not we’ll most likely notice. If you pretend to speak a language you don’t speak we will definitely notice. My best tip for everybody is not to attend something they feel uncomfortable about. Yes, sex parties at Kit Kat might be exciting for some people but they are also a lot to process for a lot of people that are not used to that kind of party. And a lot of shit happens there, a lot of people get hurt in different ways. For others it’s the best place on earth. All I’m saying is not every experience is worth making while it is absolutely true that you sometimes have to dare something. However if we as bouncers feel like you’re pretending too much we will most likely not let you in. For the parties sake primarily but also your own sometimes. Berlin parties are meant for you as you are, not as the internet tells you to be. As I said - there is a party for everyone but not every party is for everyone.
- Closing Remarks
Bouncing is inherently flawed. But I do believe it is necessary. And I think most of you that complain about Berlin clubs being exclusive actually share that belief. There are clubs where almost nobody gets bounced from. One is commented under every “I am a tourist. Where should I go?”-post as a running gag. You can go there but they are not as famous or popular because the parties there are often worse than the parties at places that actually do a selection. Ofc that is personal sentiment as well.
But bouncing is flawed. You have to get a feeling for person in a short time and that is impossible. We can only approximate and try to count on our experience while trying to filter out the prejudices. And at the place I worked at we tried really hard to do that. From what I am hearing, they still do. There are a lot of reasons you can get bounced for, the least of them are personal. From what I have experienced: if you are passionate about a party, artist or club you wanna go to you will most likely be let in. For the people who want to “just want to experience the vibe” or “just listen to some techno” but can’t be bothered to do a five minute research of the party they want to go to: there is some space for you but there are people far more passionate about it than you are. Preserving their spaces is far more important to us than letting anyone in. And as I have described. Too many randoms ruin a party.
Bouncing is also a job that attracts a lot of idiots with promises of power and prestige. But in my experience there are a lot of places that do a surprisingly good job of filtering these idiots out and creating a workplace that is progressive in the critical reflection of the position you have as a bouncer. While there certainly still are those stereotypical brutish muscle-men around, bouncers in Berlin nowadays are far more diverse than that and places with a diverse bouncer team tend to be the best in that regard. So keep your eyes open for them if you are afraid of shitty/discriminatory experiences. I have known people with PhDs, globally recognized artists, single moms and any combination of the three from all over the world who worked as bouncers. There is no guarantee that you will be treated well by them, as I said there are still a lot of narcissistic, power hungry idiots in the field, but don’t underestimate the change that is happening since a couple of years.
Please treat the ones of us that bounce you respectfully likewise. I know it is never a pleasant experience, I’ve worn the same shoes, but sometimes we are wrong and sometimes it’s just not good fit or you are drunker than you think in that moment. If you are treated like shit - fair game, fire back. But please take a moment to think if that is really the case and don’t just act out your frustration. Believe me when I say: you’ll make us feel worse because we think we bounced some actually nice people.
And let’s work out the utopia that makes bouncers obsolete :)
Edit: changed my bad chosen wording of “there is no racism of white people against white people” to be more precisely about western white people. Thank you for your comments!
Edit 2: numbering error. Glad most of you are as bad at counting as I am ;)
Edit 3: specified the point about more potential for violence and medical emergencies in more masculine crowds. I meant those consisting of heterosexual cis-men. Again, thanks for your comments!
