KAFFEE BURGER
SAMPLER VOL:1
Various Artists
Berlin is crazy. It´s a zoo.
Besides being a natural collision of central European peoples since the fall of the wall, it has become such a multicultural force that even a million German skinheads today can´t scare anyone away. In this light, the Kaffeeburger compilation (sampler) Vol.1 captures the best of the city´s multi-kulti élan.
Kaffeeburger is a little East Berlin nightclub--whit an allways-crammed dance floor—most famous for hosting Russian Disco nights. But other nights, you can also hear bands of Italian gypsies playing surf music, Basque reggaeton, or just local social mistfits being loud and obnoxius. This sometimes incoherent diversity is what you get on this compilation. It is a daunting task to combine 20 groups including the French-singing retro new wave band Petting, the pounding “drum and BRass” of Traband, the cumbia-crazed Chico Trujillo, Prague´s Roma rapper, Gypsi, and the ultra-smoot Berlin lounge act, Friedrich Liechtenstein. An ex-Berliner musician, living in Prague, told me recently that no one can make it as a musician in Berlin, but it the best place in Europe to experiment and have fun with your music. And that´s the spirit that this Kaffeeburger compilatin captures best of all.
8/10
Tony Ozuna