Berlin sounds

Rousing melodies and international stars: Berlin has also always been a music metropolis. Which inventions have contributed to this? Which songs have shaped the city? The stories and audio documents you will find here tell you about it sonorously.

7 Articles on the topic Berlin sounds

Mechanische Musikinstrumente im Märkischen Museum, im Hintergrund das Orchestrion „Fratihymnia“
© Stadtmuseum Berlin | Foto: Sebastian Ruff

New York – Berlin – Istanbul: Hip hop in the changing cities

How Hip hop found its way from the USA to Turkey and the role Berlin played in this process is shown in the room "Entertainment" at BERLIN GLOBAL with exhibits, colourful graffiti and a hip hop media station.

Article, 4 min Lesezeit

In My View: Leon | BERLIN GLOBAL

Originating in the Bronx in New York City, the musical genre hip hop would also play an important role in Berlin in the 1980s and 1990s – both in the West and in the East. While German-Turkish youths developed the genre in West Berlin youth centres, hip hop in East Berlin became a means for musicians to seek free spaces against the backdrop of the GDR regime.

Video 01:03 Minuten

Alungoo Xatan & the hidden stories

In this clip, 23-year-old Alungoo shows us the “Gegensätze” [opposites] room, which is part of the permanent exhibition. She’s an art student and focuses on the topics of origin, transnational identity and the critique of racism. You can find her work on her website and you can follow her work progress on her Instagram account.

Video

Pianola, orchestrion, gramophone and more

The Sunday demonstration of mechanical musical instruments at the Märkisches Museum has a long tradition. With multi-year renovation work on the museum set to begin soon, the demonstration has been made exclusively available in this video.

Article, 2 min Lesezeit

Canned music

An invention by Thomas Alva Edison allowed for sounds to be recorded and reproduced faithfully for the very first time. This revolutionary technology turned Berlin into a media metropolis.

Article, 12 min Lesezeit

This was the evening with Gaye Su Akyol

Open-air concert as part of the Kultursommerfestival and the new open space exhibition "30 kg"

Short-Story, 1 min Lesezeit

The Sound of Berlin

Well known for its distinctive and rebellious spirit, the music of Berlin has also been a powerful unifying force for the city throughout its history. Discover Berlin’s unique sounds in 70 songs and pieces of music from seven decades!

Article, 1 min Lesezeit