überlin

Defne was a favourite of ours even before we moved to Berlin. We discovered it while strolling along the Landwehrkanal one spring, took friends there on subsequent trips, and continue to use it as our go-to for intimate mid-range dining. Defne serves a reasonably priced fusion of Mediterranean and Turkish in the leafy surroundings of the quiet canalside street, Planufer. Menu highlights include the generous meze sharing plate, the hilariously named Hungry Wolf (sizzling lamb), the sometime-special lamb shank and dishes made with the fresh seafood available every Friday and Saturday. Booking is advised in summer, when the small restaurant and its pretty terrace fills up, but well worth it.

We’re always asking, what does Berlin sound like? Well, Slow Travel Berlin‘s recent interview with the intriguing Schneider TM provides one answer: Construction Sounds. The title of the electronic artist’s new album describes the field recordings that provide its backbone, the noise from the construction sites surrounding his home studio:

For around 8 or 9 years I’ve lived and worked in my former apartment, which was located in one of the most vibrant renovation areas in East Berlin. The noise of the construction sites literally took over my music and I just surrendered at some point. I started to record and play around with the sounds.

Sometimes abstract and haunting…

…and sometimes, noisy and oppressive…

…Construction Sounds reminds me of Ostgun Ton’s Fünf compilation, a diverse set of tracks formed from Emika’s field recordings from inside Berghain. Emika’s one contribution as producer, “Cooling Room” turns the sounds and space of the cavernous club into a clanking, chiming musical sketch:

…all of which makes me wonder what a musician could do with our Berlin Sounds, the field recordings from around the city that you are contributing to our SoundCloud group. We have some ideas of our own, but why not listen to the clips below and let your imagination run wild – could you make music out of this?

Read the complete interview with Schneider TM over on Slow Travel Berlin.

Tomorrow Kraftwerk start a week-long retrospective series at MoMA in New York, performing one seminal album each night, backed by 3D visualisation. Now I know they are from Düsseldorf, not Berlin BUT: we can reach them by der Autobahn and everyone everywhere has been influenced by the Men Machines – Berlin’s electronic musicians included.

Proving this point (the second point, not the Autobahn thing) is Ninja Tune’s DJ Food, who for six years running compiled hour-long mixes of cover versions, sample-heavy tracks or songs that obviously owe a debt to the Düsseldorf quartet. Check out Food’s website for more infectious fanboy-ism (including his own artwork for the mixes) or listen via the players below, as he seamlessly blends the Werk of David Byrne, Erasure, Whitney Houston, Jay-Z and Rammstein(!). Kling Klang!

We’re happy to present überlin Eau de Perfume, now available from Frau Tonis Parfum!

We were a little intimidated when the luxury perfumery invited us into their Berlin boutique to create a unique scent of our own. After all, we had never done anything like this before, and our idea to capture the fragrance of this fair Stadt evaporated when we found out what you think Berlin smells like! But even though I had to be asked to get rid of my cherry Hubba Bubba (so common!), we were soon having fun and learning a surprising amount.

Following the instructions of our friendly, expert host Jenny, we started picking out perfumes that could be combined to form our scent. We sampled each of the forty or so essences in turn, working up from subtle citrus or floral fragrances towards stronger spicy and woody aromas, resetting our noses’ “palettes” every so often by sniffing (mmm) coffee beans. When we had a shortlist of six, Jenny presented us with combinations that might appeal to our now finely-tuned sense of smell.

We’re really pleased with the end result: a light unisex fragrance that we both can wear. We used tulip (which Italians apparently consider a masculine scent) as the opener for a base combination of Larissa (“warm, oriental, intense”) and Seigneur, a new spring scent comprised of nutmeg, violet, vanilla and leather. If you like the sound of that, you can buy überlin from Frau Tonis Parfum – just ask for it by name when you speak to them.

And if you want to create a fragrance of your own, we totally recommend the experience. The beautiful Frau Tonis boutique is just around the corner from Checkpoint Charlie, which makes it the perfect diversion for anyone who’s had enough of Berlin’s tourist spots and wants to take away a unique, luxurious souvenir.

Smell you later!

Mr. Sexpat is a twentysomething English expat living, and occasionally loving, in Berlin. Join us as we follow him into the seamy underbelly of the city’s single scene.

“Breaking news: I’ve met someone.

APPLAUSE!

She has a boyfriend.

…

Don’t worry, I have met someone else. What staggering luck right?!

CHEERING!

She lives in a different country.

GROAN.

Normally we’d go round a third time in this fashion but I sense that you are beginning to recognise a pattern forming. I am here today to tell you about a new nadir reached by this particular single male – Friends Visiting Friends In Berlin (or, as I like to call it, Shooting Yourself In The Penis).

As many of you have had chums rocking up for long, debauched weekends of tourism, sleeping in your bed and crawling along Weserstrasse, I’m sure you can understand what a tempting honeypot this can be for the desperate among us.

At first your friend’s friends seem super-attractive because you already have a lot in common (a shared language, some sexual organs, etc) and the fact that these beautiful vacationers are one Kevin Bacon away on the social ladder means a certain amount of trust XP is gained. Plus you get to play the single cool guy making it in Berlin yeeeah! I mean if this isn’t the plot for a sexy scene in a German porno then I don’t know what is!

Having double double checked with your fellow Berlinerpat pal that said target is single, many a European dollar is spent plying them with alcohol mixed with more guile than it would take to fuck a snake charmer. Even heading to White Trash at 2am seems like a good idea… until your target casually drops one infamous and awful word into a sentence: “My boyfriend loves this band!”

I am Napolean Bonaparte’s tortured ex-testicle.

Amazingly I fall for this every. Fucking. Time. I find it hard being polite to new people as it is, but I figure if my friend’s fit friend thinks I’m a “nice guy” then within the space of the weekend they’ll pity me enough to give me a blowjob in the Bassy toilets or at least a sympathetic handjob while waiting for the N27.

But once the B-word is uttered a soul-destroying look glazes over my eyes and I suppress a very natural urge to break my own spine on the nearest table edge. Once out of the psychological danger zone, I attempt to transform the tears in my empty wallet into real cash money so that I can then purchase eleven thousand Berliner Kindl, smoke an entire pack of Nil Weiss and watch the sun come up while drowning in a lonely pool of my own sick.

Basically kids, it’s a losing situation at the Loss Factory in Loserville. Do single people even exist anymore?! According to 2012 they don’t. And what lesson have we learned? Either: Don’t bother leaving your WG unless it’s for food/to escape a gas leak OR Stop trying to mack on the mates of your mates, and start looking for love in all the right places.

Whatever it is, try looking up FML in the Urban Dictionary and you’ll find a picture of me, eating my own limbs.”

WARNING! As Näd Mika lyrically vomits sexual innuendos in an absurdly stereotypical German accent, listeners may inexplicably find themselves dancing naked in front of mirrors while smearing whip-cream on their roommates.

Move over Peaches, there’s a new beat bitch in town! Näd Mika may have been electroshocking stages across Europe “since 6 years”, but I’ve only recently discovered her via Pale Music’s freakyfuck Berlin Insane compilations. The trash queen’s latest mix of pop, electro and hardstyle, “Diskoromance”, is out now on France’s Madame Visage records:

But that’s not all! Näd’s also made her very own Zombie flick, lolfully titled NÄD OF THE DEAD. This promo for “Lecker Lecker” is surprisingly well-made, given the singer’s DIY trashthetic, and features the most awesome post-apocalyptic undead rave ever committed to film. Lecker Lecker!

This is the best competition prize we’ve ever offered! Because the German capital is the most awesome city in the world, what more could you ask for than free flights to Berlin, and free accommodation when you arrive? Perhaps the chance to meet us in real life? Can do! All you have to do is join überlin on Pinterest for a fun challenge.

Do you enjoy traveling? Are you sociable? Do you like the idea of meeting people who share your interests and discovering new places with them? If so, you’ll probably dig Roomsurfer, a brand new travel platform that is offering you this unforgettable trip to Berlin. Using the Berlin startup’s site you can enter your favourite city, select your interests and find your ideal host, someone with whom you have a lot in common and who can show you what you really want to see. Pretty cool, huh? Check out Roomsurfer for more information, or just watch this cutesy little video:

Back to the competition! The lucky winner will get a flight to Berlin (from one of these 100 major European cities) on April 28th 2012, and one night’s accommodation with a Roomsurfer host. You’ll also get an exclusive invitation to the Roomsurfer Launch Party, and more importantly (?), the chance to hang out with me and Zoë. From the afternoon of April 29th, you’ll have time to enjoy Berlin and, whenever you like, you’ll be flown back home. All you have to do tell us what you’re most looking forward to seeing when you arrive in Berlin.

And now, the deets
When: From 28th to 29th April.
(Or whenever you want to leave. Your return flight is flexible, although you only get one night’s free accommodation.)
Where: In Berlin.
What: An unforgettable trip and our company!
How do you win? By proving how social you are, using our latest social media crush, Pinterest. We want you to go back through our blog archives, and Pin the thing you most want to see in Berlin. It could be a restaurant, a boutique, or something totally unique like Loxx Miniature Railway. Whatever you pick, the Pin with the most Likes and Repins by the close of the competition will be the winner. Make sure to leave a link to your Pin in the comments below this post, so we can keep track of it.
Pro tip! If you want an extra nudge, tweet us the link to your pin with the words “I want to win a trip to #Berlin with @uberlinblog!” and we’ll retweet you. You’re welcome.
Deadline: You have until the end of the day on April 7th, when we’ll announce the lucky winner who will join us in Berlin.

Good luck!