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Big news from the techno temple. With start September 9, Berghain will change its shape of being a techno temple and instead turn into a museum presenting works by more than 85 different artists. This, because of the current pandemic regulations, that doesn't allow clubbing. The exhibition will go under the name "Studio Berlin" and is a cooperation between Boros and Berghain. It will include work by more than 85 international artists, all living and working in Berlin. It all takes place in every corner of the legendary nightclub. In the artist lineup we'll see familiar faces like Olafur Eliasson, Wolfgang Tillman and Cyprien Gaillard. And don't worry. You don't need to stay quite in line. As a visitor you will be able to book tours of the exhibition online .

The Paris DJ got his Berlin moment: "I think it's the moment when I learnt what underground, sexy and TECHNO mean." You know the feeling of visiting a city and to instantly feel at home. Paris DJ Ben Manson had this feeling and now he's a regular visitor in the city he fell in love with. You live in Paris but have said you feel at home in Berlin, how come? My first time in Berlin was on Summer 2010 when I came to play at GMF. I spent a full week in Berlin and I really fell in love with the city and its people. I think it's the moment when I learnt what underground, sexy and TECHNO mean. What’s your history with the techno queer scene? I started 20 years ago at "Queen", the legendary Paris club, and since that moment I travelled all around the world to some of the best QUEER parties from Tokyo warehouse to Sydney amazing Extra Dirty, London's Trought, Milkshake festival in Amsterdam, Pratersauna in Vienna where I played with Marcel Dettmann... and of course my LESS DRAMA MORE TECHNO where I invited Boris, Volvox, Frazi.er,... and a lot of local HEROES   How is the queer scene in Berlin compared to Paris, would you say? It's getting more and more similar today because a lot of Paris promoters went to Berlin to get inspired, but I think it's still a smaller scene here. What you find everywhere in Berlin is still something really underground in Paris. A lot of people in Paris go to Berlin for the Queer scene, but they don't feel that same freedom in their own city. Also, the legislation is not the same. Things we see in Berlin clubs could only happen in warehouse parties around Paris, not in clubs. Who is your biggest music inspiration? I started in the Punk-Rock scene, I was a drummer before my first rave. I'm more inspired by places than people. But some of the most important inspiration have been Berlin's DJ:s like Boris, Kaiser, Somewhen, Steffi, Amotik,... I also love Slam, Matrixxman, Shlomi Aber... not to forget about all the local DJ:s I can meet around the world who are a BIG source of inspiration too. Do you have any plans in Berlin for this spring? Tell us about them! I will play a few times at Kitkat Club for Revolver party. But I'm really looking forward to spend time with friends and experience new things I would like to do my first Pornceptual (I will finally have a weekend off for the next one) and the whole festival in June when I'm back from Tel Aviv pride.  What do you like to do in Berlin when not playing? I'm not a huge party boy but I love to spend time with friends, try vegan (Berlin have the best vegan restaurants), enjoy the sun in the Tiergarten, visit some local brands we can't find in Paris such as UY Studio... and have some good studio time to produce new music.  What is your craziest memory in Berlin? Not very original but I will say my first 12h at Berghain (I know it's not that much) and one rave in Neukölln with a punk concert in one room and a huge dark rave in the other one!

You know, when Friday becomes Monday and you feel like you only just started to dance? Berlin's nightlife is, on the one hand, famous for being a party that lasts for days, but it also tends to go really fast when you’re in the eye of the storm. We know that feeling, and this spring there are no exceptions. So we thought about helping you out a little by listing and highlighting some of the greatest parties in Berlin this spring. And you know what? It all depends on whether you are respectful or a dickhead. If you consider yourself the latter, you better go for a beer at a Späti, or even better – stay at home. Rave with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac Saturday 22/2 / Kantine am Berghain The vibe of Fleetwood Mac, in shape of a rave party, represented by Los Angeles Fleetmac Wood comes to Kantine am Berghain with Sea of Love disco – a plastic free disco where one euro from every entrance ticket is going to Sea Shepherd Global. We love it and we will be there disco dancing until dawn. The darkest techno party this spring Thursday 5/3 :// About Blank We know that all you long for is a little sunlight after a long and dark winter. But at the same time, you are in Berlin, so what did you expect? If you’re reday for a last dip in the darkness before spring arrives, head to ://about blank who’s hosting one hell of a dark techno night with Expeditions NO17 in March. Behind the DJ booth you will find Black Lotus and Mary Velo. Happy Birthday Bordel Des Arts Thursday 19/3 – Friday 20/3 / Wilde Renate The famous Wilde Renate club Bordel Des Arts is celebrating 11 years as club residents with a massive lineup and a 25 hour non-stop party. Among the DJ:s playing, we find Jake The Rapper, Irregular Synth and Mitja Prinz. Entrance is 10 euros but with a creative fantasy outfit you’ll get a two euro discount. Pornceptual take over at Alte Münze Saturday 28/3 / Alte Münze The famous Pornceptual party takes place on the last Saturday of the month. All you have to do is to get sure what you're getting into, dress up (or down) and get ready to have a blast. Welcome the sun with pool party at wonderful Kitkat Every Saturday / Kitkat If you haven’t been to Kitkat it’s definitely time to get your bare-naked ass over there to Heinrich-Heine-Strasse. Especially since Kitkat and a bunch of other legendary clubs are threatened to close down, move or even disappear since their leases are not getting renewed. Playful loves their weekly party bonanza ‘Carneball Bizarre’ and we can’t wait to sit by the pool and watch the sunrise on an early Sunday morning.

SADO OPERA are famous for their live shows, makeup masks and songs like ‘Russian Anal Game’. We got naked with the mysterious front person Katya of the queer rock band that was born in Russia and bloomed in Berlin. Text: Filip Sandström Beijer Photos: Oona Oikkonen You said in an interview in 2018 that you always do rehearsals naked. We love the idea, but we have to ask: Why? “You’ll be surprised to know, but we also always give interviews naked and invite journalists to get naked with us too. It is not a secret. We also said this in some interviews earlier. Of course, we never insist but we did it many times and mostly all journalists joined the game. So now, it’s up to you...” “Why? It’s as simple as that: being naked is like a symbol of being sincere. When you talk, you want to trust the one you talk to. The same is with rehearsals. First, we have to make sure to get rid of all the artificial and unnecessary layers, to be honest and true. When you’re ready with that, you can dress and apply make-up to highlight your message. But not to hide something behind your mask.” How was it being a queer rock band in St Petersburg when it all started? “The good thing was that we got a lot of attention. The bad thing was that attention was not always positive. Sometimes it was even dangerous. There were always some people whose homophobic and conservative feelings were triggered and they wanted to explain to us that what we were doing was wrong and ‘against the rules’. On the other hand, we were never bored having those discussions with our opponents. Sometimes we succeeded and were happy to see the transformation at least from the pure aggression to a possibility of a respectful conversation." “The queer community around us was giving us energy and inspiration to keep going. The feeling of unity was our fuel: in our songs and shows we were and still are telling stories of many other likeminded people. How come you decided to move to Berlin? ”Our main base is Wilde Renate - the club that became our second home. We started performing there in 2011 and we play there almost twice a month during all these years. This is definitely a special place. Besides the club, there are music studios where we were working many times on our music with talented artists from Wilde Renate family. We also do our monthly parties at a sex club Ficken3000. As we usually say it is a unique combination of an arts salon and a sex labyrinth in one. We already dedicated two of our songs to this amazing temple of love.” “Indeed, there are more clubs in Berlin than anywhere else. You can play here every weekend and still always have new audiences. Unlike the place where we come from, in Berlin there are no laws that censor the artists. The city can be also tough in many ways. But we can say that we feel home here. Another thing that is important for us is that here we can meet and collaborate with people from very different places and backgrounds. This communication is crucial for us. We evolve by talking, dancing, making music and making love with very different and yet likeminded people. “We know that, unfortunately, there are cases of transphobic, homophobic and sexist behavior happening to people in Berlin too.” Would you say that Berlin is a great city for the LGBTQ-community or is that to simplify? ”We truly believe that the whole world is a great place for the LGBTQ-community. We know plenty of people who do a lot for it in many different cities all over the world. But if you mean safety, then Berlin is relatively safer. At least much safer than Moscow or smaller Russian cities.” “We know that, unfortunately, there are cases of transphobic, homophobic and sexist behavior happening to people in Berlin too. It’s not a 100 percent safe utopian paradise. And only proves for us that our struggle for and in the name of love is relevant everywhere. But definitely in our experience Berlin is the place which is way more open to diversity of the world and people. And thus there are way more resources and possibilities for queer people here to. Even in terms of the relationship with police, there is a healthier and safer situation and more chances for protection and legal support. “We keep in touch with our Russian fans on social media quite a lot.” What is your relationship with your hometown today? “It is in our hearts and in our blood. We were born and grew up in St Petersburg that is at the Baltic Sea and so we feel home in Finland, Estonia, Poland, Germany and other countries at the Baltic coast.” “We keep in touch with our Russian fans on social media quite a lot. And we come to play sometimes as well. Not too often, maybe once or twice a year. It’s way more often that our Russian friends and fans come to Berlin or other cities where we would be touring. We also believe that it’s an important mission to build bridges between our Russian community and our international Berlin community, and so we are also hosting events and are inviting queer Russian acts to play at our Berlin parties. 2019 has been a year on tour. How would you summarize it? ”In Russian we say ‘просто супер’, which means ‘really great’. We have visited many new places and also got an opportunity to come back to some places where we play every year. We also played at Budapest Pride and celebrated 50 years of Stonewall with a concert in Cardiff, Wales. We had also lot of positive memories of the gig at Tallinn Music Week – fantastic showcase festival indeed. We had also our debut at Londons legendary The Glory and played in Paris for the very first time just recently. So, it was indeed a kaleidoscope of places and emotions that we probably have yet to digest. ”You know, people may think that when we go on tour, we only drink champagne, discuss politics and have sex all the time with our friends and lovers.” What is the best to be with being on tour with SADO OPERA? ”You know, people may think that when we go on tour, we only drink champagne, discuss politics and have sex all the time with our friends and lovers. But that is not true. We also play music and perform live in the meantime. In general we really consider that touring and backstage life is a big part of our show. So everyone who travels with us are definitely members of the band in one way or the other. Sometimes they’d join us spontaneously on stage. Anything can happen. But ‘stage’ is not ‘the top of the hill’, there is no hierarchy on tour and every person and every role and every input is important.” If you only can choose one, or maybe two memories that you bring with you from your last tour. What would that be? “Well, first one was in London. We were stuck at the airport hotel after a show at Standon Calling Festival for two days waiting for a canceled flight last summer. We unfortunately missed our Amsterdam show at the queer festival Milkshake because of that. So we sublimated that unspent energy into composing a new song about longing for a desire-flight with a lover and the hormonal cocktail of falling in love. Another one happened recently in December. We were performing in Rotterdam at Worm club after a show in Paris. Worm club is famous for a synthesizer paradise at their music studio, which they gave us for the whole week to use for our new recordings. So it was the first time when we could play original Roland TR-808 and Akai AX-73 bare ass naked. The small studio room packed with all sorts of analog equipment is a mix of a syntheziser heaven and synthetic sauna where it was literally too hot.” "Sexual energy and freedom are something that comes up when googling us." If I say that you have to experience SADO OPERA live, not only in your stereo, am I right? ”Well it’s like online sex and physical contact. If we can’t meet, we guarantee satisfaction by watching our videos and listening to our music on Spotify, YouTube and other platforms. We can also give you our attention, show ourselves and tease you on Instagram or Facebook. But if you want to feel the highest pleasure, come to our live shows where we can sweat together and feel the heat of each other. Sexual energy and freedom are something that comes up when googling us." In what way would you say it’s a part of SADO OPERA on stage? “Hard to imagine a pop music band without a sexual energy on stage. In our case it also has a direct purpose. We believe in god Eros and in god Consent. And our shows are our divine services. Sexual freedom is an integral part of the celebration of love." Since we love gossip, tell us some tidbit about SADO OPERA. “Well, well, well… We are actually very open in everything about all the SADO- OPERA-affairs. But we do share some secrets every now and then and the gossip-lovers can spy on us through Instagram stories.” What does people usually not know about you? “It turns out that some people who are coming to our parties or see our shows and even play kissing games with us after-show just don’t know that we have lots of our music and videos available in internet. Our studio work is quite as nice or maybe even better than our kisses. So it’s definitely worth giving it a whirl.”

Playful Magazine took a dip in the sea of natural wine in Berlin . And we liked it. Motif Motif Wein with their very own record shop invites you to (live) music, food and a selection of natural wine. Here you can get a low or high energetic experience, depending on occasion. But Motif Wein is always a warm ambience. Adress: Weserstraße 189, Neukölln. Jaja Lively and relaxed Jaja is a natural wine bar and restaurant located in a popular side street off Sonnenallee. They serve European wine and are mainly focused on French and German ones. Adress:  Weichselstraße 7, Neukölln. Palsta Nordic natural wine bistro, Palsta, is run by three Scandinavian foodies. Here you will find Scandinavian inspired food and good wine. You can even bring a bottle back home. Adress: Oderstra ße 52, Neukölln. Barra Sharing is caring (So sorry I just wrote that) but Barra is not as predictable as I am, at least not when it comes to wine and food. Their sommelier will give you the best natural wine while you sit in the bar and glance into the place where all the magic happens (sorry again). Adress: Okerstraße 2, Neukölln. St. Bart Share some bottles of natural wine with gastro-food at gastropub St. Bart. Or come here for a Sunday brunch and you will be equally pleased with their way of combining food and wine before noon. Adress: Graefestraße 71, Kreuzberg. Wagner Wagner loves Playful(ness), and we love Wagner, and so on. But beyond that, they like simplicity even though their sommelier fills your glass with stuff that tastes nothing like regular wine. Adress: Paul-Lincke-Ufer 22, Kreuzberg.

If you are looking for great asian food and you do not want a crowded Tripadvisor hyped place like Cocolo Ramen, we discovered a little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant Rote Laterne from the Hunan region on Oranienstrasse, which is a great alternative. We passed by this place without looking for a somewhere to review, but after a taste bud invigorating dinner we decided we had to. The restaurant’s name – Rote Laterne means Red Light, and you know that you have discovered it when you come across the dimmed welcoming lights that draw you in and heighten your senses. The restaurant was renovated this year with a fresh and modern feel. Perhaps it’s a little bit too metropolitan and cold, but juxtaposed with hot the food they serve, it makes sense. Unlike hyped places, which are often better known for their atmosphere, here the food can speak for itself. The highlight of dining here is that guests get really close to the making of the food, making the experience very authentic. The chef is doing his magic behind a glass wall that protects the restaurant guests from getting frying oil and fire all over their curious noses, while watching him prepare their food. The menu is filled with exciting vegetarian and meat options from the Hunan province in China. A lot of the guests order from their traditional barbeque menu, but you can also choose ramen and different noodle dishes and many of them quite spicy, which is common with dished from the the Hunan region in China. We chose the Tantan version of Ramen and a beer for a very affordable price of under 10 euros. The portion was huge, the service was very friendly, and the ramen was hot as hell and tasty as heaven. So, since we cannot see the Ramen trend die, and hopefully it never will, we love to find those places that is not fully exposed for the masses yet. It is always a great experience to see the staff’s genuine passion for the food they are serving on a down to earth level. Even if the interiors might be a little cold you will feel welcomed just by spotting the warm red lights in the winter cold.

What a playful way of sharing food. If you're into sharing and tasting a lot of authentic Chinese food, Lao Xiang is the right place for you. Bring your friends and choose one dish each and jump into the flavours with your chop sticks. This is the place where the Chinese population of Berlin goes to eat and celebrate traditions, and the food experience makes you forget you're in the German capital. This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Berlin and you'll find it on Wichertstraße 43 in beautiful Prenzlauer Berg.

This place is far away from tourists and long waiting lines. Cocolo Ramen has the reputation of serving the best ramen i Berlin, and that might be true. But this unpretentious little restaurant on Marienburger Strasse in Prenzlauer Berg is a GREAT choice if you suffer from cravings for the food art of ramen. We took the Tantan for a price just under 10 euros and we promise we'll do it again.