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Playful Magazine met with wine expert Jeff from Rocket Wine. Written by: Amanda Sandström Beijer Naked wine, also known for most as natural wine, recently became the new trend all over Europe . Some missed it when it hit Berlin, but a few picked it up. But the word is spreading that the more you drink it the more you want it. Berlin may not be one of the worlds wine capitals, but it's a city full of passionate people. And some of them focus their knowledge on natural wine. Playful Magazine met with wine expert Jeff from Rocket Wine on Linienstraße in Mitte. There is a lot of energy in Natural wine, it has made me fly quite a few times To Jeff, natural wine is merely good wine, just as the butt-naked Freikörperkultur is nothing but swimming and sunbathing. His life experience spans all the way from the farm where he grew up to an educational and professional background in law. But just like many people in Berlin, he let his passions and interests lead the way. So today, instead, he hosts wine tasting sessions and owns the mythical wine shop Rocket Wine. The starting point: from Drink Naked to Rocket Wine " This all started with me, Etienne and Julia, who are today joint owners of bar and restaurant Jaja Naked Wine. I changed the name from Drink Naked because I wanted a name that reflected my own personality when I got involved", says Jeff and continues; "There's also a very emotional meaning behind it. The name Rocket Wine comes from my favorite bar, Rockette, in Montreal, Quebec." What is your connection with natural wine? "As our logo shows there is a lot of energy in Natural wine, it has made me fly quite a few times. But my connection with natural wine started many years ago." How does natural wine make you fly more than ’regular wine’? "I find conventional wine super boring; it always tastes the same. Natural wine becomes a lifestyle. It's impossible to disconnect from it once you have truly tried it out. Culturally I can compare this to the Japanese, who are a lot more connected to what they eat and what they absorb than Westerners are in general. There is a reason for it. With natural wine for example, you can sense that your whole body enjoys it. That takes you to new heights." What is different with the natural wine-makers? "It's connected to the mindset. With all the add-ons in conventional wine, the process kind of just happens somewhat randomly, and it's not what you thought it would be when you started. With natural wine you make the product that you really wanted to make from the beginning, it's not by chance. That is why there is much more diversity and spectrum in the natural wine tastes than in conventional wine." Why don’t you like that natural wine is becoming a trend? "Trends die. People who drink this merely because they saw people on Instagram drink it haven’t got it right. To really enjoy it you need a story behind the bottle. You need to be curious. If you come to our shop, we will share the connection we have to the bottle you buy and engage you. But a lot of people today are stuck in the rat race. They consume things with such high pace, but I think that people want to feel something more than just getting drunk. Though getting wasted on wine is always nice as well." They say that natural wine doesn’t make you hung over? "This is why people get addicted to it. The difference is that you add a shit load of chemicals to regular wine. Stuff that the body cannot digest very easily, and the additives poison the body. Of course you get hazy the day after you have drunk a couple of bottles of natural wine if you forgot to eat or drink water. But it does not stay for hours, and after a shower you feel fresh again. Your body digests it because there is no weird stuff in there." And Organic or Bio wine? "They still have the additives. So yes, that is still regular wine. With natural wine you get high, your body basically likes it. It's just grape juice." It seems like the trend has not fully hit Berlin yet. Why is that? The rest of Europe and the fancy restaurants got addicted in 2015? "No, it has not exploded. It's still tiny. Even though there is quite a nice selection of natural wines in Berlin. I started four years ago. I assume people here want to get drunk cheap, but when they get to taste this they'll probably get stuck." So, it's not really a great investment machine even during its European hype? "For the people making these wines, it has nothing to do with the hype. Neither about making money quick, they do it for the passion of it. The regular wine industry is nasty, it's killing the bees and everything." But is this process new? "It all started in the 70’s when they noticed that insects were dying and that people got headaches and such, but they wanted to keep on drinking. That is why they started to make wine without additives. It got a boost in Paris, but still. This is decades ago, and it still has not quite hit Berlin." If you have just one sip it blows your mind. You think, what the fuck is this? Who drinks natural wine in Berlin? Is it a hipster thing or is it a thing for fancy finance- people? "The hipsters are drinking it and they get surprised because they get more addicted then they ever knew. Maybe they first came to the shop because they wanted to see what the hype was all about and wanted to be part of it. Even if you only have just one sip, it will blow your mind. You think, what the fuck is this? And you also understand the difference between a natural wine shop and a regular one. People want to come back and be a part of this family”, Jeff says and continues; "A lot of expats drink it. If you have been connected with someone, or if you are from London, Paris, Copenhagen, Tokyo, New York, where the natural wine is massive. It's definitely a boom but let’s hope it's here to stay. Because a hype is shit and does not last." So, this is no wine for people pretending to know wine? "To drink it, sure you will like it. But not to work with it. If you serve it in a restaurant and leave it open for a couple of days and then pour it for a customer. It tastes horrible, and then they think; well it's just how natural wine tastes like. And the one who tastes it thinks, ’My god, it tastes horrible’. And the waiter says, ’Yes, it's funky, natural wine is funky’ and then you are all done with drinking it." What was your best wine experiences? "I have a background in wine, and have been working in wine cellars, so I know some things about it. But wine is very personal and the thing behind it's the sharing of the stories and the background. When I started with wine tasting I got in these formal groups that did not make sense. It felt like I had to transform myself to also think some of these wines were good because we were in a very nice castle and so on. But it was the opposite. Today when I taste a wine, and I visit the wine maker and even if I do not know them, they invite me to stay in their home the first night and they invite me for supper. This is people who like to share what they have been doing and discovering, and they like to have fun while doing it. This is the reason why I get a specific feeling with some types of wine. I remember the place where it's made and the story behind it. We have the same interest, and this is something we're building and a business we're growing together”, Jeff says and continues; "Sometimes I taste a wine that is holy shit amazing, but to me' more important to take in the wine that someone with whom I have spent an evening, has made. We're all learning and in some of these winemakers I can see a lot of potential, maybe in the same way they do in me. Then we can work together. I do not pretend that I buy things just because I like them. I focus on what I feel connected to." What if I go to a fancy dinner and want to pretend to know wine. Are there any life hacks? "You cannot pretend to know wine. If you do not know it, it will show. It's the same as pretending you are a construction worker; can you pretend this? No. To me this is the same”, he says and continues; "But in the same way, if I would sit here with a sommelier, a wine taster and a wine maker we're all going to have our own background. The wine maker is going to talk about the chemistry behind it, and specific parts of the process, and the sommelier is going to talk in a way that is only understood by restaurant customers. The wine taster is going to focus on all its defaults, and I am going to focus more on the story behind the wine and the wine maker. We do not have the same language; we can share a bottle, but the discussion will go over our heads."

By: Filip Sandström Beijer Photos: Weisse Maus We had a chat with Billie Rae about the new immersive theater and dining experience in Berlin. 100 years have passed since the classic Kabaret in the 1920ies which means the Berliners must have learnt from their past and this time, it will get even better than it once was - this time it’s freer, open to all, gender fluid and with a greater creative twist. The Kabaret experience in Berlin pushes the boundaries of performance together with several local artists that we’ve been missing during the pandemic. Billie Rae - tell us about it! The name Weisse Maus is a homage to the infamous night spot of Weimar Berlin, looking back to the decadent and debauched Kabaret of the 1920s. The club was an exclusive revel for Berlin's creative elite. And with only 98 precious seats, it was a place where visitors were able to experience the beautiful, the bizarre and the Erotic performances of Berlin's underworld, delivering a stage for the likes of Anita Berber and many other wildly experimental artists of that time. Guests were given black masks to hide their identity whilst the weird and wonderful happened around them. Our aim is to harness and recreate this energy and to explore the sinfully sumptuous world of Weisse Maus with our very own creative twist whilst respectfully celebrating the inspirational Libertines who were pushing the boundaries of performance, sexuality and gender fluidity over 100 years ago. Who are the people behind Weisse Maus, and what did the concept grow from? The Weisse Maus is created by myself, Billie Rae, Co-Founder of Bad Bruises and the Creator and Director of The House of Red Doors, plus my partner, Benjamin Strafe, who has been working in Berlin gastronomy and hospitality for many years, and, of course, our incredible team of artists and dreamers whom we work with here in Berlin, you will recognize many of them from previous events. We are also working with Ricarda Farnbacher, award winning caterer, to create a delicious feast for our guests. The concept is an idea we've had for many years, to combine the indulgences of fine dining with our unique, inimitable blend of sex and theatre. Within all our careers as artists and performers we've been heavily influenced by the decadent and debauched aesthetic of Weimar Berlin. A period which still continues to influence and to inspire us even now. This event isn't a play event but we are not shying away from the more sensual content. What will we as visitors be able to experience? We don't want to give too much away just yet as the evening will be something that can only be truly experienced in the flesh. But needless to say, we will be bringing food, immersive theatre, choreographed performance and that very special ingredient to the table that we like to bring to all our events! This will be a truly unique experience for each individual that comes, but the key is to come... explore... and find out… it will be exciting, bizarre, beautiful and utterly, utterly delicious. A true ’smorgasbord’ for the senses! Why does Berlin need it and who do you see as your guest? I think now, more than ever, we need new experiences that will make us feel excited again. After such a long break from performance and after such a hugely devastating hit to our social scene and to our industry, the need for freedom within entertainment is demanded from both sides of the stage. We are all yearning to perform and create again and to share those experiences and moments with our audiences and our guests are feeling the same. After such a turbulent time of lockdowns and restrictions we all need the opportunity to rediscover our playful side. Our event is open to all with an open mind and an adventurous side, for the bold, the experimental minds of Berlin. It is strictly 18+ only due to the nature of our entertainment. It’s described as a dining experience, tell us about the food experience! As this is still very hush hush we can’t give too much away, we want to give our guests a surprise. But it will be truly a feast for the eyes as well as the palette. This will be an experience that very few will have ever had before, and it will be something to satiate all types of appetite and arouse all senses! Prepare to be wined, dined and thoroughly entertained. When can we visit you and where is your building located? The location is still kept completely secret until booking tickets. There's a choice of also choosing a nighttime cruise, which is a boat ride on the spree before finding your way to the secret location of Weisse Maus. Just remember to trust the Weisse Maus and get ready for something deliciously new. What kind of artists and performers will we find there? If you have ever been to one of our previous events you will certainly recognize a few of our beautiful and strange starlets, but we are very excited to be introducing some new performers and talents to the stage, perfectly complementing our eclectic mix of sensual eroticism and delivering utterly exquisite performances as part of our mad fantasia. You can find our full cast on www.weissemausberlin.de How can I join in? Guests can sign up to our mailing list and we will be sending our new dates out soon.Be sure to sign up to be the first in the know of where and when you’ll find us. Can we expect a door policy? If yes, what's it going to be based on? Absolutely! We will be inviting our guests to dress up in an outfit of the era but with their own twist. We can't wait to see everyone’s decadent and experimental costumes as it’s been such a long time since we have had the pleasure of dressing up together. Guests can find costume inspiration on our website or here we have a mood board here . We ask guests to be bold, be wild, be whoever you want to be. And of course, like with all our events, to have an open mind, a kind heart and always respect everyone around you. These events feed off the energy from both sides of the stage and this time the dinner table! So , we encourage all to come and let loose, feel free and lose themselves for the night. After the last year, I think we all deserve it. Don't you?

By: "Diva D" Illustration: Ewa Zak Like many people I have a bucket list, but unlike most people my list is written on an actual bucket. This way I have a container in which to collect small symbolic tokens. Objects of nostalgia which fills its up. Tickets, photos, body parts etc.Its my shrine of memories to where I can return and dwell.It also gives me a chance to add things afterwards. experiences i didn’t know I wanted. Or, for that matter needed in my life. It’s slowly filling up and it's a good bucket. It's a bucket of love and pleasure. It's my bucket of lust. My bucket lust.One thing I haven't got written on my bucket is:“To sit in bed with a cup of tea like Carrie Bradshaw and write a vibrating story about a city that never sleeps.“ But here I am. Doing exactly that. So… (check) I have many friends using Berlin as a valve to release the pressures that society builds up within us. A weekend in Berlin can be everything from a hop on hop of around the city to licking Pep of a toilet seat in Kit Kat club. We are all looking for different kicks in life and on our travels. But weather people just daytime stroll in the heart of Europe or nighttime stroll to score blowjobs in a sex kino at Kurfürstenstrasse is individual. But Berlin is where, at least I, tick of most of my dreams from my bucket list. I am fortunate enough to work as an artist and I quite often find my way to Berlin and its alternative ways around my art form. Shows are funnier to do there. Risks are more often taken and audiences expect more in this city. For me as an artist that is a great way to develop and to push the old boundaries. It has become a favorite place to come and hunt more encounters with a destiny seemingly on speed. So thats why I go there. Thats why I manipulate my agent and spice her coffee with coordinates to Xberg. Because I want to land there in the middle of you all on a float through endless adventures. Every time I leave I wanna feel that there was absolutely nothing else I could do. Maximum satisfaction guaranteed even if I need a blood exchange every time I leave. Kidding aside. I have never changed blood (at least not under medical supervision) but I always leave with quite a hangover. But it is not all fairies and `alles poletti`. Unfortunately I have also walked out of a club after a hug, not knowing it is the last time I see my friend. He was swallowed by this city. Berlin giveth and Berlin taketh away.And yes I am an agent of chaos in some senses and you might guess what I am looking for in life. What I buy, look for and consume tells the story that is me and it is sometimes dark and weird. And criminal in some parts of the world. Maybe this story is about bucket lists and escapes from reality. Or maybe it is a reflection on how we sometimes like to take a holiday from ourselves. I mean… how many of you are interested in hearing about me having a threesome with a Schlumpf involved (check) or being abducted by a pack of witches to be be sacrificed in the woods (check)? Your buckets are hopefully filled with equally juicy stories. But we come to Berlin for different reasons. All of us. I remember coming to a, then not so developed Hackescher Markt and mesmerized myself into a underground exhibition in a cold and wet basement followed by a night getting absolute hammered on “Alkoholfrei bier”. The pure excitement of it all made me forget to look at the labels and yes, the beers worked anyway. Because of magical Berlin and the power of expectations. So there are ways of filling our buckets with Berlin wonders without challenging our health system. The city offers it all. For example. The “easiest” marathon to do is supposed to be Berlin Marathon and one day I will do it. And maybe, when the race is overI will have myself wrapped in cling film with only a tiny hole for my mouth to breath through. And maybe, just maybe, someone will put a colorful little pill through that hole (check). Now the editor needs this text to be done and the way of making me deliver on time is simple.I have a butt plug inserted which has an electrical current running through it. And when I am past my deadline I have a charged reminder shooting through my body and I know its time to stop. This is a lie. There are nothing electrical up my ass. But you know what. It is on my bucket list.

By: Agnes Crayfor Illustration: Marta Braga So, ‘things are going back to normal’. As a night worker, ‘normal’ usually means laying in bed at 4 am unable to sleep because my schedules are completely fucked, body rhythms confused. This would have been the norm a year back. Now, after a few shifts, I get a taste of what it will potentially be like again. And, quite frankly, my anxiety is almost bigger than my excitement at being able to regain a sense of normalcy. Weeks spent in a blur and mental fog, wasting scarce and precious daylight sleeping, the question ‘what am I doing with my life’ ever lingering in my mind. I am torn between nostalgia and a physical rejection to falling back into the black hole. Since I still can’t sleep, I go smoke in the balcony and start looking back to some of my nights in the time before the pandemic. I was barely eighteen when I came to this city, and I fell in love with all the possibilities it brought me, and the extreme escapism of the never ending party, which was what I needed at the time. The first night I went out to Kitkat, with some of the women who were to become my best friends, I was wearing a chainmail bra and nothing else, and I had never felt so liberated. I fell in love with a stranger -the MDMA used to hit me properly back then before I started abusing it. We ended up in his ridiculously fancy apartment in Charlottenburg, not even having sex, and I had multiple orgasms just from cuddling. On the next morning, I accidentally met his parents who were coming from Bavaria for a surprise visit. My life here was off to a good start, but it wasn’t long until it started losing its shine, mostly from unfortunate encounters with men. I remember the time before I established strong friendships, how I soon felt the acute loneliness of moving to a foreign country. My ‘foolproof’ plan for fighting this sensation were random hookups on Tinder. I entered a dark stage in my life, of thrill chasing and unclear boundaries, combined with overworking and substance abuse. Ranging from absurd to ridiculously creepy, my strongest memory from those blurry encounters is a date in a bar with a guy who was fifteen years older than me, who couldn’t even pay for his own beer. Embarrassed, he invited me to his shabby apartment to smoke DMT to ‘compensate’ for it. I said yes. The next morning, I decided I had had enough, and it was time to go away for a while. The magic of Berlin and its safe spaces could easily be tainted by the lack of emotional responsibility of the predatory cis hetero men I had pushed myself to interact with, and I was lucky to realize that sooner rather than later, without incurring too much damage. Fast forward a few months, I had gotten rid of my toxic workplace, made deep connections and leant more fully into my queerness. Berlin was slowly but surely recovering the charm that had lured me into it. I could indulge into its excess without destroying myself -too much- in the process. One particular Sunday morning in Berghain I dropped a tab of acid that turned out to be really strong, and I stayed right until closing in a psychedelic trance, absorbed by the music, the people, and in spite of all my bad experiences I could let my guard down, feel at home. I then watched movies with some party friends I had just met at their home, then attempted to take a Capoeira class and nearly fainted from the effort. My body was exhausted, but I felt detoxed, lighter and renewed. I saw if I managed to keep these extreme experiences for a few occasions, I could begin to fully enjoy them. I realize looking at how my relationship to Berlin nights evolved, that the most important element has always been having people to trust and rely on and a strong sense of community. And that has only gotten stronger during these months where everything has been on halt. I finish my cigarette and go to bed, feeling a bit more peaceful, ready to rest. In the end, it is in my hands to decide what to do with my nights (and days). Right now, going out again feels like jumping into the cold pool at KitKat after twelve hours sweating on the dance floor. A bit of a repellant thought without being intoxicated, but kind of exciting too.

When thinking of what gift you could give a loved one, we looked at a report that was created by Klarna, the leading global payments and shopping service, together with consumer psychologist Kate Nightingale. Illustration by: Kirsten Ulve This Article is made in collaboration with Klarna. Did you know that Pisces love gift shopping the most out of any star sign (50%)? This is one fact they found out together with Klarna. In the report, we also recognized other interesting aspects, such as that star signs, sexual identities and birth order greatly influence our shopping behavior. Here’s what Kate and Klarna noticed: ● The LGBTQIA+ community are the most eco-conscious. 1 in 2 (48%) want their gifts to be environmentally friendly, compared to the global average (43%). ● Pisces love gift shopping the most out of any star sign (50%), and 3 out of 5 (61%) want to find thoughtful and meaningful gifts. ● Millennials are more responsible than they’re given credit for. 25% start their Christmas shopping between September and October. Millennials are also more concerned about their finances (37%) compared to other age groups. ● Millennials are the most likely of any age group to regift an unwanted present to someone else (16% respectively). Do you know your consuming behavior? Based on all the insights and with the help of consumer psychologist Kate Nightingale, Klarna identified different shopping personas - and matched them with tailored tipps and Klarna features. Take the persona quiz to find out which holiday persona you are and to receive tailored tips for thriving this holiday season. No matter which type of holiday shopper you are, Klarna is the ‘smoooth’ shopping solution for you. We got inspired by Klarna’s collections to inspire your gift shopping with a personal Playful gift guide. Here are 5 different ideas that make the eyes of your loved ones shine: 5. A COURSE Masterclasses can be both fulfilling and entertaining and vary from everything between learning how to paint, produce music or becoming a better chef. There’s even an ‘Online Pop Art Make-up Course’ by theonlinebeautycourses.com to check out. 4. RECORDS If you’re in Berlin you’re probably familiar with several legendary record and vinyl shops. If you’re to do so online, we recommend checking out thevinylfrontierbarry.com for example. 3. WALL ART Art is appreciated by many, but can also be very personal. Therefore people may be scared to purchase it as a gift. We believe you can lead by example by giving someone a piece that you yourself are a big fan of. If you want to find unique designers, check out various prints at inkanddrop.com. 2. JEWELRY Timeless jewelry is always appreciated, and together with Stilnest, Klarna is presenting the campaign #BeMyAlly that supports the LGBTQIA+* community by giving four queer personalities a stage to bring important community issues closer to a broader public. Besides the amazing jewelry, 10% of each sold piece from the #BeMyAlly collection will be donated to three non-profit organizations. 1. EVENT TICKET The live event industry has been struggling during the pandemic and still is. We are missing it a lot and who isn’t delighted with a ticket to their favorite artist’s sold-out show or a hyped-up club event? Giving away an experience to look forward to is our first pick and it’s always a good excuse for you, the gift giver, to join as well. Go to Ticketmaster to get inspired and pick amongst a wide variety. You want to keep an eye on some gift options? Create your personal collection with your favorite product ideas in the Klarna App and receive price drop alerts. Or use Klarna’s flexible payment options when shopping for the perfect gift for your loved ones. Klarna always provides a full overview of all purchases as well as your budget. About Klarna Online and in-store – Klarna is a shopping service and payment method that was founded in 2005 and is today active in 17 markets. The one-click purchase experience offers direct- or pay-after delivery options, as well as installment plans to make life a bit smoother.

Our anonymous guest writer Trash Ninja reveals the secrets of a night out in Berlin. An expression that you often hear about Berlin is that this city can chew you up and spit you out. However, if the voice of the little devil on your shoulder speaks louder than the angel on the other, Berlin is the perfect city for some amazing experiences and some serious fun. There is a certain amount of jadedness that takes you over as time goes by when living in Berlin, as it often is when you spend time in bigger cities. Here I find it to be on another level though. The young man wearing fairy wings and nothing more, giving head to a person with a latex face mask next to you, while you’re fighting for the attention of the bartender for another gin and tonic simply doesn’t get a raised eyebrow anymore. Another well used phrase here is “It´s Berlin.” These two words are designed to make it clear that everything deemed different in other places is perfectly normal here. New to Berlin? Well, strap yourself in for the ride and get ready to be freakified. Some of the clubs in this city have notorious reputations and most often for good reason. The opinions on which club to go to vary depending to whom you speak or which night you want to party but the word “club” must be said out loud more times here per day than in any city in the world. It´s simply a big part of the city’s soul and a big reason why people chose to come here. One of these notorious clubs that I personally like is of course Kitkatclub. Known to the unwitting people that never set foot there simply as “the place where everyone has sex everywhere” but once you’ve been there you see that this club offers so much more. From the moment you step inside the big wooden doors it will have your head spinning. Firstly, because the rather demure interior makes you wonder “is this what all the fuss is about?” but after handing your phone and clothes away to the butt naked wardrobe staff and maybe changing into something a little less comfortable, your journey can begin and you won’t be disappointed. After ordering the first beer from one of the über cool ladies behind the bar making you feel like your own outfit is less than impressive, you take a look out to the pool area which unfortunately is not open every day. This area is one of the few places in the club where talking is more common than penetration. If you’re sociable and not afraid to meet new people you can end up finding a buddy for the night or even for life. Usually it’s for the night, to be fair. The sensual atmosphere around the pool is palpable and has always made me think of a party in ancient Greece (of course with more grape feeding and a lot less latex). The swing above the pool is a nice detail which my friend Em can’t seem to stay away from. When seeing her long brown hair touch the water as she leans back to go higher and higher and landing gracefully on her naked body as the swing moves from side to side, it’s the only time I wish I had my phone so I could photograph the spectacle. Apart from that the lack of phones in this place is refreshing and the reason why it is so easy to meet people here. When you get restless and your newfound buddies want to hit the dance floor, why not go down the stairs to the dungeon? It has numerous spaces for close encounters and offers you a possibility to do a session with the bdsm-masters or to just to be a slightly creepy bystander. Several dark and alluring rooms are available for your pleasure around the club. Don´t be afraid to explore while here, there is much to part-take in for the adventurous visitor. Spend a few hours on the dance floor or walk around and take it all in and even the most uptight person will find him- or herself opening up (sometimes literally) to some good times on a sofa. As a rather sociable person I usually find a handful of likeminded, happy people as the night goes along. Sometimes it feels like you’re at a party where you know everybody and spend the night mingling with old and new friends. I’m also the kind of person that never want the party to end. When the sun is up, the once packed dance floor full of colourful people with piercings in every place possible, drag queens and the odd T-shirt-and-jeans-guy, is all but emptied, I start to look for the after party. Fouled with expensive water, some illegal substances and several Heinekens, I have a special knack for sniffing out the coolest people and make friends. Not so surprisingly enough, telling people that you think their outfit is amazing or that somebody has a beautiful cock ring can really get you on their good side and when you find someone else with eyes the size of saucers you tend to bond quite quickly. Even if you’ve had a smashing night dancing and chatting away, this is usually when the stories get interesting… At the after party. I’ve ended up having a naked photo shoot with one of Kitkats notorious photographers, done coke in a hotel room with a minor rock star, had ecstasy shoved up my butthole just for the hell of it and basically just met people with some truly interesting life stories and chatting away till its time to go out and do it all again. Even though it’s easy to be wowed by the clubs that this city has to offer, my best tip for finding yourself in positive party situations you can’t even imagine, is to be open for what happens when the club empties itself on guests getting ready for the second inning. Just let the people shooting heroine in the subway be a warning to not let the city spit you out after its done with you. But while here, have fun and don’t be afraid of letting lose and following your gut when it comes to after parties because if you go with it, anything can happen. After all - It’s Berlin. Did you love the beautiful illustration? Buy it as a poster in our webshop .

Our anonymous writer "Farah Haze" matched with a 50-year-old filmmaker and the rest is a juicy story. Writer: "Farah Haze" Illustration: Marta Braga I didn’t know his age when we matched on tinder. My range was set to 28–45, so I’m not entirely sure how he snuck in, the 50-year-old filmmaker who super liked me on a Monday. But in a way it was a gift from the tinder gods, during that early winter period in Berlin where isolation creeps in and the apps turn into frenzied hunting grounds for a winter lover. You know, someone to keep you warm, distract you from existential dread and go down on you while you watch Netflix. We’re a cliche. Me: a lost late 20-something searching for adventure, success and self actualisation, and getting suitably side-tracked in this city. Tired of dating my usual cocktail of malnourished club boys and guys who weaponise polyamory as an excuse to be a shitty person. Him: successful, whiplash smart, the son of a literal billionaire. A total daddy, basically. He seems to gravitate toward women half his age, and doesn’t pretend not to be insanely horny for me for one minute. Which, given the mass insouciance of the city’s dating population, is strangely refreshing. We meet late Friday and have what you could call a whirlwind weekend. We stay up talking until the bars close that morning and make out in the street. By Saturday we’re fucking in Soho House (did I mention we’re a cliche?). It isn’t purely carnal. Fueled by wine and a shared neediness for connection, we talk a lot. We indulge in each other’s messy breakup stories and conceive a half-baked plot to assassinate the 1%. I speak of feeling lost and he slips in the success of his films, which he does mostly with an admirable restraint. (Other than revealing he’s on first name terms with a certain ‘Brad’; “Well, there is only one Brad,” he offers when I laugh at the absurdity.) He tells me he recently started taking ecstasy. So I hatch another plan: get guestlist for Berghain, and prepare for a great story. “Anyone with a vague knowledge of the city’s nightlife and its pleasure-seeking corners will be familiar with the ways we like to gain or lose control.” Anyone with a vague knowledge of the city’s nightlife and its pleasure-seeking corners will be familiar with the ways we like to gain or lose control. Moving away from the classic sub/dom set-up, we bestowed new roles on ourselves for the night: the ‘driver’ and the ‘passenger’. The dynamic isn’t necessarily sexual you see, and it’s a fun game, you should try it. One person is the general decision maker of the evening and the other is free to coast along for the ride. The driving seat suits those with a specific vision for how things unfold or a nervous disposition for things to be just right. They can do whatever they please without the nuisance of having to negotiate. The passenger on the other hand gets the gift of not having to make decisions. “...scheduling toilet breaks, drinks, drug ingestion, snogs, etc. amidst the sea of sweaty bodies in the peak hours of a busy Klubnacht. ” It can be a rare luxury to feel truly mindless, free from the daily tyranny of having to know what you want. Seeing it that way, I’m not exactly thrilled to be anointed driver, but I bravely take it on. Or at least, give it my best shot. I secure entry for Sunday, instruct him to meet by the doors at 9pm and intend to continue calling the shots inside – when and where we dance, scheduling toilet breaks, drinks, drug ingestion, snogs, etc. amidst the sea of sweaty bodies in the peak hours of a busy Klubnacht. I feel momentarily smug when my guestlist slips us in with ease. It’s closing night, pre-chaos. The pit of tweaked party people is heaving. But not too packed; buying a drink or peeing is a fucking ordeal, but it’s not busy enough yet to feel airless and overwhelming at every turn. At the cloakroom I strip down to a mesh bra and collar (the most BDSM-adjacent outfit I could muster, on his request). He’s left with a grey tee and jeans, from which he pulls a rope he brought, unsolicited, to tie me up. At this point I realise we might have had different visions for the night. Dr. Rubinstein plays throbbing techno on the main floor. The walls drip and the reliably toned muscles of the Sunday night crowd glisten. He takes his top off, shimmies towards me with impeccable dad-dancing and keeps reaching for my pussy over my trousers. I’m just not a natural exhibitionist, so I’m tense, and I need a drink. How was I already losing my grip? I try and take it back, order us Campari sodas and initiate a pill. I come up in the purgatory of the neverending toilet queue, complaining softly to strangers about how I’m coming up in the toilet queue, as the doors melt in my vision. “Just as I’m settling into it, stroking daddy’s chest against a pillar, a familiar hand finds my shoulder.” But it’s the perfect dose, making us dreamy and mildly euphoric. He ties the rope around his own neck in a symbolic gesture of surrender, but continues to subtly take the lead. My self consciousness briefly slips away when I’m pressed up against the edge of the dance floor, and he insists on peeling down my bra and grazing his teeth on my nipples. I wonder how much of the game is letting me think I have control. Then, a car crash. I spot another lover swarming around with a jaw flexing like it’s been here for some time, and I’m desperate to avoid his gaze. I haul us up to Panorama Bar, where bodies spring on the blue-lit dance floor and you can feel cocaine in the air. We bump into friends of mine who gracefully skip over the question of how the pair of us met. Just as I’m settling into it, stroking daddy’s chest against a pillar, a familiar hand finds my shoulder. The other lover. Broken out of my lull, my heart drops. After a painfully awkward exchange I pull the breaks, drag daddy to a booth by the bar, and decide to assess the damage another time. “I think about how clubbing lets us chase the illusion of control, just like drugs, like tinder, like my date tonight" I’ve been a bad driver. Disappearing in toilet queues, meekly hustling for drinks at the bar, second-guessing where to park us on the dancefloor. Attempts to summon a certain experience can have a way of backfiring on you, and it was one of those nights where you find unexpected friction between you and the untempered hedonism at your feet. Now I’d completely lost control of the wheel. And the passenger’s getting angsty. So I let him direct the scene, which mainly involves seducing me in front of onlookers. So far, so predictable, but I relax into our performance, some playful grinding and slapping and kissing. Then he starts moving his mouth from my nipples to my armpits, giving them long wet licks. It’s all hilariously surreal. This time I don’t freeze up, but laugh and admit to myself I had lost the war of wills. I failed to be the architect of my initial Berghain fantasy, and submitted to the whims of his. Head back, I think about how clubbing lets us chase the illusion of control, just like drugs, like tinder, like my date tonight – all delirious games that can offer a momentary distraction from existential dread, or enhance the power struggles of the outside world. We leave around 4am, back to Soho House. We restart the engine and hope we can keep our hands on – or off – the wheel long enough to reach our desired destination. OK, now that’s enough cliche.

One of the clubbers on the cover for our fall issue is Noemi, often spotted in Berghain in her nun outfit. We had a talk about her signature look, the club community and making long lasting friendships on the dance floor. Being a nun makes people assume you have a past that you’re breaking free from, what does the costume represent to you? I think that most people of the techno scene are trying to break free from something, although not necessarily. For me it is about the dynamics between what a nun and religion is supposed to represent and what I as Noemi, as a character on my own, represent. I am a very open-minded, wide accepting, sexually-free person and do not limit myself or people around me based on social norms or internalized beliefs and let alone religious beliefs. One of the few things I religiously follow, and love, is electronic music and that is also why I am the techno nun. That music for me is liberating, is healing, is the answer. It doesn't matter if it's a festival, a club, a party, going to work, going for a walk, with friends or lovers, electronic music is always my choice and gives me the emotions of a thousand unspoken words. Have you developed different characters since you moved to Berlin, or is the nun the only one - how did it happen? The nun has been my first and only character I have developed. I remember we were making fun with my two best friends about the existence of God and the absurdity of religion when I got the idea that this was my best way of saying "Fuck you" and fuck all the principles you've showed us. I stand for none of them! What makes the club community develop these strong bonds with each other do you think? I think, for me at least, it’s the acceptance and not judging. You talk to people literally about everything you cannot talk about in everyday life with other people, and no one seems to be bothered about anything even if you are the most unusual person around. Also, I do not much appreciate the structures of our society, the class division or the capitalistic system itself. It seems like in that context, with those people, that all fades away. Although', with time passing you realize that the techno underground scene is also slowly turning into what it wasn’t supposed to be. ‌I think it should also be mentioned and not denied, that substance consuming makes it easier to connect faster and have a stronger bond, not taking in considerations how deep and long lasting those bonds generally are. In what way does the relation differ within the club community compared with other relationships? ‌It’s in itself, a way purer relationship. People do not approach you because they need something or because you are X or Y. They genuinely seek you out because they like being around you, your energy, maybe your dance moves, but generally for the simple things in life. I appreciate that. Tell us about a strong connection you’ve made at a club and how it developed. I’ve made so many and I can’t always say that they have been strong ones. But there are two people whom I met during my clubbing life, Rob and Fernanda, who I appreciate a lot. For personal reasons I decided some months ago to take a step back from club and nightlife for a while and they’ve been a big support for my emotional and mental state, and I hope I’ve been to supportive for them as well. To have people being there for you in a totally different environment than where you met, means that they truly care and you can call them friends. These two people are in my heart, although we don't see each other much lately, but the bond is still there. Clubbing has also strengthened some other bonds, as the one with my best friend, but it feels a bit unfair to that our bonding wouldn't have been this strong without clubbing. Quickies: Where are you from? I am from Tirana, Albania How many years have you lived in Berlin? I moved to Berlin five years ago, since then I fell in love with the city and I’m still in love. What’s your signature look? Well, the nun is my signature one, but you can always also find me almost naked in rave or wearing harnesses. What’s your fuel? I just love dancing for hours and hours and hours. I think I’m one of the dancers that never gets tired. Favorite DJ? Freddy K, Ancient Methods, Marron, Tigerhead, Matrixmann and so many others. Favorite hour and day of the week at the club? Starting from Sunday midday to peaking Monday morning, is always my favorite time. Especially closings on Monday mornings, are definitely my favorite

If you've been to Berghain, there is a big chance you've seen the woman in a black catsuit. We spoke to the person behind the mask – Aurélie. By: Filip Sandström Beijer Photo: Alina Rudya Why did you move to Berlin in the first place? I always wanted to move here, meeting my ex at Berghain was one reason, then the job was another one. Hamburg was too small for me, and I have dreamt of being able to always go to Berghain whenever I wanted to. What’s the story behind the catsuit? I'm obsessed with cats since my childhood. On every Halloween party, I dress as one. My friend David from the UK came for a rave, to visit me in Berlin. He mentioned that he hadn’t bought me anything. We went to a sex shop, and I found a beautiful cat mask. He bought it for me, and I call it The David. I dance, seduce, scratch, bite, and kiss. I rarely mingle, as I mostly wanna dance. Who do you transfer into when you put it on? Mostly I’m the one and only Berghain cat. I have many fans who never dare to speak to me as I look very “Intimidating”. I dance, seduce, scratch, bite, and kiss. I rarely mingle, as I mostly wanna dance. If I like a guy, I look at him intensely and the prey comes to me, it always works, they are always intrigued by my face. When I first met my ex, I scratched all his back. He had the marks for 2 years after. I used to be the techno ballerina before sometimes wearing a white tutu. The first time I met DJ Stingray, he was there without a mask, and I recognized him, he just said ‘Are you the white swan?’ He couldn´t pronounce my name. Henning Baer who was next to us told him “Her name is Aurélie and she´s French”. How would you describe the club culture in Berlin, and what does it mean to you? It was my emancipation as a woman, I found myself within this community. I can be whoever I want, and I'm accepted. You are part of a big club community today, what do these people mean to you? Most of the people I have met at techno parties became good friends. We meet outside parties too. Except that Berghain ex who broke my heart. – – – Where are you from? I am half French half Lebanese, been living in Germany for 11 years, so I´d say I´m German now. How many years have you lived in Berlin? Almost 4 years, I was visiting regularly when I lived in Hamburg before. What’s your signature look? Cat mask, The David. What’s your fuel? HARD INDUSTRIAL TECHNO. Standing below the Funktion-One and getting my ears destroyed. Favorite DJ? Hard to tell. I can name many. Speedy J, Luke Slater, DVS1, Takaaki Itoh, Matrixmann, Henning Baer, Dustin Zahn, Amotik, Setaoc Mass, Perc, Freddy K the vinyl king, Developer, DJ Nobu, Somewhen… Favorite hour and day of the week at the club? Sunday morning around 8 am, Muffin and cappuccino at the Eisbar. Where to find you in the club? I´m always standing front left, next to the door that leads to the warehouse. I always put my stuff on that door, and the people who empty bottles are annoyed ever so often.

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"A night out in Berlin possesses endless possibilities to fulfill your wildest fantasies; thus allowing my time to be lived freely, without a plan or expectation." Written by: Wild Thing There is a ferocious beast inside of me. It has taken me places so high I could see heaven and so low I shuddered at the sight of my reflection. The beast has a hunger, it wants me to relish in my sexuality and deviance, I surrender. Like loose bottles rolling on trains, I was free to roam yet easy to break. A night out in Berlin possesses endless possibilities to fulfill your wildest fantasies; thus allowing my time to be lived freely, without a plan or expectation. I had just finished a bartending shift and was already undoubtedly tipsy, but with a curious mind and an untameable heart, it was inevitable the night was young. The desire for deep conversation is what pulled me to continue my evening across the street at Sofia, a café/bar with such personality and seduction that I’d take her home for a night if I could. Stumbling into an atmosphere flooded with smoke rings, the décor is of a 70s style lodge with accents of gay erotica that are sexually stimulating. I greet the barkeep, a friendly face with kind eyes. He gives me a cheap beer that is accompanied by an unexpected shot of Vodka. I hated Vodka but a drinks a drink, cheers. I reach depths of conversation that lead me to dark places and use emotions as my universal language, something I learned through being entangled and wrapped up with foreign lovers. Beginning to drift from the words spoken, the desolate feeling of loneliness begins to kick in when noticing the number of cigarette butts sitting in the ashtray in front of me. They were all mine. Scraping pennies for a white powder that will get you nowhere but downhill, the opportunity for a line presents itself: I am high again. I ask for water as an attempt to wash away my sins. It’s 3 am and my coworkers have joined me. They have gotten word that our friends are at a squat party nearby and I am intrigued. The water I have been drinking has been confused with vodka and I haven’t noticed till now despite my glass being half empty. I suppose my pessimistic tendencies coincide with my drinking habits. We arrive at the gates of Køpi, home to those fighting to protect what remains of the cities underground. Trash bins ignite in flames attempting to bring warmth to the people while banners with political statements fly fiercely in the night. Gentrification is an ongoing threat to the community that humbly welcomes me into their home. Below the surface isn’t as dark as I imagined, the free spirits brighten the room, offering good company and strong shots that fill the glass and then some more. I allow my flirtations tendencies to work the room with confidence in the way I talk to people. Any sanctity that remains now fades, my vices begin to emerge from the shadows. I discover a cinema, it lies within a vault where secrets are told and lovers melt into one another. Makeshift seating stands in place of red velour chairs while the screen is projecting cartoons that are sending me into abstract dimensions. I am trapped in a vortex of the unknown, questioning my mischievous ways with ambitions of being taken to higher places. Blurred vision turns to white lines, now I’m French kissing bottles containing a magical powder sending me on a love trip. Slithering my way down the rabbit hole, I begin to feel vertigo as I hear the sound of alluring rhythms that pull me into a state of euphoria. The endorphins in my body are pulsating with pleasure, I want to dance in this serendipitous moment of chaos forever. I am chasing the hallucination of filling a void that remains hollow. Satiating in the substances that act as a temporary band-aid, the adhesive is never strong enough to hold together a heavy heart. I feel paralyzed amid destruction and am the closest thing I have to a voice of reason. I gather my things and make my way up the collapsing stairs towards the surface, hoping to find freedom from the thoughts viciously circulating my mind. Time has slipped away from me; it’s been daytime for a while now. I breathe in the cold winter air and light another cigarette. My thigh-high boots clank against the pavement that serves as a rooftop for the souls who continue to party on below as I begin my long journey home. The sun comes up and the blinds roll down, and with a troubled mind, I find myself to be another lost soul on an estranged path within the city of big dreams. I draw a bath and light a joint in an attempt to wash away my sins. I am born again.

ANNA Z has seen how the scene often booked females as a way of affirmative action. Today she tells women in the scene to keep going and can notice a change within the male dominated scene. This article is made in collaboration with Ableton . Download ANNA Z:s Ableton project with free samples and presets here . Get all the features of Ableton Live Suite free for 90 days here . She moved to Berlin in 2014 for her architecture studies, although it didn’t take long until she got in contact with the electronic scene and learnt how to produce herself. ”Before moving to Berlin I got my diploma in graphic design and arts. During the architecture studies my interest in acoustics, sound and all the interdisciplinary practices grew. I got in contact with WERK, who created parties at ://about blank, and started to make visuals for them. Something that suddenly became a big interest to me.” ”However, when I got my visuals online, Instagram deleted them because I didn’t own the music that I added to the visuals”, Anna laughs and continues; ”I only used them for myself, but still. That’s when I decided to start creating the sounds myself.” ”It was never a struggle for me since I found it relaxing to play around in Ableton." Taking the first step to start producing yourself is often the first introduction to Ableton. Anna got into Max from Cycling’74, as she was already familiar with similar programming that is based on blocks, patching and coding. ”My friends encouraged me in my learning process with Ableton and gave me short lessons. That together with looking at tutorials helped a lot. It was never a struggle for me since I found it relaxing to play around in Ableton.” In the beginning Anna only used Ableton for her short videos, and later on she started using it on its own. ”I think it’s very cool that Ableton gives you the opportunity to try it out to see how it works with the Demo version, as well as offering a Student version. In this way you can take it step by step. Later on, I invested in a modular synthesizer and today I have all of this”, she says and shows her production table that is now filled with gear. ”In the last few years’, many of my friends founded the label Spandau20 together. In this context I mainly work as a musician and play hardware live sets at the parties together with my fiancé J. Manuel.” It’s well known that the music industry overall is dominated by men, and that it’s harder for women to make a name for themselves. The electronic scene is trying to break with these constructions, and Anna can notice a change since the last few years. ”I get uncomfortable when being asked to play in the very last minute, when it’s clear that the only reason is to reach their «Female Quota»" ”I am noticing that the electronic scene is aiming for a change and want to book more women. Many clubs have a code of booking 50-50”, Anna says and continues; ”I get uncomfortable when being asked to play in the very last minute, when it’s clear that the only reason is to reach their «Female Quota». But I don’t think they’re conscious of it, they just live in their bubble and are too lazy to discover new female artists” ”Although 2020 was a good year in that way, because so many people were active in social media and had more time to discover cool women within the scene and realized that there are plenty. They even found interesting new artists instead of only noticing what was already highlighted.” ”Get started yourself and support will follow, don’t be afraid of the technical aspects.” Anna wants to encourage more women to believe in themselves as artists. ” If you have an interest in joining the scene actively; be brave. Get started yourself and support will follow, don’t be afraid of the technical aspects. The electronic music scene is really friendly and encouraging. Platforms like Radio80000 are setting a very good example with a pretty diverse list of residents and I am happy to be part of this platform with my own radio show called KOMI.” ANNA Z’s top 3 DJ’s: – Smokey – Steffi – Azu Tiwaline