How could a radio station keep Berlin, and the global techno community, going during lockdown? It was during the early months of 2020 that everything went a little crazy. Berlin is a city that revels in the avant-garde, basks in creative freedoms, and is known around the world as a center of hedonism. So what would happen when virtually the entire world would be forced to stay indoors because of a lockdown designed to combat the biggest medical crisis in generations?
As more and more countries announced lockdowns for their populations in a bid to stop the spread of COVID, millions of people got ready to deal with a completely different way of life for, what was at the time, an unknown period. Parents home-schooled their children, there was a whole new demographic learning how to bet on sports for the first time, and the famous â and infamous – clubs and bars of Berlin closed their doors.
Less than a year earlier HĂR was launched by two DJs looking to fill what they saw as a gap in the market. The much-loved Berlin Community Radio had shut down only a year earlier because of a lack of funding and, although there were other online radio stations providing a valuable service, there did seem to be something missing from the Berlin electronic music landscape.
Yoni Karako had launched a YouTube channel streaming DJ sets for what he hoped was a loyal community in need of a new way to connect through the mostly techno and house music that Berlin is famed for. DJ and production duo TV.OUT, otherwise known as Ori and Charly, joined as content providers and ended up helping HĂR (it translates as listen in English) become a musical beacon in the darkness of lockdown.
It seems strange now to think that something so live and communal like a DJ playing electronic music to listeners would thrive in such a situation. HĂR had grown a small following before the first lockdown took effect in Berlin in the spring of 2020, but it was when all other avenues for accessing live music were closed that the site and the community really took off.
HĂRâs setup is possibly part of the attraction, especially to its viewers from overseas. Based in a Kreuzberg flat, sparsely lit with minimal dĂ©cor, the DJ booth, as it were, provides an instant Berlin vibe that was produced more from a limited budget than any focus group-led discussions. The fish-eye lens view of a small room inhabited by a DJ, decks, and a plain white-tiled wall background only adds to the aesthetic.
If the camera were turned around the viewer would look out onto the courtyard of the apartment block estate that HĂR calls home. But all attention is on the DJ who more often than not seems to completely forget that they are on screen as they become as lost in the music as everyone watching.
HĂR originally provided live-streamed DJ mixes from Tuesday to Friday between the hours of 4pm and 10pm in respect to their neighbors in the apartment complex. But when DJs were barred from performing sets at the cityâs clubs, like Berghain, the HĂR week was extended to include a Monday and Saturday schedule as well. Soon everyone around the world was getting used to a strange club at home existence and HĂR provided the most authentic Berlin experience around.
The clubbers of the German capital soon hooked into this new way of doing things. But it was the global audience that really took off and proved that there was a need to listen to electronic music in a (kind of) club setting, provided live by a DJ. Whether viewers logged on in an attempt to continue to live their lives as normal as possible or as an escape from everything else that was going on, HĂR was a hit.
The co-founders of this oasis of electronic music soon realized that they had developed a global community much bigger than the Berlin version that they had initially envisaged. Although there was an excellent archive section to catch up on all the latest mixes and performances, it was very noticeable that views spiked at different times during the day as people in different countries and time zones logged in.
Figure 2 When the clubs closed the clubbers had to look elsewhere for their fix
While this online radio station/YouTube channel had initially been set up with the idea of discovering what the Berlin sound was â and if there even is one â HĂR had now become a home for global sounds, providing a wide range of genres all under a larger electronic umbrella. Viewers around the world were all bonded together by their inability to enjoy this kind of music in its natural setting â the club dance floor â but the site had become a very good alternative for discovering new DJs and music.
It has been well documented that the COVID lockdowns saved many millions of lives but there was also a social cost. It may take years before we really understand just how the lockdowns have affected us. But for everyone who lived through that time, these online escapes provided a necessary function. At places like HĂR, we could almost pretend that the outside world didnât exist. All the pain and suffering were forgotten for the minutes and hours we listened to and watched electronic music DJs do what they do best.
The world has now come out on the other side of the lockdowns, even if the threat of another pandemic has not disappeared. But the way that HĂR was able to raise spirits and keep people going in Berlin â and beyond â is a remarkable achievement. Now this new community is growing all the time and the reach of the music is surely beyond the dreams of the people who founded the site just four years ago.
It is not a stretch to claim that HĂR helped keep Berlinâs music scene going during the lockdown â and also introduced an even wider audience to the pleasure that is to be had from listening to live electronic music. Even in this trying economic climate, HĂR seems to be thriving and building an even bigger community. Long may it continue.
