The floor (club)

The floor in Bayreuth was a dance hall with an integrated live club. It existed from 1988 to 1996. The club was operated by Jochen Schoberth ( artwork ). The building also housed the Etage Studios, a recording studio and temporarily a record company under the name Etage Records .

history

The event center was located at Markgrafenallee 44 and was taken over by Jochen Schoberth in 1988. It was usually open every biweekly and was dedicated to a wide range of alternative music . Friday was programmatically designed for indie rock and related things, while Saturday was all about gloomy soundscapes.

The floor became of central importance for the black scene in southern Germany in the 1990s . Announced as Dark Wave / Gothic Dancehall in the winter of 1990, the Danse Macabre Dancehall was developed in the following year in cooperation with Danse Macabre Records .

Acted as DJ u. a. Oswald Henke (DJ Ossi), who offered the audience a mixture of Electro Wave , Gothic Rock , Neoclassic , Neofolk , Ethereal , NDT as well as medieval-inspired and soundtrack-like music on Dark Saturday . The floor gained national fame and attracted visitors from all over the country. Despite its small size, the club was considered "legendary".

“In 1991/92 people from all over Germany came to the discotheque floor . They were often irritated because it wasn't as big as everyone apparently said, but it was somehow cult and had always developed through word of mouth. "

- Bruno Kramm , Danse Macabre Records

At that time, various artists such as Arts and Decay , Girls Under Glass , The Legendary Pink Dots , Das Ich , In the Nursery , The Perc Meets the Hidden Gentleman , Heinrich Beats the Drum , Blurt , Three Chord Wonder, Bellybutton & The performed in the live club Knockwells as well as bands from the Etage Records label such as Goethe's Erben and Catastrophe Ballet.

The floor was closed on May 30, 1996. Years later, Oswald Henke gave a. a. admitted that he had not been able to get used to the change in the audience.

Floor Records & Floor Studios

The floor record company was founded in May 1991 and mainly served as a catch basin for bands that were increasingly dissatisfied with the release policy of the Danse Mababre label. The basis for Etage Records was the amalgamation of the groups Goethes Erben, Catastrophe Ballet, Preachers of Sadness and The Electric Avantgarde.

In addition to Catastrophe Ballet, Preachers of Sadness and Artwork, Goethe's heirs mainly produced some of their early works in the Etage Studios . After all of the bands later went their own way, floor Records ceased to be active in 1993. In 1997, the studio itself seamlessly merged with the newly founded label Etage Music by Schoberth .

Compilations

Four parts of the club's own compilation series appeared at irregular intervals under the name Pièces d'Étage . Part IV was released three years after the club closed.

1991: Pièces d'Étage 1 (LP, Etage Records)
1992: Pièces d'Étage 2: Bizarre Crystals (CD, Dark Star)
1994: Pièces d'Étage 3: Two Worlds (CD, Dark Star)
1999: Pièces d'Étage 4: Janus (CD, Etage Music)

Festivals

in the Club Etage alias "Danse Macabre Dancehall" (Bayreuth)

March 17th, 1991 : Nights of Dawn and Decay (forerunner of the Festival d'Étage )

with Das Ich, Catastrophe Ballet, Le Coup Sauvage and Preachers of Sadness.

August 31, 1991 : Festival d'Étage

with Goethes Erben, Catastrophe Ballet, Preachers of Sadness, The Electric Avantgarde

in the discotheque incident (Bochum-Langendreer)

October 31, 1991 : Floor Festival of Darkness ( Festival d'Étage on tour)

with Goethes Erben, Catastrophe Ballet, Preachers of Sadness, The Electric Avantgarde

in the community center Stollwerck (Cologne Altstadt-Süd)

08/22/1992: Danse Macabre & Etage Records Festival (PopKomm 1992)

with Das Ich, Goethes Erben, Catastrophe Ballet, Printed at Bismarck's Death,

in the youth culture center "Das Zentrum" (Bayreuth)

October 2nd, 2000 : Festival d´Étage

with Catastrophe Ballet, Erblast, Artwork, The Beautiful Disease

October 26th, 2002 : Festival d´Étage II

with Goethe's heirs, your lackeys, artwork and care company

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Joe Asmodo: Interview with artwork. In: Zillo Musikmagazin , edition 9/93, September 1993, p. 40.
“You have to know that I run a recording studio and a small live club with the 'Etage' in Bayreuth. I made almost all of the recordings for Goethe's heirs in the studio. What is now artwork developed very gradually when I took over the 'Etage' in 1988. The 'floor' is something like a forum where musicians meet and exchange ideas. (Jochen Schoberth) "

↑ ^a ^b Alexander Nym: Where from and where? A conversation with Goethe's heirs. In: Alexander Nym (ed.): Shimmering darkness: history, development and topics of the Gothic scene. Plöttner Verlag, Leipzig 2010, ISBN 978-3-86211-006-3 , p. 286.
“The 'Etage' belonged to Jochen Schoberth, I only acted as a DJ there, and this club existed long before 'Dark Saturday 'established. It was an alternative club from the start, where concerts were held at irregular intervals. "(Oswald Henke)

↑ Floor: advertisement. In: Sub Line Musikmagazin , issue 2/94, February 1994, p. 40.

↑ Alexander Nym: Where from and where to? A conversation with Goethe's heirs. In: Alexander Nym (ed.): Shimmering darkness: history, development and topics of the Gothic scene. Plöttner Verlag, Leipzig 2010, ISBN 978-3-86211-006-3 , p. 287.
"Back then, the floor had the reputation of being extremely gloomy, serious and melancholy." (Alexander Nym)

^ Danse Macabre: Advertisement. In: Zillo Musikmagazin , issue 12 / 90-1 / 91, December 1990 / January 1991, p. 26.

^ Judith Platz: The Black Music. In: Axel Schmidt, Klaus Neumann-Braun: Die Welt der Gothics. Scope of dark connotations of transcendence. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 3-531-14353-0 , p. 258.
"A new epicenter was created in Bayreuth in 1990 with the establishment of the Danse Macabre label by Bruno Kramm and the opening of the 'Etage' discotheque."

^ Volkmar Kuhnle: Goethe's heirs. In: Das Gothic-Lexikon , Imprint Verlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-89602-203-2 , p. 117.

↑ Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger: Goethe's heirs. In: The Gothic and Dark Wave Lexicon , Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-89602-277-6 , p. 175.

^ Bruno Kramm: Danse Macabre - The New German Death Art. In: Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger (eds.): Gothic! The scene in Germany from the point of view of its makers. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-332-2 , p. 219.

↑ ^a ^b Thomas Manegold : 10 years of Goethe's heirs. In: Orkus Musikmagazin , issue 12/98, December 1998, p. 111.
“At that time, 'Danse Macabre' essentially included Bruno Kramm, Stefan Ackermann and Oswald Henke. Together they began to immortalize dark music and broken texts by themselves and others on sound carriers. At the same time, they dragged old trees and sacks of leaves to the 'floor' and made the 'Danse Macabre Dancehall' out of it. The small club became a place of worship. Until 1994, Dark Wave, Gothic, Medieval and Neofolk were played there on 'Dark Saturday'. [...] The first “Pièces d'Étage” sampler was still available on vinyl. Umbra et Imago were still called The Electric Avantgarde and Catastrophe Ballet still played Gothic Rock. And they all played on the 'floor'. In the Nursery were there too and the Legendary Pink Dots. [...] The club was owned by Jochen Schoberth. The first Goethes Erben CDs were recorded in his studio. ”(Thomas Manegold)

↑ Danse Macbre: Nights of Dawn and Decay , In: Danse Macabre Magazin , February / March 1991 issue, p. 13.

↑ Robert Rosowski: Interview with Goethe's heirs . In: Entry Musikmagazin , April / May 1998 issue, p. 46.

↑ Wolfgang Schreck: Floor Records. In: EB / Metronom , Edition 36, February / March 1992, p. 34.
“The Bayreuth-based label 'Etage Records' has existed since May 1991. Four bands are currently under contract: Catastrophe Ballet, Preachers of Sadness, The Electric Avantgarde and Goethes Erben. Some of the bands were previously signed to 'Danse Macabre' before they decided to found 'Etage Records'. The label became known through the floor festivals held all over Germany. "(Wolfgang Schreck)

↑ ^a ^b ^c Eric Burton: I don't want to miss a second. In: Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger (ed.): Gothic II. The international scene from the point of view of its makers. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-396-9 , p. 25.
“An evening in Bayreuth from this time is memorable when [...] Messrs. Burton, Henke and Mozart met at the cash desk in the stairwell and spontaneously decided to organize festivals in Bayreuth and Bochum together and to produce a compilation together (for the collectors among you: If you find the "Pièces d'Étage" - Sampler finds it, hold it tight, because there are very few of them!). "(Eric Burton)

[Asmodo40-1] Joe Asmodo: Interview with artwork. In: Zillo Musikmagazin , edition 9/93, September 1993, p. 40.
“You have to know that I run a recording studio and a small live club with the 'Etage' in Bayreuth. I made almost all of the recordings for Goethe's heirs in the studio. What is now artwork developed very gradually when I took over the 'Etage' in 1988. The 'floor' is something like a forum where musicians meet and exchange ideas. (Jochen Schoberth) "

[Nym286-2] Alexander Nym: Where from and where? A conversation with Goethe's heirs. In: Alexander Nym (ed.): Shimmering darkness: history, development and topics of the Gothic scene. Plöttner Verlag, Leipzig 2010, ISBN 978-3-86211-006-3 , p. 286.
“The 'Etage' belonged to Jochen Schoberth, I only acted as a DJ there, and this club existed long before 'Dark Saturday 'established. It was an alternative club from the start, where concerts were held at irregular intervals. "(Oswald Henke)

[3] Floor: advertisement. In: Sub Line Musikmagazin , issue 2/94, February 1994, p. 40.

[4] Alexander Nym: Where from and where to? A conversation with Goethe's heirs. In: Alexander Nym (ed.): Shimmering darkness: history, development and topics of the Gothic scene. Plöttner Verlag, Leipzig 2010, ISBN 978-3-86211-006-3 , p. 287.
"Back then, the floor had the reputation of being extremely gloomy, serious and melancholy." (Alexander Nym)

[5] Danse Macabre: Advertisement. In: Zillo Musikmagazin , issue 12 / 90-1 / 91, December 1990 / January 1991, p. 26.

[6] Judith Platz: The Black Music. In: Axel Schmidt, Klaus Neumann-Braun: Die Welt der Gothics. Scope of dark connotations of transcendence. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 3-531-14353-0 , p. 258.
"A new epicenter was created in Bayreuth in 1990 with the establishment of the Danse Macabre label by Bruno Kramm and the opening of the 'Etage' discotheque."

[7] Volkmar Kuhnle: Goethe's heirs. In: Das Gothic-Lexikon , Imprint Verlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-89602-203-2 , p. 117.

[8] Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger: Goethe's heirs. In: The Gothic and Dark Wave Lexicon , Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-89602-277-6 , p. 175.

[9] Bruno Kramm: Danse Macabre - The New German Death Art. In: Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger (eds.): Gothic! The scene in Germany from the point of view of its makers. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-332-2 , p. 219.

[Manegold111-10] Thomas Manegold : 10 years of Goethe's heirs. In: Orkus Musikmagazin , issue 12/98, December 1998, p. 111.
“At that time, 'Danse Macabre' essentially included Bruno Kramm, Stefan Ackermann and Oswald Henke. Together they began to immortalize dark music and broken texts by themselves and others on sound carriers. At the same time, they dragged old trees and sacks of leaves to the 'floor' and made the 'Danse Macabre Dancehall' out of it. The small club became a place of worship. Until 1994, Dark Wave, Gothic, Medieval and Neofolk were played there on 'Dark Saturday'. [...] The first “Pièces d'Étage” sampler was still available on vinyl. Umbra et Imago were still called The Electric Avantgarde and Catastrophe Ballet still played Gothic Rock. And they all played on the 'floor'. In the Nursery were there too and the Legendary Pink Dots. [...] The club was owned by Jochen Schoberth. The first Goethes Erben CDs were recorded in his studio. ”(Thomas Manegold)

[11] Danse Macbre: Nights of Dawn and Decay , In: Danse Macabre Magazin , February / March 1991 issue, p. 13.

[12] Robert Rosowski: Interview with Goethe's heirs . In: Entry Musikmagazin , April / May 1998 issue, p. 46.

[13] Wolfgang Schreck: Floor Records. In: EB / Metronom , Edition 36, February / March 1992, p. 34.
“The Bayreuth-based label 'Etage Records' has existed since May 1991. Four bands are currently under contract: Catastrophe Ballet, Preachers of Sadness, The Electric Avantgarde and Goethes Erben. Some of the bands were previously signed to 'Danse Macabre' before they decided to found 'Etage Records'. The label became known through the floor festivals held all over Germany. "(Wolfgang Schreck)