Art factory Schlot
The Kunstfabrik Schlot is a jazz club in Berlin-Mitte that has existed since 1993 and offers cabaret as a second program focus. The club is generally referred to by the operators and the public as “the”, sometimes also “the chimney”. Originally founded as a small live stage on the western edge of what was then the Prenzlauer Berg district, the Schlot is one of the large and nationally important event locations of its kind in the German capital after its move to new premises near the Nordbahnhof .
history
Old location and origin of the name
The "old chimney" was located in the building Kastanienallee 29. In the turnaround following years after 1990 originated in this part of Prenzlauer Berg - in continuation of a derived already from the GDR era development - numerous restaurants, entertainment venues and projects of alternative subcultures . Most of these bars and stages operated on the verge of legality, at least in their early years, and were tolerated rather than welcomed by the relevant authorities.
The chimney was no exception: it was founded in March 1993 by Thorsten Hoffmann and Frank Delenschke , who initially opened with a puppet theater program in the backyard of the building, followed by jazz a short time later in the form of a regular jam session . The club gets its name from a chimney that couldn't be overlooked when looking out of the window front over the neighboring roofs. The actual guest room of the old chimney was comparatively small with an area of 65 m², which on many occasions led to overcrowding of the place, but contributed significantly to the "trendy" flair and the steadily growing popularity with the public.
In 1996, Stefan Berker and John Kunkeler took over the chimney, as Delenschke and Hoffmann dedicated themselves to founding another club, the " Kalkscheune ". After the administrative structures in the eastern part of the capital were established, Berker and Kunkeler were asked to look for another location, as living in the backyard with the associated noise pollution for tenants could not be tolerated in the long term. To reduce the noise level caused by the conversations of the guests leaving the restaurant, each guest was given a "white mouse" ( Haribo ) at the exit . When the restaurant license expired , the old chimney was closed at the end of July 1999.
Relocation to Berlin-Mitte
Berker and Kunkeler found a new location in a commercial yard that was being rebuilt at the time in the Mitte district, between Chaussee- , Invaliden- , Eichendorff- and Schlegelstraße. The property had belonged to the Borsig Group in the 19th century , and since the factory production of incandescent lamps in Germany began here, the current owner calls the building complex the Edison courtyards . During the renovation phase, the “new chimney” was the only tenant in the ambitious construction project for a long time. In the meantime, institutions such as the Humboldt University or the Brazilian Cultural Institute and companies such as Sony BMG have also rented premises in the Edison-Höfe.
The new chimney opened on April 5, 2000 after several months of construction work, which the operators did on their own to a large extent. At this point in time, the structural infrastructure in the other Edison courtyards was hardly in place. For example, the “address” of the club changed several times, as the basement rooms were temporarily only accessible via one entrance from the property at Chausseestrasse 18, and later via various properties in Schlegelstrasse and Invalidenstrasse, which guests and artists usually found confusing and amusing and annoyance was occasionally commented on.
Nonetheless, the reopening of the club, which, with its 165 m² dining area alone, is considerably larger than the restaurant on Kastanienallee, was well received by the public and the press. For example, the Berlin city magazine tip commented just a few days after the restart:
" The Kunstfabrik Schlot, which is one of the best clubs for jazz and cabaret in Berlin, is more than twice as spacious - and therefore suitable for larger acts - than the old location in Prenzlauer Berg ... "
while the critics of the Tagesspiegel in the edition of April 10, 2000 emphasized the continuity in the self-image and the artistic line of the club:
“ The chimney is smoking again… The ambience, jazzy and earthy, doesn't care about fashionable concessions. The game plan shows the familiar scheme ... "
jazz
While the chimney at the old location in Prenzlauer Berg served primarily as a platform for the young Berlin jazz scene, the new club quickly became a popular venue for nationally and internationally active musicians. The significantly larger auditorium and, in particular, the comparatively spacious stage have also made the “new chimney” one of the preferred meeting places for the lively big band culture of the metropolis.
As a result, the club's jazz program today includes up-and-coming “newcomers” from all over Europe, most of the established names of the capital's scene and the bands and projects of improvising musicians of numerous styles. Examples include David Liebman , Claudio Roditi , Barbara Dennerlein , Allan Praskin , Jiggs Whigham , Peter Herbolzheimer , Joe Haider , David Friesen , Uwe Kropinski , Billy Bang and the NuBox group around Alois Kott.
The jazz scenes of different European countries were and are presented in the club in more or less regular concert series. In addition to the Netherlands and Italy , the Czech Republic deserves a special mention. In cooperation with the cultural institute of the Czech Republic, the Schlot has presented a band from the neighboring country at least once a month for years. The Berlin offshoot of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival has similarly one of its permanent stages in the vent.
The club has another casual cooperation with Deutschlandradio Kultur ; The radio broadcaster records live concerts several times a year, which are then broadcast - usually with a time delay - excerpts throughout Germany.
The close personal connection between the Schlots and the Berlin Marathon - both operators are passionate runners, and John Kunkeler in particular is involved in many organizational details of the run via SC Charlottenburg - recruits the majority of the bands that can be heard every year along the running route are from the club's music program.
cabaret
Similar to jazz, the Schlot has also provided a permanent venue for many cabaret performers, who have meanwhile become known beyond the borders of Berlin, for sometimes remarkably long periods of time. The Wednesday Conclusion group (with Manfred Maurenbrecher , Horst Evers and Bov Bjerg ) is named simply after the weekly appointment that the trio had in the club's program for years.
The successor to the Wednesday conclusion came at the end of 2004 with the reading stage Der Frühschoppen , which has since become a crowd puller every Sunday and with a monthly changing program in a similar way to the previous ensemble.
The improvisational theater group Gorillas has also made weekly appearances on the Schlot stage for years and, through the element of improvisation, connects the two artistic focuses of the club.
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 31 '49.3 " N , 13 ° 23' 6.8" E