How Frankfurt became one of the first centers of techno music
The techno music genre emerged in the 1980s when electronic music pioneers like Kraftwerk inspired young music producers to experiment with synthesizers and turntables. Detroit was way ahead at the time, but Europe was also wildly creative – and a center of the burgeoning techno scene was Frankfurt am Main.
Since 2022, Frankfurt has been home to the Museum of Modern Electronic Music (MOMEM), the first museum of its kind in the world. MOMEM director Alex Azary told DW how he and other pioneers of the scene such as Sven Väth and DJ Talla 2XLC contributed to shaping the movement at that time.
DW: Why did techno become so big in Frankfurt?
Alex Azary: Very early on, this was one of the few cities where you could find such an intact and complete scene. That’s where the clubs, the producers, the musicians, the record companies, the record stores were. In the early 1980s, perhaps five or six cities around the world had this status.
Another important reason was definitely Dorian Gray, the Frankfurt airport club at the time. They always came up with the most innovative music ever. It actually started out more as a continuation of Studio 54 in New York in terms of concept, heavy on the record. But DJs soon started playing electronic music there.
In this place, with its lights and mood, you just feel something changing in the room when the electronic music plays. It inspired people and also motivated them to keep playing cutting-edge music.
Were you part of that scene?
Yes I was. I clearly remember the first time I went to Dorian Gray. I wasn’t yet 20; I walked into a large club, and as I reached the subwoofer area, I suddenly felt my heart go “pop-pop”, speeding up irregularly – until it suddenly matched the beat.
I walked over to the DJ, who was playing a mix of Planet Rock and Kraftwerk, one blending into the other. I was watching the record that was playing the whole time and all of a sudden the DJ lifted the arm of the turntable and removed the record. I was shocked – the music kept playing anyway. That’s when I realized he had made a transition I hadn’t heard. He was trapped.
I started DJing in 1982. In 1984 my friend Talla founded the Technoclub. I also worked as a promoter at Dorian Gray and brought Talla. From 1987 until the end of 2000, we hosted the Technoclub there and all the big raves.
That club was unique in the world. Many people, including the DJs, flew in from abroad, partied and then flew back.
Frankfurt airport was an international zone, there was no closing time, so it was possible to open the club 24 hours a day.
And of course, the party-goers who were there were very distinguished and high-spirited, which made it very special because it really was a cultural melting pot. It was a very important place. Unfortunately, it had to be closed for fire safety reasons.
Nowadays, Berlin is the techno hot spot in Germany. Why is that?
There are not many spaces in Frankfurt. It’s hard for creative people to start clubs and develop a concept of their own. That’s why the clubs we have here today aren’t really for developing music; they mainly want to sell drinks. And that’s a big problem.
In Berlin, on the other hand, things really took off after the Wall came down. From old warehouses and factories to gas works, they had spaces that just matched the music in terms of that industrial look. You can develop something new in these spaces. Unfortunately we don’t have any of that here.
For about a year now, techno fans have had a reason to come to Frankfurt once again with its museum. What is the idea behind MOMEM?
My partner Talla came up with the idea for this museum. In 2011 he toured southern Europe with the Goethe-Institut, giving talks to young people and students. And he was met with such interest that he called me at some point and said, “You know what? Actually, there should be a museum for all of this.”
In fact, we see ourselves more as a center of art and culture, because this club culture is very vital and still exists today. It’s not something closed, but it keeps spreading. Since then, it has become an international phenomenon.
But the term museum makes it clear that it is an institution, which I think is important, because we are talking about a cultural movement that for 40 years has inspired people and given important impulses to society.
Currently, Frankfurt’s MOMEM features personal playlists by prominent DJs in the exhibition “Milestones – Favorite Club Tracks 1985-2020”, along with photographs of international artists.
This interview was originally conducted in Germany.
Source: DW
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