Lost and Sound: Berlin, Techno and the Easyjetset

Lost and Sound examines Berlin's electronic music scene and club culture in the post-Wall era. The book focuses on the period after 2000 when low-cost airlines brought waves of international party tourists to the city's techno establishments. Rapp analyzes how this influx of visitors transformed Berlin's nightlife economy and reshaped its cultural identity. Drawing from interviews with DJs, club owners, and scene insiders, he documents the evolution of iconic venues and the emergence of "weekend clubbing" as a tourism phenomenon. Through the lens of Berlin's techno culture, the book reveals broader shifts in European mobility, urban development, and cultural exchange. The narrative traces connections between music, technology, tourism, and gentrification while considering what makes Berlin's club scene unique. The work raises questions about authenticity, belonging, and the sustainability of subcultures in an age of mass tourism and commercialization. Its examination of Berlin illustrates how local creative scenes adapt and persist within global market forces.

Readers appreciate Rapp's insider knowledge of Berlin's club scene and his examination of how low-cost airlines transformed the city's nightlife culture. Several reviewers note the book provides useful context about Berlin's development as a techno destination. Likes: - Clear explanation of Berlin's club entry policies and door culture - Analysis of tourism's impact on local nightlife - Historical details about club venues and key figures - Observations about gentrification and cultural change Dislikes: - Some find the writing style dry and academic - Limited discussion of the music itself - Focus is narrow and centered on post-2000 developments - Short length (under 200 pages) Goodreads: 3.83/5 (61 ratings) Amazon DE: 3.9/5 (13 ratings) "A sober look at how Berlin's techno scene evolved," writes one Goodreads reviewer. Another notes it "reads more like a sociology paper than a music book."

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🎧 The book explores how low-cost airlines like EasyJet transformed Berlin's club scene by making it accessible to weekend partygoers from across Europe, creating a new phenomenon of "techno tourism." 🏛️ Tobias Rapp, a music journalist for Der Spiegel, witnessed Berlin's evolution from a divided city to Europe's electronic music capital firsthand, having lived there since 1991. 🌙 Club Berghain, a central focus of the book, is housed in a former East German power plant and is famous for its notoriously selective door policy, sometimes keeping visitors in line for hours. ✈️ The term "EasyJetset" was coined to describe the new generation of clubbers who could fly to Berlin for less than €100, radically different from the jet-set culture of previous decades. 🎵 The book documents how Berlin's techno scene emerged from the city's unused spaces and abandoned buildings after the fall of the Berlin Wall, creating a unique underground culture that flourished in the absence of strict regulations.