English
While Berlin and music have always gone hand in hand in some way, it is true that summer is perhaps the most propitious time in the German capital for the expression of that condition which, according to Walter Pater seeks all art, these mysteries both abstract and concrete, at a time in which according to the Pythagorean-Hermetic tradition they uncover the secret of the universe. Following the physics of the avant-garde, is it possible that, strictly speaking, all that is and always has been a vibration of strings?
The importance of music in the summer life of the residents of Berlin is seen in the prestigious Citadel Music Festival, which takes place from early June until late August in the imposing Renaissance citadel in the Spandau neighborhood of the German capital. It features a wide and varied range of international artists. The spectrum is truly staggering, and it includes both true living legends of contemporary culture of the past half century, such as Lou Reed or Bob Dylan, as well as new bands which are quite refreshing like the British group Kitty, and Daisy and Lewis, champions since their brilliantly arrogant youth of a stimulating and exciting revival of rockabilly, blues, country, swing, and rhythm and blues. Between these extremes there is also space during the summer months for classics of different genres, those musicians who are reluctant to completely abandon the scene, such as Billy Idol, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Snow Patrol or the ever powerful group The Pogues.
However, within this very extensive program we would like to direct your attention to the Heimspiel festival on July 13 (http://citadel-music-festival.de/events/heimspiel-2012). It will give us the opportunity to check out Germany’s contemporary rock scene, something which is always advisable due to the profound impact that German bands like Popol Vuh, Kraftwerk, Neu!, Amon Düül II or Einstürzende Neubauten have had on the alternative music of the past 40 years and because of the vibrant underground music scene that Berlin had in the last decades of the twentieth century.
The Heimspiel allows us to appreciate the work of six of the most representative bands of contemporary German rock and some of the most beloved among Berliners: Jennifer Rostock, Jupiter Jones, Dendemann, Thees Uhlmann, Ichkannfliegen and Und Freunde. The first are local idols whose audience can easily reach capacity at several successive concerts and they are known to give a majestic, unforgettable trip. With Jupiter Jones, we´re probably talking about the most massively popular group of the bunch, as evidenced by the band’s success last year when their album hit platinum. Perhaps less famous, the rest of the bands have managed to garner a following faithful enough to establish Berlin, although in some cases the bands come from other cities, as their center of operations.
If you rent apartments in Berlin and want to submerge yourself in the atmosphere of the most representative German groups today, don´t miss these concerts.
