Ultraschall (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Ultrasound Ultrasound is sound with frequency, frequencies greater than 20 Hertz, kilohertz. This frequency is the approximate upper audible hearing range, limit of human hearing in healthy young adults. The physical principles of acoustic waves apply ...

, ) was a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany from 1994 to 2003. The

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

club belonged, besides the ''

Tresor TRESOR (recursive acronym for "TRESOR Runs Encryption Securely Outside RAM", and also the German word for a safe) is a Linux kernel patch which provides encryption using only the CPU to defend against cold boot attacks on computer systems by perf ...

'' and ''

E-Werk E-Werk may refer to of a number of music venues across Germany, including *E-Werk (Berlin) E-Werk was a techno music club in Berlin, Germany that was held in a former electrical substation called ''Abspannwerk Buchhändlerhof''. Located near Chec ...

'' in Berlin, the ''

Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is an 1890 philosophical fiction and Gothic horror novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly M ...

'' and ''Omen'' in Frankfurt, and the Munich-based clubs ', ''

Natraj Temple Natraj Temple [] was a nightclub in Munich, Germany from 1996 to 2008. Germany's first steady psytrance nightclub belonged, besides the ''Tresor (club), Tresor'' and ''[E-Werk'' in Berlin, the ''Dorian Gray'' and ''Omen'' in Frankfurt, and the M ...

'' and ''Millennium'', to the most renowned clubs of Germany's 1990s techno culture. According to ''FazeMag'', Ultraschall was "for many techno fans the most authentic techno club alongside the Tresor".

History and description

Origins

The origins of the club lie in the monthly Ultraworld parties on the grounds of an alternative cultural center in Munich's

Oberföhring Bogenhausen (Central Bavarian: ''Bognhausn'') is the 13th borough of Munich, Germany. It is the geographically largest borough of Munich and comprises the city's north-eastern quarter, reaching from the Isar on the eastern side of the Englischer ...

borough, which was called ''Kulturstation'' and often also hosted punk concerts. The techno club nights were inspired by the nascent techno scene in Berlin and especially the clubs ''Tresor'' and ''Planet'' at that time. Because of the popularity of the parties and the lack of ventilation, the music had to be interrupted every two hours and to open the windows in order to supply sufficient oxygen.

Ultraschall I

On 17 June 1994 the first Ultraschall club was opened by Peter Wacha, David Süss and Dorothea Zenker in the former canteen kitchen of the recently decommissioned Munich-Riem Airport. The club is considered to be the first pure techno club in Munich, after earlier clubs in the city also had other music genres in their program besides techno (such as ''Parkcafé'', ''Nachtwerk'', ''Pulverturm'', ''Tanzlokal Größenwahn'' or ''

Babalu Club Babalu Club was one of the most well-known nightclubs of the early German techno scene and was located in Munich's Schwabing district from 1990 to 1994. The Babalu Club is considered to be the club that introduced the concept of afterhours in Ge ...

''). At the opening gig,

Jeff Mills Jeff Mills (born June 18, 1963, in Detroit, Michigan), also known as "the Wizard", is an American DJ, record producer, and composer. In the late 1980s Mills founded the techno collective Underground Resistance with fellow Detroit techno pro ...

still played in front of only 120 paying guests and decided not to charge anything, but a few months later the club took off and became a grand success. A special feature of the club was that it was completely coated with white ceramic tiles. Moreover, large parts of the club were fitted out with spaceship decorations taken from the science fiction movie ''The High Crusade''. With such

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

decorations, and the overall concept of an "world of experience", where beyond the music also light installations and

video art Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting. V ...

played an important role, Ultraschall achieved international fame. The crew members and resident DJs of the club included

DJ Hell Helmut Josef Geier (born 6 September 1962), known professionally as DJ Hell, is a German DJ. Biography 1970s and 1980s DJ Hell described his musical beginnings in an interview with '' The European'', telling them “I was socialized with Ge ...

Monika Kruse Monika Kruse (born 23 July 1971) is a German techno DJ/producer and record label owner, with a career in electronic music spanning more than 25 years. She played an influential role in the early Munich rave scene during the early 1990s and was am ...

, Richard Bartz and

Acid Maria DJ Acid Maria, born Angelika Lepper, is a German DJ and music producer of electronic music. Her musical style is between techno and Chicago house. She became famous as the house DJ of the Munich clubs Ultraschall and Harry Klein. Career Her ca ...

. There was no headliner at Ultraschall; no one told the DJs who had to play when and for how long, they had to decide among themselves. The parties at Ultraschall were notorious for being experimental and wild. According to Monika Kruse "one day the whole dancefloor was arranged as a giant bed. People came around to consume mushrooms, or just brought along their

bong A bong (also known as a water pipe) is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. In the bong shown in the photo, the smoke flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right ...

s with them. They all lied on the floor and chatted". As the area of the former Munich Airport was needed for the planned new borough

Messestadt Riem Messestadt Riem (literally: Convention City Riem; Central Bavarian: ''Messestod Ream'') is an urban district in the east of Munich. It is part of the Trudering-Riem, municipality 15 Trudering-Riem, and located entirely on the grounds of Munich-Rie ...

, the Ultraschall I and all other clubs and halls on the compound had to close in summer 1996.

Ultraschall II

The complete party area of the Riem airport now moved to the ''Kunstpark Ost'', a former factory site of 90.000 m² close to the Ostbahnhof train station in Munich's

Berg am Laim Berg am Laim (Central Bavarian: ''Berg am Loam'') is a southeastern borough of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Notable landmarks * Das Kartoffelmuseum * Erzbruderschaft St. Michael * Innsbrucker Ring * Innsbrucker-Ring-Tunnel * Kultfabrik * Leuchten ...

district. Ultraschall was re-opened there by Michi Kern and colleagues in the former potato drying facility of the

Pfanni The Pfanni GmbH & Co. OHG is a German Food industry, food manufacturer based in Stavenhagen. It specializes in the manufacturing of kitchen ready potato products. It is a subsidiary of Unilever since 2000. History The company was founded on Sept ...

factory on 13 September 1996. The new premises were much larger than the first Ultraschall and allowed to establish two dance floors. The main floor was located in the factory's former swimming pool for washing potatoes and, as with the first Ultraschall club, was completely lined with white ceramic tiles and divided by columns. The floor tiles were later covered by a wooden floor. The space, characterized by simple geometric shapes, had the ambience of an industrial production site, but due to its strong angularity it did not have the atmosphere of a warehouse club. The main floor was known for the cold clanking sound, as well as for the wooden floor which was vibrating strongly due to the basses. Due to its decoration with green

flokati A flokati rug is a woven wool rug. They are shaggy in appearance, and are thick and soft. Modern wool or synthetic rugs may be purchased in a variety of colours. Name The word comes from the Aromanian language, Aromanian ''floc'', from Latin ''f ...

, the second floor became known as the ''Green Room''. Since 1998 this room served as a home base for the popular ''Flokati House Club'', which was initiated by

Tobi Neumann Tobi may refer to: Palau * Tobi (island), island in the Palauan state of Hatohobei * Tobian language, the language of Tobi * Hatohobei, an island and the southernmost of Palau's sixteen states Media and entertainment * ''Tobi!'', a 2009 tel ...

and in the 2000s moved on to the ''Harry Klein Club'' when Ultraschall closed. On Saturdays, the green room served as the

chill out Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...

for the ''Main Floor'', which provided space for 1,500 people and where international acts such as

Carl Craig Carl Craig (born May 22, 1969) is an American electronic music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. He is known as a leading figure and pioneer in the second wave of Detroit techno artists during the late 1980 ...

, Jay Denham or

Green Velvet Curtis Alan Jones (born April 26, 1968), better known by his stage name Green Velvet, is an American disc jockey, singer and record producer. He is also known as Cajmere, Geo Vogt, Half Pint, Curan Stone, and Gino Vittori. Early life Curtis Ala ...

played. Just as the Ultraschall I, its successor put a lot emphasis on decoration, light installations and

by the ''Highflyer'' crew, and both incarnations of the club are considered as being some of the best decorated venues of all time. When the ''Kunstpark Ost'' party areal had to close on 31 January 2003, Ultraschall had to close as well.

DJs and legacy

DJs and live acts who played at Ultraschall include international acts such

Underground Resistance Underground Resistance (commonly abbreviated to UR) are an American musical collective from Detroit, Michigan. Producing primarily Detroit techno since 1990 with a grungy four-track musical aesthetic, they are also renowned for their militant ...

Miss Kittin Caroline Hervé (born 15 July 1973), known professionally as Kittin, is a French electronic music producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worke ...

The Hacker Michel Amato, better known by his stage name The Hacker, is a French electroclash and techno producer who has worked extensively with Miss Kittin. His work has been influenced by electronic artists like Kraftwerk, new wave artists such as the ...

Blake Baxter Blake Baxter (born 1963) is an American techno musician, associated with the first wave of Detroit techno. AllMusic called him "perhaps the most underrated figure" of the early Detroit techno scene.John Bush, Blake Baxterat AllMusic Baxter wa ...

Robert Hood Robert Hood (born 1965) is an American electronic music producer and DJ. He is a founding member of the group Underground Resistance as a 'Minister of Information' with Mad Mike Banks and Jeff Mills. He is often considered to be one of the fo ...

Anthony Rother Anthony Rother (born 29 April 1972) is an electronic music composer, producer and label owner living in Frankfurt, Germany. Music style Rother is considered a pioneer of a form of electronic music that developed in Europe in the 1990s, which co ...

Joey Beltram Joey Beltram (born November 6, 1971) is an American DJ and record producer, best known for his pioneering singles "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm" and for remixing Human Resource (band), Human Resource's "Dominator (Human Resource song), Dominator". ...

Umek Uroš Umek (; born May 16, 1976), better known as DJ Umek or simply UMEK, is a Slovenian dance music producer and DJ. Musically active since 1993, he is the owner of several techno record labels. In 1999 he founded Consumer Recreation and Recycle ...

Chris Korda Chris Korda (born 1962) is an American artist, electronic musician, software developer, and environmental activist, best known as the leader of the Church of Euthanasia. Korda's work combines provocative performance art with political and environ ...

Chicks on Speed Chicks on Speed is a feminist art music ensemble, formed in Munich in 1997 at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. Though Chicks on Speed reached cult status throughout the 2000s and became most well known as catalysts of the musical genre electroc ...

I-F I-f (also Interr-Ference) is the stage name of Ferenc E. van der Sluijs, a Dutch producer and DJ based in The Hague. He is a former member of the Dutch techno-pioneers Unit Moebius. Overview In 1997 he produced the track "Space Invaders Are S ...

Adam Beyer Adam Thomas Beyer (born 15 May 1976 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish electronic dance music producer and DJ. Originally starting his musical journey in the techno scene, over the last decade he has made a gradual shift playing everything betw ...

Cari Lekebusch Cari Lekebusch (born 1972) is a Swedish electronic music producer and disc jockey, DJ based in Stockholm. His productions range from techno to hip hop music, hip hop. He owns a record label, H. Productions, founded and managed by himself. The orig ...

Marco Carola Marco Carola (born February 7 of 1975, Naples, Italy) is an Italian electronic musician and DJ, who started DJing at 15 years old when he bought his first set of turntables. Career Carola has been releasing music on labels such as Minus, Plus ...

Ian Pooley Ian Pooley (born Ian Pinnekamp in 1973) is a German record producer and DJ. While incorporating samples of various musical genres, Pooley's creations are usually classified as house or tech house with Brazilian influence. Biography Pooley's mu ...

, Cristian Vogel,

John Tejada John Tejada (born 21 April 1974) is an Austrian-born American electronic music producer and composer. Tejada's output of music began in 1994, including four albums for Kompakt, plus releases on Pokerflat, Cocoon, Plug Research, Seventh City, Playho ...

The Advent The Advent is a British electronic music act. It was founded in 1993 by Cisco Ferreira and Colin McBean. Soon after leaving school, Ferreira began working as an engineer at Jack Trax Records, a job which enabled him to glimpse first-hand the wor ...

, Jay Denham,

Anthony Shakir Anthony "Shake" Shakir, who also uses the aliases Sequence 10 and Da Sampla, is an American techno producer, best known for his contributions to Detroit techno. Shakir began producing in 1981, and worked with Detroit musicians such as Derrick M ...

, DJ Tanith,

Robert Görl Robert Görl (born 15 June 1955 in Munich) is a German musician, best known for his work with Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (D.A.F.) and for his solo recordings, particularly ''Night Full Of Tension'' and "Darling Don't Leave Me" (togethe ...

, Johannes Heil, Electric Indigo, among many others. The club also launched the careers of many of its residents, some of which became important representatives of the German techno scene themselves. Famous resident DJs of Ultraschall include

, Richard Bartz,

and

. Ultraschall and Munich-based techno labels such as

International DeeJay Gigolo Records International DeeJay Gigolo Records is a German electronic music record label run by techno artist DJ Hell (real name Helmut Geier). The label was founded in Munich in 1996 by DJ Hell and DJ Upstart as an affiliate of label Disko B. It is Germany ...

Disko B Disko may refer to: *Disko Island or ''Qeqertarsuaq,'' in Baffin Bay, Greenland * Disko, Indiana, a small town in the United States *The character Disko Troop in the book ''Captains Courageous'' * Disk'O, a type of amusement ride manufactured by Za ...

and ''Kurbel Records'' formed a close network, and the club was used as a test platform for all new records of these labels. Further the club was used by the labels to get to know and enlist guest DJs, such as for example

or Abe Duque.

Successors

In the converted halls of the ''Ultraschall II'' main floor, on 12 March 2005 the ''Octagon'' club opened, after a club called ''Phosphor'' had tried a fresh start there in 2004. One part of the Ultraschall crew opened the much smaller Harry Klein Club, which can be seen as a successor of the ''Green Room'', and became one of the world's most popular clubs as well. The other part of the Ultraschall crew opened the club Rote Sonne, which reminds of the ''Ultraworld'' and also became one of Europe's most popular techno clubs. In the 2010s, the ''Nox Club'' was the last venue that resided in the former bar area of the Ultraschall, before the factory building was demolished in January 2016, in order to create space for the planned ''Werksviertel'' working and residential district.

Gallery

Ultraschall Club Munich 2001 08.jpg Ultraschall Club Munich 2001 04.jpg Ultraschall Club Munich 2001 07.jpg Ultraschall Club Munich 2001 06.jpg Ultraschall Club Munich 2001 09.jpg Ultraschall Club Munich 2001 10.jpg Ultraschall Club Munich 2001 12.jpg Ultraschall Club Munich 2001 11.jpg Ultraschall Club Munich 1997 Bar.jpg , Bar Ultraschall Club Munich 1997 DJ Booth.jpg , DJ Booth Ultraschall Club Munich 1997 Mainfloor.jpg , Mainfloor Ultraschall Club Munich 1997 Green Room.jpg , Green Room

Literature

*Mirko Hecktor, Moritz von Uslar, Patti Smith, Andreas Neumeister: Mjunik Disco – from 1949 to now (in German). Blumenbar Verlag, München 2008, .

References

External links

* * (archived from 2003)
Red Bull Music Academy: Nightclubbing: Munich’s Ultraschall

Virtual Ultraschall I 1995

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Virtual Ultraschall II 2001
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QuickTime QuickTime (or QuickTime Player) is an extensible multimedia architecture created by Apple, which supports playing, streaming, encoding, and transcoding a variety of digital media formats. The term ''QuickTime'' also refers to the QuickTime Pla ...

Plug-in)
Latex live at Ultraschall II
(YouTube) {{Coord, 48, 7, 24, N, 11, 36, 30, E, region: DE-BY_type:landmark, display=title Nightclubs in Munich Electronic dance music venues Buildings and structures in Munich Music venues in Munich Culture in Munich Demolished buildings and structures in Munich Buildings and structures demolished in 2016