travel

There was a time when Germany was about as uncool as it was possible to be. A mixture of national stereotypes, sporting rivalries and our own Second World War superiority complex placed the poor old Germans at the sharp end of our jokes throughout the entire second half of the twentieth century, as a 2003 campaign by their own Goethe Institute pointed out. Just one decade ago, my decision to study German at university was met with a near universal "Why would you want to do a thing like that?".

But jump forward to 2007, and things couldn't be more different. Whether actually down to the campaign by cultural ambassadors the Goethe Institute, or more likely the post-reunification rehabilitation of Berlin into a mecca of budget rental opportunities for the world's creatives, modern day Germany is quite the cultural hub. If you haven't moved to Berlin yourself, then you probably know someone who has: a whole generation are now kicking themselves for not paying more attention to their German lessons at school.

This new and improved image of German cool extends as far as Mexico, where tucked up next to the US border in the city of Juarez there lies the Germanic-themed Hardpop Bundesbar. Using an antiquated typeface, a Kompakt-esque eagle logo and the odd ironically misplaced Eszett and Umlaut, the club draws upon the extraordinary reputation for electronic music that the Germans have acquired in recent years, as well as the stylish simplicity and understated glamour of German design.

Although not exclusively of German extraction, at weekends you can expect to find guests of the calibre of Michael Mayer, James Holden and Troy Pierce taking on the enviable task of entertaining the excitable mixed Mexican and American crowd; Bill Patrick's übercool Robots party meanwhile is soon to start a regular Juarez residency of the New York nightlife staple. Although on a Thursday night, a slightly incongruous soundtrack of Britpop can be heard rinsing the club's soundsystem...

Hardpop Bundesbar website
Goethe Institute website

gemma sheppard, 24th Sep 2007 20:47:20
 

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