How Frankfurt became an early techno music hub

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 extremely creative — and one hub of the blossoming techno scene was in 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 about how he and other pioneers of the scene, such as Sven Väth and DJ Talla 2XLC, contributed to shaping the movement back then.

 

DW: Why did techno become so big in Frankfurt of all places?

Alex Azary: Very early on, this was one of the few cities where you could find such an intact, complete scene. This is where the clubs were, the producers, the musicians, the labels, the record stores. In the early 1980s, perhaps five or six cities worldwide had that status.

Another important reason was definitely Dorian Gray, the club at Frankfurt Airport at the time. They always featured the most innovative of all innovative music. It actually started out as more of a continuation of Studio 54 in New York in terms of concept, heavy on the disco. But DJs soon started playing electronic music there.

In this location, with its lights and mood, you just felt something changing in the room when electronic music was playing. It inspired people and also motivated them to keep playing cutting-edge music.

You were part of that scene?

Yes, I was. I clearly remember the first time I went to Dorian Gray. I wasn't 20 yet; I walked into this big club, and when I got to the subwoofer area, I suddenly felt my heart go "pop-pop," racing irregularly — until it suddenly matched the beat.

I walked over to the DJ, who was playing a mix of Planet Rock and Kraftwerk, one merging with the other. I had been watching the record that was playing the whole time, and all of a sudden the DJ lifted the turntable's tone arm and removed the record. I was shocked — the music kept playing anyway. That's when I realized he had made a transition that I hadn't heard. I was hooked.

I started DJing in 1982. In 1984, my friend Talla founded Technoclub. I was also working as a promoter at Dorian Gray and brought Talla in. 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, would fly in from abroad, party and then fly out again.

Frankfurt Airport was an international zone, there was no closing time, so it was possible to open the club around the clock.

And of course, the party people that met there were very illustrious and in high spirits, which made it very special because it was really a melting pot. It was a really important place. Unfortunately, it had to be closed for fire safety reasons.

These days, Berlin is Germany's techno hot spot. Why is that?

There aren't many spaces in Frankfurt. It's difficult for creative people to open clubs and develop a concept of their own. That's why the clubs we have here today are not really about developing the 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 simply matched the music in terms of this industrial look. You can develop something new in such 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 your museum. What's the idea behind MOMEM?

My partner Talla had the idea for this museum. In 2011, he was traveling in Southern Europe with the Goethe-Institut, giving lectures to young people and students. And he was met with so much interest that he called me at some point and said "You know what? Actually, there should be a museum for all of this."

Actually, we see ourselves more as an art and cultural center, because this club culture is very vital and still exists today. It's not something closed, but keeps on spreading. It has since become an international phenomenon.

But the term museum makes it clear that this is an institution, which I think is important, because we're talking about a culture movement that has inspired people and given important impulses to society for 40 years.

Frankfurt's MOMEM currently presents prominent DJs' personal playlists in the exhibition "Milestones — Favorite Club Tracks 1985-2020," along with photographs by international artists.

This interview was originally held in German.