- Prince Charles has been known to divide opinion between Berlin clubbers. This might be because it's less gritty than some of the other clubs, but, for me, its punchy soundsystem and inclusive vibe match up with the city's best. Last Saturday, Crate Diggers took over the space. The concept behind the Portland-based gatherings, run by Grimy! head-honcho Zernell Gillie in partnership with Discogs, is simple: there's a record fair during the day, followed by a party at night. The events are always free and feature renowned record dealers. For their European debut, Gillie was joined by Chicago's Jamie 3:26 alongside Three Chairs members Marcellus Pittman and Theo Parrish, with Lakuti warming up.
The daytime section was suitably laid-back, with punters milling in and out of Prince Charles's expansive courtyard, making the most of a balmy September afternoon. Vast collections of vinyl, ranging from rare disco to prog-rock, were picked through, while local DJs played smooth disco and house in the background. A couple of other vendors also had stalls set up, including Berlin's OYE Records and Jerome Sydenham's label, Ibadan.
After a quick dinner, I returned to the club around midnight to find the party in full swing. Gillie, Pittman, Parrish and Jamie 3:26 were already nearly two hours into their four-way back-to-back, building a loose, carefree vibe that was easy to get onboard with. In the booth they looked like old friends catching up, and this affection spilled out into the crowd. '70s funk cuts such as People's Choice's "Jam Jam Jam (All Night Long)" were cheered in, sounding right at home alongside '90s house bangers like Boo Williams' "Snare Tappin" and more recent tracks, such as Alton Miller's "Kind Of Afro Red" on NDATL Muzik.
Parties of this nature, where dance music legends throw down their favourite records in a relaxed, communal setting, have a feel-good atmosphere that's hard to describe. DJs like these have a way of making you feel completely at home when they play, even more so when they're constantly trying to one-up each other. They repped their cities with pride: Detroit favourites like Parrish's trippy "Synthetic Flemm" and Rick Wilhite's "Drum Patterns & Memories (Moodymann Mix 2)" received some of the warmest responses of the evening. Around 4AM, I stumbled across a small crowd gathered around a saxophonist, who was jamming in one of the club's hallways. His friends said he'd felt so inspired by the energy from the night, he couldn't help himself.
Photo credits /
Tom Cox