log_2024_02_12 // ZUCKER CLUB† (2012 | DJ SET)

This is a recording of my very last time spinning records at ZUCKER Club in June 10, 2012. The first DJ gig I had there was in November 2009, followed by an intense and nurturing time as member of the collective.

ZUCKER had to close its doors a few weeks later in summer 2012 and since then an amazing community of people are still working on reopening this place at another location – a former bunker in Bremen. Being this dedicated and taking the ongoing support of the cities community in consideration reveals this place still means a lot for people in Bremen. Currently they are located at p.ara.

The mix is a personal compilation of my favourite productions from that time and a tribute to the moments that made this place special. A place where you would find yourself on the dance floor, excited about the next record to be mixed in. Knowing that the night would last at least one track longer, while the sunlight was already streaming through small cracks in the wall and slipping through the doors and covered windows. Moments like this, when the night manager sends the security staff home, closes the door and joins the crowd themself, have led to many magical communal gatherings of wholehearted individuals.

I can get quite nostalgic as I spent almost all my weekends and weekdays in this place. Either behind the bar, at the entrance, behind the booth, on the dance floor or in the office. It was the first place where I finally felt safe, surrounded by like-minded people, dancing the way I wanted to, far away from heteronormative norms and aggressive behaviour caused by masculine insecurities and toxicity. It was the place where I learned that people choose their own pronouns. Thank you Kriz for everything you have made possible for all of us.
The house rules were written on the wall at the entrance. Simple and now part of almost every event invitation: NO room for homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism and anti-Semitism!

Reflecting back, while I have many wonderful memories, the danger of nostalgia is to forget the time and energy we had to invest in discussions to address various issues. Despite the common ground we shared, there was a lot of work to be done on issues such as gender representation, door policies and, unfortunately, drug abuse and alcoholism. The latter was an occasional source of conflict. The line-ups were mostly male, although trans/female DJ workshops were facilitated and rules for curating a line-up were established.
These were not the reasons for closing the venue. Problems with the landlord, a lack of alternative locations and funding put an end to ZUCKER.

Tracklist: