Squealing Trains, Smelly Drains

On this episode of Radio Spaetkauf, how did your district vote in the election? Hear Andrew and Maisie reveal some pretty expected results. We discover a chance to rent Angela Merkel's old flat in Prenzlaurer Berg, without her old furniture sadly. Maisie talks about a new threat to develop on Tempelhofer Feld and what you can do about it and Andrew is surprised to see a last stretch of the original Autobahn is soon to be closed. Our main audio segment comes from the fantastic Jöran Mandik and another of his Berlin Audio Tours. It's episode 3 - a tour of the Hufeisensiedlung (Horseshoe Estate). Bruno Taut's architectural marvel in Neukölln. You can partake in the 100% Tempelhofer Feld campaign here http://www.thf100.de Music this week from UK band Crystal Fighters who are touring in Berlin next month and Mary Ocher, a Russian born, Berlin resident.

6 Okt 201323min

Don't worry, that "Go Home Tourrorists" election poster was only a joke by one of Germany's many satirical parties - although it might have been a viable vote-winner if it were real. The election is over, but one group of Germans wants to reform the voting system by gifting their votes to foreigners. We interview the initiator of the Electoral Rebellion program. Berlin's bumpy bike lanes may get smoothed over after the city government pledged €4 million to improve cycle routes across the city. This comes after Berlin was ranked the 24th most cycle-friendly city in Germany - quite far from the top. What's wrong with this poster? A graphic designer found out that using the German flag on a gig poster can incite unpatriotic Germans to tear the offending symbol down. Maisie share her traumatic story of being fined on the S-Bahn for not having a bike ticket, and Joel pours scorn on Robben & Weintjes, the truck rental company that enjoys blowing smoke in your face. Music by Skiing, who are playing a show at Westgermany on September 26. Come along!

22 Sep 201332min

How desperate are Berliners to find an apartment? On this episode of Radio Spätkauf we discuss a new real estate option for those who can’t find a flat - a one-room bedsit inside a shipping container on the outskirts of the city, for €349 a month. Elections are coming up, so we talk about some terrible posters by the CDU, and an embarrassment for the FDP which used the same stock footage as the NPD. Andrew interviews an artist who uses acid to warp street posters and subvert advertising. Our new regular contributor Jöran Mandik takes us on an architectural audio tour of the Amerika-Gedenk Bibliothek, which has a few surprising secrets: there’s a one-person cinema for watching forbidden films, and a piano room where you can practice your scales.

9 Sep 201330min

Görlitzer Park is the feature of this broadcast. One political party, the CDU, think the park has become dangerous and want to close it each night from 11pm to 5am. Another party, the Greens, want to open a Dutch-style marijuana coffee shop in the park. Both plans seem quite different, but have the same goal: to stop drug sales. We discuss how Berlin is turning into a refuge for American political exiles, with the arrival of Jacob Applebaum and other activists escaping the observation state. Also on the show, guest journalist Matthew Tempest interviews author Alan Crawford about Angela Merkel and discovers some surprising facts: on the night the Wall fell, Merkel went to the sauna instead of celebrating.

26 Aug 201326min

It’s election time, and Berlin’s streets are full of political posters. We visit a meeting of the Pirate Party to learn more about who they are and what they stand for. If you’re interested, head along to their weekly English-language meetup at a bar in Neukölln. Police have been conducting raids on Görlitzer Park. One organization, Reach Out Berlin, is protesting against the racial nature of the crackdown. You’ve probably noticed the increase in U-Bahn tickets, but get ready for a 30% increase in haircut costs as hairdressers enjoy a new minimum wage of 6.50 EUR an hour. In a new segment, city planning enthusiast Jöran Mandik takes us on an architectural tour of the Akazienhof, a colorful World Heritage Listed development on the south-east edge of Berlin.

12 Aug 201330min

All this hot weather making you feel frisky? Fancy some outdoor lovin’? Might be worth losing your job first. We discuss Germany's strange laws regarding outdoor sex. Also on the show: a life sentence for Berlin's celebrity bears Maxi and Schnute, bye- bye Festsaal Kreuzberg, and the Mayor of London's love letter to Berlin. Building officially begins on the city's next BER, the Stadtschloss, plus: dirty lakes, and why the Jewish Memorial wasn't built to last. We talk to the people behind the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien's current show - Wir sind hier nicht zum Spaß! - an exhibition revisiting Berlin's nightlife and culture of the 90's http://www.kunstraumkreuzberg.de/start.html and announce a competition for Berlin's ugliest building. This week's song comes from exotic American songstress, Geneva Jacuzzi.

28 Juli 201329min

On this episode of Radio Spätkauf: Can you imagine an advert-free Berlin? The Amt für Werbefreiheit & Gutes Leben can. We talk to them about their campaign to remove advertising from the city's streets. Plus:the mysterious forces at work behind the aborted auction of the Spreepark in Plänterwald, awkward gig venues, Soviet poster boys, kim.com, no more eateries in the Graefekiez & an interview with the folks trying to set up an alternative to GEMA, Germany's main performance rights organisation. All tonight on reboot.fm 11pm and online.....

14 Juli 201328min

For our second summer special, we’ve taken our own advice and journeyed out to the lakes and woods of South East Brandenburg. But before that, we start off in Berlin, where we talk about a new threat to affordable rent, another endangered East German building, why wearing a bike helmet can save you money, and how former Stasi informants make new careers under capitalism. Then we head out to Klingemühle, a former GDR holiday camp in the Naturpark Schlaubetal in Brandenburg. We meet its inhabitants, Buenaventura e.V, who tell us about the camp’s history, what they’re doing there and making the transition from Berlin to the countryside. Plus a child of the GDR talks to us about holidaying in the East and we have a chat with the organisers of Camp Tipsy, the DIY festival in a forest. Campfire songs come from Nadia Buyse and Dirty Beaches.

1 Juli 201331min