“Rave The Planet”
Rave like in the 90s? Loveparade founder Dr. Moth starts again
STORY: The Loveparade was once a holiday of electronic music and techno culture that was famous beyond the borders of Berlin and Germany. Millions of people from all over the world came dancing on the streets of Berlin – the beat was the common heartbeat. This is the spirit of the Rave The Planet Parade, which paraded through the streets of the capital for the first time on Saturday under the motto “Together again”. According to the police, 25,000 people were registered, but there could be a few more, according to the organizers. The Rave The Planet Parade is not intended to be a revival of the Love Parade, but a new beginning. After all, no one vouches for the quality of the new format less than Loveparade founder Dr. Motte: “In these difficult times, where there are wars, there is a total conflict ‘everyone against everyone’. We want to show that our culture is integrative. It doesn’t matter what skin colour, what politics, what religion – it doesn’t matter. We want to be here our music, our culture that we’ve made for so long, showing it, demonstrating how we envision our future and the here and now because we want to feel it.” According to the organizers, two years of pandemic and “social distancing” have left their mark on society. It’s time to get over the divide and finally get together again. The Rave The Planet Parade is registered as a political demonstration for the “Recognition & preservation of electronic dance music culture as a cultural achievement”. The demands include the nationwide abolition of dance bans, an unconditional basic income for artists and cultural workers, or the introduction of a public holiday for “electronic dance music culture” every year on the second Saturday in July.
When the beat really gets in your stomach and you don’t understand what you’re saying, techno fans really come alive. On Saturday it was time again in Berlin.
Bass like thunder over the Ku’damm, dancing and cheering crowds: tens of thousands met with Loveparade founder Dr. Motte celebrated the new techno extravaganza “Rave The Planet”. Even cool weather and heavy showers hardly dampened the joy of the music fans, some of whom were soaking wet dancing in the rain. The 18 music wagons with around 150 artists got stuck in the crowds at times.
Like the legendary Berlin techno parades of the 1990s, the move was registered as a demonstration. That’s how Dr. Motte because at the beginning also a short speech with political demands. Among other things, he pleaded for an unconditional basic income for artists, for the inclusion of Berlin’s techno culture in the intangible UNESCO cultural heritage and against bans on dancing on Christian holidays. The DJ reminded that the peaceful celebration is against war and violence. DJs from Ukraine should also participate. According to the political paint, an unconditional basic income of 12,000 euros a year should be raffled 25 times.
Several tens of thousands of people visited the Loveparade successor
for dr Motte it was also a gigantic birthday party: the DJ turned 62 on Saturday. The police – with around 600 officers on duty along the seven-kilometer route – counted around 20,000 participants two hours after the start. Apparently, many of them were over 40. Younger people also danced and celebrated, whistled and cheered the music floats. One said “Save our Clubs & music culture”. A few people with prams even ran along. A woman with a baby in her arms danced to the booming beat.
dr Motte, whose real name is Matthias Roeingh, walked the Ku’damm for the first time in 1989 with a few fellow campaigners and a music truck under the motto “Peace, Joy, Pancakes”. Later, the Love Parade developed into a magnet for hundreds of thousands. Then the founder gave up the brand. In 2010, the completely overcrowded Love Parade organized by other organizers in Duisburg ended in disaster. 21 people died and more than 500 were injured.
The organizers emphasize that the start-up has nothing to do with the original event. But the spirit of the Love Parade floated along, especially since Dr. Motte issued the motto “Together again”. The route led from the western Kurfürstendamm via Wittenbergplatz in the direction of Potsdamer Platz and finally to the Victory Column. Celebrations should continue into the evening and then, if necessary, at after-parties.
Police reported no incidents
Even if some participants misbehaved – on Kleiststraße some used the central reservation as a toilet in front of everyone – the mood in the afternoon was relaxed. Many people appeared tipsy, many holding plastic cups and bottles of beer, champagne and energy drinks, as well as fruit juice. The police reported no incidents.
dr Even before the event, Motte had emphasized the good cooperation between his team and the police and fire brigade. A garbage collection campaign was also planned. According to the Berlin city cleaning service, around 110 employees and 50 vehicles were in action.