Meet the Creative Board behind Jägermeister’s new NIGHT EMBASSY in Berlin

Linnea Palmestål

DJ, activist and founder of women’s & non-binary collective No Shade

I’m Linnea Palmestål, a 27-year-old from Gothenburg, Sweden, who moved to Berlin in 2010 and got stuck. I’ve been exploring many different nightlife scenes since I arrived here, often simultaneously since I’m into quite a wide range of music and other forms of art and culture. I naturally ended up connecting with people from different subculture communities that interested me and that I felt a connection to over the years. I co-founded No Shade with some friends, which has now grown into a 16 member collective, party series and mentoring program for female, trans and non-binary DJ’s.

I love collaborations and watching the different skill sets of people come together to create something that wouldn’t have been so easy, or sometimes even possible at all, for a single person to do on their own. It’s of course also way more fun and way less stressful, usually, to do things together as a group, at least if you are surrounded by like-minded people that are also good collaborators.

Lutz Leichsenring

Executive member of Berlin Club Commission

I’m a consultant, keynote speaker and community activist on protecting creative communities. I started my professional career immediately after high school when I built one of the largest platforms for music event listings in Germany. I went on to run a music club and restaurant for six years in South Germany and was also promoting events in Berlin. Since 2009, I’m the spokesman and executive board member for the Berlin Club Commission and fought for the rights of Berlin’s vast underground club scene by organizing protests (Knaack Klub, East Side Gallery, Klub der Republik,…), conferences, workshops and by speaking at round tables and parliamentary committees.

Club culture in Berlin is all about collaboration. The different communities of the city create an experience that has a social, aesthetic and monetary dimension. People don’t want to be entertained; they want to be part of this culture and contribute. I believe that makes Berlin very special and also a role model for other cities in the world.

Dimitri Hegemann

Founder of Tresor

I’m the founder of Tresor Club in Berlin and now a culture manager, giving young creative entrepreneurs a chance to realise their projects.

Berlin has a long tradition of people finding new ways to express themselves. Berlin’s ‘spirit’ really facilitates this. The open-mindedness towards the new makes it possible that so many beautiful projects see the light of day. The most important thing is to give young people a space and just let them work with that and be creative. The rest will happen from there.

For the Night Embassy, I’m looking for candidates with strong legs (laughs). For me, it’s important to see a concept that’s already fleshed out and has some structure. I’d like to see people’s attitude towards keeping the city friendly and clean change, especially from a lot of people coming from all over the world to party here. I see a decrease in respect for the city and the best way we can work against that is to lead by example. Let’s get rid of our own rubbish, pick up that bike that’s fallen over and maintain a friendly attitude towards strangers and visitors.

Bernard Koomson

DJ and founder of artist collective deadHYPE

I’m a DJ and the founder of artist collective deadHYPE. When I got to Berlin, I started doing social media for St. Georg, it’s shut down now. I knew that doing whatever I could for clubs in Berlin was the best way to meet people in music, so that’s what I did outside of my day job.

The most important thing I’ve learned from Berlin’s nightlife is that it’s impossible to do anything alone; you really need the community. It’s not just about making friends; it’s also working and achieving something together. Spaces become really important in Berlin; this initiative is a first step to allow the successful collectives to explore a space and create on their own terms. It’s important, I think, that the concept lives beyond the two weeks {at the Night Embassy} It’s a starting point for them. They should then go and make this happen for themselves as an addition to Berlin’s nightlife.

Christine Kakaire

Music journalist - Red Bull Radio, Crack, Resident Advisor etc

I’ve been involved in Berlin nightlife since the first week I arrived here, 11 years ago. First and always as a punter and consumer. Secondly as a person whose career revolves storytelling in electronic music. Nightlife is a vital part of that.

Berlin nightlife is full of fantastic working artists, but it’s not always easy to get a foot in that door. This project is a structured way to give these up and comers access to the resources, spaces and connections that may be out of their reach. Berlin needs new spaces and more adventurous programming.