A Guide to Berlin's Experimental Music Scene
Concert venues, festivals, listening bars and online resources
Berlin is one of the best cities for live experimental music.
I’ve lived here for 15 years, and even now that I’m spending much time in my rural hideaway, I always make sure to go out for some live music whenever I’m in the city.
Here’s my guide to experiencing live (free) jazz, free improvisation, experimental and New Music in Berlin.
Please note: The lists below are not ranked and not exhaustive!
10 Great Venues
Parameters for inclusion:
regular live experimental and/or improvised music
reasonable admission pricing
diverse, inclusive booking policy
no dresscode, no club door policy
microvenue (capacity up to 150)
no corporate sponsors
preferably non-profit and volunteer-run
seated options (not a hard must, but nice to have)
KM28
Karl-Marx-Str. 28, 12043 Berlin (Neukölln)
KM28 is a volunteer-organized venue that hosts around two to three concerts weekly. An unassuming microspace with a small bar, you will find it in the Reuterkiez neighbourhood of Neukölln, on a high street within walking distance of Hermannplatz. The venue draws a genuinely dedicated crowd of music lovers from all over town.
For out-of-towners the area might feel sketchy at first, but I’ve lived right around the corner for years and never got into any trouble. That part of Neukölln has been going through a gentrification process since the mid-2000s, with all of its usual side effects.
Entry by donation at the door.
Morphine Raum
Köpenicker Str. 147, 10997 Berlin (Kreuzberg)
This hidden gem in Kreuzberg’s Northeast – just across the river from Ostbahnhof – is an industrial studio loft on the first floor in a back yard, run by the electronic music producer Rabih Beaini.
Aside from being used as an actual recording studio and record label office by day, Morphine hosts small concerts from the realm of experimental, electronic and improvised music at night. The venue provides a welcoming atmosphere; that part of Kreuzberg feels relatively safe. It’s quite close to many famous nightlife spots.
Entry is usually €10-15 at the door. Mix of seated and standing options.
silent green
Gerichtstr. 35, 13347 Berlin (Wedding)
This ‘cultural quarter’ on the grounds of a former crematorium hosts two event spaces: Kuppelhalle, a pyramid-shaped smaller room, and Betonhalle, an industrial-style mid-size concert location below ground. The latter is too big to be a microvenue; but there are several possibilities to host intimate shows here as well.
On the compound you will also find Mars, a relaxed café-restaurant with good vegan options, and a bunch of ateliers and office spaces rented out to artists, creatives, non-profits and independent companies.
I sincerely love this place, but I have to warn you to be slightly cautious around the area, especially at night. The venue is located within walking distance of Leopoldplatz, one of the city’s drug hotspots. Don’t let that hold you back from visiting though. The quarter provides a safe space; just be slightly mindful in case you get approached outside of the venue.
Booking a ticket in advance is recommended. Concerts at Kuppelhalle often have a mix of seated and standing options; shows at Betonhalle are typically not seated.
ausland
Lychener Str. 60, 10437 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg)
Located in the souterrain of a former squat house, ausland is a non-commercial microvenue, run independently and supported by a non-profit association. They have some of the most sophisticated programming in town – resistant to hypes and trends, even in the experimental music space.
You will find it right in the heart of Prenzlauer Berg, within walking distance of the ring train stations Schönhauser Allee and Prenzlauer Allee. It’s a safe residential area, with many bars and restaurants around the corner.
Entrance is €10-20 at the door. Mostly seated with a few standing options, but can become quite crowded.
sowieso
Weisestr. 24, 12049 Berlin (Neukölln)
A microvenue dedicated to free jazz and improvised music in the Schillerkiez neighbourhood of northwestern Neukölln, another area that has been going through heavy gentrification for two decades. Run in a former butcher’s shop, the cosy club has been organized by a collective of volunteer musicians for the past few years.
All the relevant names from the city’s free jazz and New Music scene are playing here quite regularly.
Entry by donation at the door, typically on a sliding scale of €8-15.
donau115
Donaustr. 115, 12043 Berlin (Neukölln)
Tucked away in a residential street running parallel to two of Neukölln’s busy and bustling high streets, donau115 is the definition of a lovely little neighbourhood jazz bar.
They have great musicians and bands playing each night from Tuesday to Saturday. Sundays and Mondays are usually off. The style of music played here can skew a bit more ‘trad’ than other venues on this list, but they will occasionally have improv nights and free jazz sessions as well.
Entry by donation, €10-20 are expected. No reservations. Show up early to make sure to get a seat and a table.
exploratorium
Zossener Str. 24, 10961 Berlin (Kreuzberg)
This gorgeous community space recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Located in the heart of Kreuzberg’s fully gentrified Bergmannkiez, it’s dedicated to improvisation in music, dance, poetry, theatre and the visual arts.
They organize concerts, workshops, discussions, courses, open improv sessions – and they even host a small library. Very welcoming atmosphere. Their main hall can host up to 100 attendants for seated concerts.
Admission is usually €5-20, depending on the event. For the workshops, it is mandatory to reserve a slot in advance.
Kühlspot Social Club
Lehderstr. 24, Hinterhof, 13086 Berlin (Weissensee)
One of my favourites. A microspace run by the artist Christoph Kühl in the northeastern residential neighbourhood of Weissensee. That area has provided a rich artist scene for decades, due to the local art school and many small backyard studios. This particular place has been around since the mid-2010s and hosts exhibitions and small concerts, mostly from the realm of free improvisation and free jazz.
I love the atmosphere and the ramshackle furniture of the spot, which can host 70 people; on some weeknights there might just be a handful of people coming out, but that makes the experience all the more intimate.
Entrance fee is usually on a sliding scale of €10-20 at the door.
Panda platforma
Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg)
An alternative art space that hosts exhibitions, discussions, performances and activist events in the Kulturbrauerei, a bigger cultural space on the site of a former brewery in a lively part of the Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood.
Panda has an inclusive atmosphere and inspired music programming including a regular jazz event series (#pandajazz) and a night of free improv sounds set to burning incense (Incense of Music). An explicitly LGBTQI+ friendly spot, it also provides a safe space for refugees from Ukraine and other war-ridden countries every Sunday.
2025 Update – new venue adds!
These event locations have been hosting amazing experimental concerts since this guide was first published in 2024:
Galiläakirche (Friedrichshain)
Kultur-Raum Zwingli-Kirche (Friedrichshain)
Musikbrauerei (Friedrichshain)
Arkaoda (Neukölln)
WestGermany (Kreuzberg)
2026 Update
Philharmonie Berlin
Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1, 10785 Berlin (Tiergarten)
This is clearly not a microvenue, still I wanted to list it as an option. For many concerts, you can get tickets starting as low as €10, and aside from their regular core-classical programming, Philharmonie also hosts experimental and New Music concerts, mostly in the smaller Kammermusiksaal (chamber music hall).
Find the historical building by architect Hans Scharoun close to Potsdamer Platz and Brandenburger Tor, right in the heart of the city.
This is still Berlin, so no need to dress up here either.
(Other recommended places to hear classical and jazz music in audiophile settings would be Pierre Boulez Saal and Konzerthaus, both in Mitte, but both typically a bit more expensive.)
Music Festivals
Yearly fixtures in my personal event calendar.
CTM
What? festival for experimental and electronic music, arts and science
When? late January
Where? various clubs including silent green, radialsystem, Berghain, Morphine Raum, and others
Maerzmusik
What? festival for contemporary and New Music and multi-disciplinary arts
When? March
Where? HQ at Haus der Berliner Festspiele, plus concerts at silent green, radialsystem, and other venues
Xjazz
What? festival for contemporary jazz and jazz-adjacent music
When? weekender in May 2026 (next full scale festival tba)
Where? various Kreuzberg venues and clubs, HQ at Emmauskirche near Görlitzer Bahnhof
Atonal
What? festival for experimental electronic music and visual arts
When? weekender in May 2026 (next full scale festival in August 2027)
Where? Kraftwerk Berlin including Tresor, Globus and Ohm clubs
Festival website
Read my review of Berlin Atonal 2023
JazzFest
What? long-running jazz festival with a focus on avant-garde jazz and free improvisation (formerly Berliner Jazztage)
When? late October
Where? HQ at Haus der Berliner Festspiele, plus other venues and traditional jazz clubs, mainly around Westberlin (Zig Zag, A-Trane etc.)
Online Resources
I regularly use these platforms to find out about upcoming events and concerts in Berlin.
Echtzeitmusik
The most comprehensive online calendar for small-scale experimental and improvised music concerts in Berlin.
field notes
Run by the non-profit association INM (Initiative Neue Musik), field notes is a print magazine and online platform for Berlin's contemporary music scene. Subscribe to the free magazine on their website. Their online event calendar is great too.
Digital in Berlin
DIB is an editorial online platform run by curator Michael Rosen presenting events, concerts and exhibitions in Berlin. Rosen’s Kiezsalon is one of Berlin’s longest-running and – dare I say – best event series for experimental music in changing locations. Always worth a visit!
Newsletters
Berlin-based music journalist Peter Margasak’s Substack newsletter Nowhere Street contains strong event recommendations, including well-written editorials on the artists. I’ve found many great small-scale concerts through this newsletter that weren’t listed in any other resources.
The Next Day Berlin is another beautifully curated newsletter for events in the underground music and arts realm for Berlin. Highly recommended.
Add the newsletters of the venues above plus Field Notes and Digital in Berlin, and you’ll get a pretty comprehensive overview of what’s going on in the city. Sometimes you won’t even be able to decide where to go as there might be six or seven different interesting concerts on the same night…
Oh man, this is such a rich, helpful post. Thank you so much for putting this information together. My wife and I are deciding where to go on our next trip and I think you just helped us make a decision. We'll buy you a drink!
Nice guide! I’m into experimental music and I love the scene in Berlin. I curate some experimental concerts weekly at my newsletter The Next Day Berlin. Thank you!