For the restless ones who cannot be stopped by blizzards and sub-zero temperatures, concerts & parties are the best way to escape from the cold outside and boredom at home. Warm up to your favorite sounds at some of the hottest venues in town. 

FRIDAY 08.01

18.00 First Ever Tropical Music Record Fair @ Sameheads

WHY: In case you're into Tropical and Afro Latin music, don't miss this get-together with the likeminded, where you can bring, trade, buy or sell records, listen to music, have some drinks, meet new friends... After the fair, from 23h on, Vulkandance presents South Africa music special. Warm up to the sounds of South African synth, Bubblegum, Jive Soul, Township Disco & House.

Sameheads / Richardstr. 10, 12043 Berlin, U Karl-Marx-Str. / more info

22.00 Kookoo @ OHM

WHY: Night of music and art built on the legacy of Sun Ra; featuring Rabih Beaini's dark wave-krautrock-posteverything-techno set; with visual output by the artists Ink Agop and Yukihiro Taguchi, both working in between the fields of installation and video art, and Carly Fischer who created and captured an eerie landscape inspired by Sun Ra. Mieko Suzuki & Ara, the two hosts of the KOOKOO nights, join in and chant along with their own selection of unfamiliar sounds.

OHM / Köpenicker Str. 70, 10179 Berlin, U Heinrich-Heine-Str. / more info

SUNDAY 10.01

19.00 Mary Ocher & Your Government album release show + performance art pieces by King Khan & Boesediva @ Roter Salon / Volksbühne

WHY: Mary Ocher + Your Government present their new self-titled album with experimental performance pieces by special guests. The album is out January 7th on Klangbad label. King Khan presents ''Fun'' - a debut performance art piece, while Boesediva - the performane art duo - will be presenting a ceremonial intervention including "something silvery and made of plastic".

Roter Salon / Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 1, 10178 Berlin, U Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz / more info 

WEDNESDAY 13.01

21.00 You Don't Really Know Me: M.E.S.H. @ Monarch

WHY: For this month's edition of YDRKM, Monarch Berlin invited M.E.S.H. to play music he would usually not play in a club; music that informs the roots of his style. Alongside fellow members of Janus collective, M.E.S.H. is known for his futurist approach to club dynamics and production. In addition to his club experience, his work is equally well contextualized by his community of peers – he is a frequent collaborator with the artist Aleksandra Domanović, has exchanged remixes with Arca and Fatima Al Qadiri, and is a formative figure in an ascendent community of net aware underground club artists in Berlin.

Monarch / Skalitzer Str. 134, 10999 Berlin, U Kottbusser Tor / more info

THURSDAY 14.01

19.00 Singing the War @ Haus der Kulturen der Welt

WHY: „Singing the War“ explores the complex relationship between war and music: how is music employed for propaganda purposes, fomenting war fever? Can war experiences be represented musically? Three days of concerts, performances, installations, expert talks, workshops, films; with Laibach, Songhoy Blues, Tobago Crusoe and the Kalypso Katz, Hauschka, Barbara Morgenstern, wittmann/zeitblom with Cobra Killer and Blake Worrell (Puppetmastaz), and many others.

Haus der Kulturen der Welt / John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin, Bus 100 / more info 

19.00 Concert & Drinks: Jazz Nights w/ Jazz-Institut-Berlin @ Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle

WHY: In the frame of the ongoing exhibition, "Jackson Pollock's 'Mural': Energy Made Visible", students of the Jazz Institute Berlin will play Swing, Modern Jazz and Improvisation; with Olga Amelchenko, alto saxophone/ Musina Ebobissé, tenor saxophone/ Fyodor Stepanov, double bass/ LudwigWandinger, drums. ArtCafé at the Deutsche Bank KunstHalle will serve drinks and snacks.

Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle / Unter den Linden 13-15, 10117 Berlin, U Französische Str. / more info

FRIDAY 15.01

18.00 transmediale + CTM Vorspiel @ ACUD MACHT NEU

WHY: Vorspiel is the pre-festival program leading up to transmediale/conversationpiece and CTM – New Geographies from 15.01 until 07.02, which brings together cultural institutions, independent spaces, and individuals dealing with digital culture. The opening event will take place on 15.01 at ACUD MACHT NEU, with a panel discussion, artist talk, performances, installations, and afterparty.

ACUD MACHT NEU / Veteranenstr. 21, 10119 Berlin, U Rosenthaler Platz / more info