Music

Copenhagen has an almost brand new opera house. I have an excellent view of it from my office, and in my opinion it looks like a very large hat that someone has placed on the horizon of the city. And though the inside of the building is quite stunning, catching a performance there is definitely in the more expensive category of entertainment.

Luckily it is possible to find offers of fine art such as opera and poetry elsewhere, and – might I add – at a more affordable price. In an abolished church on Møllegade lies Literaturhaus. The place harbours a variety of events from readings by national and international writers, poetry duels, discussions, opera improvisation and stand-up opera – both of which can be rather overwhelming experiences – to electronic ambient and presentations of new releases of classical music.

Listening to, or rather experiencing opera at Literaturhaus is very different from going to an opera, and you don’t even have to be a huge fan of the genre to be impressed and enjoy yourself.

The original reason that I know of this place is less poetic: the owner rents out the church for social events, and my friends and I rented it some years back for a large party.

Prices too are in a completely different league than the big opera house.

Check out the program on Literaturhaus’ website. Unfortunately not all of it is translated into English, but some is.

When it comes to street parties, Copenhagen is definitely on the top of the list of European cities organizing them. Starting from the end of April the various festivals take over the city, whether it’s just a block or one street, or, like when it comes to Distortion -time, the whole city. The official motto of the event is “Celebrating Copenhagen Street life and Modern Party Culture”, and it truly describes the event as perfectly as its name.

Since 1998 has Distortion been making the city party like there’s no tomorrow. It all started with just a one day -event “celebrating all fun and new in Copenhagen night life” , and has ever since widened to cover the city for five days, one neighborhood at a time. The party starts on Wednesday the 30th of May 2012 and it all ends on Sunday the 3rd of June at Islands Brygge for a huge chill -out event.

In 2011 there were over 157 dance floors and approximately 130.000 people attending, with over 285.000 visits. This is THE party of the year you don’t want to miss out on! So what to expect? Loads of all sorts of music and DJ’s, crazy amounts of people, fantastic atmosphere and five days of partying. As the Distortion -people say: “Behind all the arts & culture & society crap: Distortion is just a party – we want you to forget who you are and where you are – and to feel touched by the magic finger of Freedom”.

I don’t think the glass front with the crack over the door has ever been cleaned. The glass is so dirty that you can only just make out the name written in large black wooden letters: Drone. Inside everything is black except for where the paint has been worn off, and the toilets in the basement are battered. At some point someone, if not yourself, will spill beer on your shoes and the floor will feel slightly sticky. Who cares?

I don’t come here because of the decor, but because the DJs play excellent music.

The downstairs bar is lit by candles and panels with colored lights in the walls, there’s a small dance floor, and smoking is allowed. Upstairs there are chairs and tables and no smoking.

Drone calls itself a rock bar, and they do play some rock but also a lot of indie and alternative music, and the crowd usually looks more indie than rock.  It’s a mix of DJs and bands, admission is free, and prices are acceptable : beer is about KR 25.00, cocktails KR 65.00 – KR 90.00.

Copenhagen is a very, very good city for lovers of vinyl.

Several music stores have well-stocked vinyl departments, and finding stores with second hand vinyl is easy.

One of the indisputably best vinyl stores in the city is Route 66, where I have bought countless records. They have an excellent selection of new vinyl: not just the bands you already know but also underground music and local bands which the store releases on its own record label, Danish Vinyl Production.

The basement is filled with second hand vinyl, so happy hunting.

The window is packed with the newest releases and reprints. Be careful when you enter the shop, there’s a good chance you’ll lose track of time and spend far more time (and money) in there than intended, but that’s what happens when you stand alongside like-minded people shuffling through record boxes and listening to whatever the owner is playing at that moment. On vinyl, of course (CDs are not allowed into this particular store).

One of Copenhagen’s best live venues, Loppen, is situated in Christiania. This is where I first saw Beck back in 1994.

And even though it a relatively small venue with a capacity of only 400, bands like Animal Collective, Smashing Pumpkins, The National and many others have played here, along with a long list of more or less unknown bands from all over Europe, UK and USA.

Loppen doesn’t have a narrow music profile, they throw concerts with everything:  surf, neo folk, death metal, punk, hip hop, dubstep, the list goes on. The atmosphere is intimate and relaxed, and you get really close to the music, very literally, because the stage is not much more than 25 centimetres above floor level.

Loppen’s motto is “Going out of business since 1973″, and interior-wise I don’t think much has changed since. Except for lights on stage and in the bar, the rest of the venue is lit by candles in empty vodka and beer bottles on little round wooden tables.

The name, Loppen, actually means flea. I don’t know why it’s called that.