Music

UNTIL AUGUST 8, 2013: For 3 months, the balcony on Cornelius bridge is transformed into the most lively beach spot in town. Even when the number of bars & terraces upon the green river is still very few in Munich “by law”, this spot has an exceptional position on the most central one of all Isar bridges.

KULTURSTRAND: Beach, bar, free concerts, DJs, chillout. Your individual beach – it plays no role whether you’re just enjoying the peace of the park-like area, or you’re coming for small concerts and enjoying some open-air drinks: Drop your shoes in the sand - you arrived in an urban oasis! With their afternoon family programme, even kids (and their parents) are very welcome. And a perfect place to meet friends and start into nightlife: This spot is just a few hundred meters away from bar&cafe magnet “Glockenbachviertel”.

EVERY YEAR SINCE 2006: in early 2010, city council gave the green light for this project to be held in the future too. A massive campaign of Munich beach supporters via social media was formed – successfully. Finally, after months of clashes with authorities and city council (like every year…) – the local urbanism group “Urbanauten” got the official “GO” for the future of beach project “Kulturstrand” , after 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. When beach bars along the river or in the centre are the “norm” in metropolitan cities such as Berlin or Hamburg – Munich is slowly but surely catching up…

Each year the residents of Munich gather to celebrate the city’s founding for the two day Stadtgründungsfest festival. The actual founding date was 14 June 1158. This year the 855th celebration will take place the weekend of 15-16 June.

Duke Henry the Lion is said to be the founder, which explains the city’s fascinations with the lions that can be seen everywhere from the lamp posts to the 4 lucky lions outside the Residenz (just make sure to rub only 3, or you will be considered greedy).

Way back in 1158 Emperor Barbarossa gave permission to redirect the salt road from Freising to Munich, by paying off the bishop of Freising, and we are now eternally grateful to all involved.

During the Munich city founding festival there are activities in and around Marienplatz, including people dressed in medieval costumes, street performers, fine arts, special events, and like every good celebration in Munich – plenty of beers + sausages.

It’s truly a great time to be in the city and to get a first hand look at better understanding what gives the Munich residents such a high quality of life. The sense of community is fantastic, so stop by if you are around. After attending you might just want to pack your bags and move here.

Enjoy the festivities and don’t forget – München mag dich! (Munich Loves you)

Finding this shop was an epiphany. I was looking for a record shop close to where I work as I needed a birthday present and getting a record was a last minute decision. So I went there during my lunch break and since I did not have hours to spend finding that one record my friend would fall in love with, I asked one of the staff for a recommendation.

After describing my friend’s taste the guy handed over three records of, to me, unknown bands which I listened to over headphones. It occurred to me only then how many hours I used to spend in music shops flipping through heaps of record sleeves and cds before iTunes hit the industry and buying music became quick but boring. That day I rediscovered slowness. My visit made me buy a record player and now my 40cm of unused vinyl at home are being played again.

At Optimal you can buy new records, which also come in a digital version, as well as second hand records. Their range includes indie, techno/electronic, Hip Hop, R ‘n B, Soul, Jazz and dance but you can also buy the odd classical one or find vintage rock vinyl . If you are interested in this kind of music check out their website where you can buy tickets for gigs at top venues in Munich. They also do gigs in the shop. Last time I happened to see Gemma Ray who played the Muffathalle the next day.

The Freiheizhalle, its name being a play of the words freedom and heating, is one out of my two most favourite music venues in Munich. The problem with a lot of contemporary music venues here is that most of them are big halls. There are indeed a few old factory halls which are lovely but a lot of concerts take place in the Olympia Hall which isn’t charming at all. But no matter if charming or not, they all have one thing in common: the acoustics are usually not great.

But there is an exception to every rule. Although the Freiheizhalle is also a hall it is a beautiful location and I have been to a few concerts which I enjoyed every single time. One of my favourite concerts so far was a Scott Matthew gig which was a small and almost intimate evening with a wonderful atmosphere.

The place is the old power and heat supply station for Munich train station and is located in the city centre – unlike a lot of Munich’s venues. The Freiheizhalle was only recently refurbished and in my eyes the architects did fantastic work.

Still one of my two favourite places for music because it is not as big as most of the other venues which are often just big halls. Munich lacks the kind of great music venues in big cities where an old derelict, maybe Art Nouveau, theatre was turned into a music venue. It might be that Munich is so wealthy that most old theatres are still up and running which of course is good.

Anyway, the Muffathalle is a good alternative. Its size and scruffy charm makes you feel like home and the atmosphere was great every time I went. The people who run the venue offer, at least in my opinion, a great range of gigs and club nights. Just make sure you pay attention to the location information, not all the gigs featured take place at the Muffathalle as sometimes they need more space.

The Muffathalle consists of the “Cafe Muffathalle” where the club nights mostly take place. You can sit down to have a drink and later on the tables are put aside for the dancing. Concerts are usually either held at the hall or the “Ampere”, which are both in the same building next to the cafe. There is also a small but lovely beer garden with good food. Last year we watched some of the World Cup matches there.