iHeartBerlin lifted the curtain of some of Berlin’s most mysterious nights—to meet the people who stand behind it.
Dance floors are a place of liberation. A space that enables us to forget about the limitations of our everyday lives, to be whoever we want to be—if only for one night. But the liberation, we experience, also needs our understanding of the work behind it; behind the lights, beats and sweat that move our weekends.
Meet seven Berliners who have dedicated their lives to creating a space for others—for liberation, community, and creativity.
Read on…
by Andy | Party, People
Before starting iHeartBerlin my life was not remotely as colorful and filled with creative minds as it is now. Without ever planning to, the blog enriched my life with so many encounters with wonderful people that became my endless source of inspiration. I met designers, that inspired me to start organizing fashion shows. I met store owners that made me create my own products, DJs that led me to run my own parties, dancers that got me involved into the theater scene, artists that became part of my exhibitions.
Up until that point, inspiration was mostly something I had to figure out by myself. And I was ok with that. I don’t remember having role models, or people that I aspired to. It took the perspective of a publication like iHeartBerlin that taught me to open my mind to what other people do, to appreciate their influence and let their creativity color my own. While writing about their work some aspects of their mindset seeped into mine, drop by drop. I was pulled into their worlds that were often so far from my own. But these foreign contexts shaped me like hardly anything else in my life.
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by Frank | People, Videos
Berlin’s queer nightlife joins forces once again. The electronic music festival fighting for a space for inclusivity and self-expression for the WHOLE queer spectrum returns for its third edition this June bringing you a killer lineup of local and international artists and party crews to kick off your festival season with a BANG.
The festival’s third year is still a first-time in many ways, not only for the individual festival-goers and organizers but for the global queer electronic underground. More international acts and crews than ever join forces for the three-day gathering to electronic beats. 27 queer nightlife collectives from 12 different countries come together for the function in Ferropolis (“the city of steel”), a former coal mining site turned breathtaking festival location, just two hours out of Berlin. The stunning area – imagine gigantic metal cranes growing into the sky like it’s a dystopian fiction flic – is also home to strongholds of the festival summer circuit such as MELT and SPLASH Festival. Read on…
by Andy | Music, Party
When it comes to Berlin’s nightlife you better dress to impress – or in the case of our friends from Pornceptual: undress to impress because at their sex and body positive parties less is simply more in terms of clothing.
The club life has never been as diverse, colorful and eccentric as now and we love it! So many beautiful characters that you can encounter in the dancefloor. So much to look at, so much too admire. It’s not simply just a party anymore – it’s a ball!
With their portrait series “Porn Ball”, Pornceptual not only introduces the theme of their parties but they also pay tribute to the beauty of the ballroom scene. These characters are not simply wearing outfits, they are wearing their LIVES! Their confidence is infectious!
Enjoy this fun photo series and make sure to come to the next Pornceptual party on June 8th.
Read on…
by Frank | Party, People, Photos
The girls and guys from Pornceptual never cease to stimulate us with their creative erotic output – no matter if it’s with the photos on their blog, their magazines or the videos for their parties. They’ve given us flowers in spring, Mad Max futurism, surrealism, and horror porn. Now they’ve opened their Avant-Garde era with a new photo series by Yu-Liang Liu and a video by Pornceptual co-founder Chris Phillips.
With fashion having borrowed heavily from the aesthetics of pornography and fetish wear, it was a matter of time until the exchange of genres also happened in the opposite direction with porn integrating elements of design and fashion into its aesthetic. The new works from Pornceptual are just a few examples of that. It was about time that porn also exists with a sense of style – it’s all the more stimulating!
Don’t miss the upcoming edition of the Pornceptual party on April 13th, 2019. The new theme is called “Porn Forrest” and you can expect quite a lot of sex behind the bushes…
Read on…
by Frank | Fashion, Party, Videos
photos: Pornceptual
Their art made you gasp, their parties made you sweat – and always left you craving for more. For almost 5 years the Berlin collective Pornceptual has been disrupting the worlds of art and porn; first Berlin then the world. But don’t you think they’re out of breath, after half a decade, they are only sharpening their teeth and getting ready to fight: Fittingly, their freshly launched third magazine is called “Guerilla”.
Over 50 visual artists are featured in “Porn Guerilla”, well-known names such as Erika Lust appear alongside young queer and feminist artists from all over the world. Styles, subjects and explicit depictions vary, but throughout the work is connected by themes of unconventionality, struggle, and fight, using erotic art as a tool of resistance against oppressive power structures and censorship.
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by Andy | Art, Party
Pornceptual is the unchallenged, sexiest Party in town: 4 years of conceptual porn, sensual photography, experimental videos, wild parties, and daily inspiration to live out our kinky side. Deeply rooted on Berlin’s underground scene, it’s hard to imagine the city without their bi-monthly, naked gathering. The one event that makes you think outside your normal party closet, or finally lets you dress according to your phantasies: In nothing or nothing more than fishnet. Although, Berlin has always been a place for sex-positivity, Pornceptual is a singular phenomenon. Despite hitting party mainstream, it has maintained its reputation as one of Berlin’s most revealing nights. It’s hundreds of naked bodies dancing, sweating, fucking, living. After all, It’s just skin, it’s all human and it’s all beautiful! We collected some sexy, nude, extravagant memories of their fabulous first 4 years.
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by Andy | Party, Photos
photo: Pornceptual
Pornceptual, House of Red Doors, Gegen, Revolver and basically every Klubnacht at Berghain – Fetish and sex positive parties are taking over the capital. From being more of a niche branch years back, sexy, kinky fashion has become the new normal on the dance floors. So, the question is no longer: “What’re you gonna wear tonight?” but more: “How much are you gonna wear tonight?”. Being fully naked is easy, but choosing just the right amount of fabric to make everyone be like: “Oh wow! DAMN!”. That’s the fashion challenge here! For anyone who wants to join the party, but does not feel quite ready for this less-is-more fashion extravaganza – Here are some go-to-looks that never get old.
by Andy | Fashion, Party
photo: Bad Bruises
Out there in the world, Germany, and Berlin in particular, have a reputation of being sexually liberal places. Nudist beaches, sex parties, uncensored breasts on television, experimental sex practices, acceptance towards various sexual orientations and identities. You get the general idea. We Berliners are wild, excessive, and constantly horny – well, at least in the eyes of the rest of the world.
As a Berlin resident and German citizen I would never say that Germans are particularly naughty or more sex-crazy than other nations, nor did I have the impression that Berlin is sexually more open than other cities in Europe. Yes, maybe we have a few sex clubs more than other cities, but I doubt that there aren’t any places like that in the rest of the world. They might just be more behind closed doors and less publicly advertised. Here sex was always there: swingers clubs, dark rooms, fetish parties. But it was almost an alternative scene from my perspective, you could only see it if you knew where to look. It was the underground. But this is changing.
Now there is sex positivity, body positivity, feminist porn, and you could say a general awaking in the society from the bad dream that sex is something to be ashamed of and to keep in private. People are embracing sex more and with it, their own bodies and desires. Isn’t this something we should all strive for? Read on…
by Nikos | Stories, Videos
photos: Chris Phillips for Pornceptual
Pornceptual – “That’s a party? With that kinda name? In Berlin? – Oh Gosh!” – I know plenty of people who would already pass just knowing these banal facts; driven by an opinion, formed by nothing more but hearsay. Fetish, leather, sex, queers, techno, darkness; the associations are clear. I, on the other hand, seem to be constantly driven by an insatiable fascination for everything that’s outrageous. So, I went, more spontaneous, than elaborately planned. Well, I got everything mentioned above – yet still, my first Pornceptual was far from what I expected. One night in between naked skin, electronic beats and sexual liberation made me philosophize about what’s queer, what’s compliant and that weird thing called “normal”.
“And what piece of clothing are you gonna take off today?”, the skinny bouncer asked, a crooked smile on his face. His outfit consisted of an old Soviet uniform – without anything down below, of course, just tight leather hot pants. I looked around; the line behind me appeared like a collection of bizarre characters. I already felt very entertained by this; Berlin, just like you’d imagine it. Admittedly, at first I had to realize that I was not truly a newbie to this world. I am queer, I have been to many queer parties – but a party that is this kinky and sex oriented was still on the to-do-list. The facial expression of one of my friends reminded me of how deeply this Berlin party scene has already influenced me. While I was showing a broad smile, her face said something like: “What the fuck am I getting myself into?”
Read on…
by Guest Author | Party, Photos
