I was resident DJ at Berlins „Monkey Bar“ from 2014 until 2023. In February this year I have been kicked out - and here is why:

When the Monkey Bar reopened after the first Corona lockdown, we DJs got the offer to play, but not for a fee, but for an overnight stay at the hotel. Some colleagues and I agreed to this deal, not least out of solidarity with the employer.

When covid regulations were reduced in 2021, we were offered a fee again - but it was 20% lower on Friday/Saturday nights than before the pandemic. OK, we accepted, because "economically hard times" etc. But since mid-2022 at the latest, the Monkey Bar has been very busy again. So several colleagues asked the management in autumn when our fees would be raised again to the former level. But the fees were not raised again. At the moment, the colleagues in the Monkey Bar are DJing for less money than in 2017. (I don't have to explain to you that we have inflation at the moment, increased rents, energy costs, etc. Vinyl prices have almost doubled since 2017).

This has led to a lot of resentment among us DJs. Also that the hotel management reduced the drinks budget for DJs by 30%, while the drinks prices in the bar have increased by about 30% since 2019.

So we collectively sat down and formulated a letter to the 25hours management, which over 20 DJs signed. Our only demand: a new conversation about fees.

Of course, all the DJs (around 30) have to be involved in this conversation. That's why I also asked DJ [******] by email for his opinion. [******] never answered me. Instead, he forwarded my email to 25hours management. Four hours later I was removed from the DJ pool of the Monkey Bar.

My only wrong-doing was that I asked a colleague for his opinion on our DJ fees. No more, no less. Fired within four hours, by email, after eight years of working together.

I have played 228 DJ sets at 25hours since it opened in 2014. My February date 2023 has been cancelled, so I did not even get a farewell gig. And the reduced fees haven't changed either.

So I have a request for you: If you ever visit Berlins Monkey Bar and if you like the music there, PLEASE TIP THE DJ. At the moment, their work is hardly appreciated and, measured against the turnover of this very well frequented bar, is rewarded far too little.

That said: this, of course, is only my point of view. So if you have the opportunity to talk to 25hours managers, please do so and ask them how they feel about the DJs, who have a decisive influence on the atmosphere in the Monkey Bar Berlin.

I have recorded my DJ sets at the Monkey Bar a couple of times, now I have uploaded a few of these recordings. Enjoy!

Monkey Bar 2014-2022

Monkeybar 06082022.MP3

1. DJ Vas - What's Funk (EDR)
2. Moplen - Shake Your Body (GAMM)
3. Tom of Finland - Dream Again (Razor-N-Tape)
4. Nick Holder - Rock Da House (K7)
5. Digital Souls - F.U.N.K. (Digital Records)
6. Cabin Fever - Everybody Needs Some Money (RKDS)
7. Dirty Harry - Slowburn (Boombastic)
8. Kiko Navarro - Dope High ( Local Talk)
9. Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit - Claptone Remix (Blue Note)
10. S3A - Theuz Hamtaak (Uncanny Valley)
11. Brame & Hamo - Ghetto for You (Heist)
12.  Steve Murphy / DJ Octopus - Raw Escape (Chiwax)
13. Cassius ‎– 99 In The House - Krafty Kuts Remix (Big Deal)
14. Montel ‎– Ecstasy ‎(Lets Play House)
15. Phil & Dan – Regulate (Pooled)
16. Moloko – Cannot Contain This – ATFC Remix (White)
17. Axel Boman – Nokturn Grand Finale (Pampa)
18. Michel Cleis - La Mezcla - Charles Webster's Club Mix (Strictly Rhythm)
19. MG - Fakewine MJ Edit (Toy Tonics)
20. Osunlade - What Pho (Yoruba)
21. St.Germain - Real Blues (Parlophone)
22. Tommy Rawson - The Kids (Gold Finger)
23. Robag Wruhme  - Thora Vukk (Pampa)

Funk the Monkey House

So Bad

white nights

Friends - East Coast Hip Hop Instrumental Beats

Duality - East Coast Hip Hop Instrumental Beat

sound(ge)cloud 038 by https://soundcloud.com/sentimentmusic  (Zürich/Switzerland) – entropy

Heute hab ich die zwei jungen Züricher Till & Mo für euch ausgekramt. Sie bilden seit nunmehr 5 Jahren das DJ-Duo SENTIMENT und sind bereits fester Bestandteil der Züricher Elektro-Szene. 

Sie bespielen nicht nur die fabelhaften Clubs wie Kauz, Hive, Zukunft oder die legändere Friedas Büxe, sondern haben sich vorallem durch ihre Partyreihe “Miras” einen Namen gemacht. “Miras” sind Parties in Offlocation mit dem Ziel einen Pop-Up-Club mit einzigartiger Deko, Musik und Stimmung für eine einzige Nacht zu kreieren – respekt für die große Mühe. 

Außerdem haben sie erst letzte Woche das Muyal Festival veranstaltet, ein Benefizfestivals zu Gunsten zweier Hilfsorganisationen für Nepal und Simbabwe. Feiern für einen guten Zweck … find ich super <3

Mir sind die beiden vor allem durch ihren hervorragenden Podcast für unsere Freunde von “Das hätte es Früher nicht gegeben” aufgefallen. Mich begeistert bei ihrer Musik zum einen der Indie-Pop Einfluß der 80er Jahre und die fantastische Wandlungsfähigkeit. 

So nun genug gequatsch … Ohren auf für SENTIMENT … 

Danke Jungs und ein Grüzi in die Schweiz.

SENTIMENT (Zürich/Switzerland)
Booking --- tillundmo@gmail.com
Soundcloud SENTIMENT --- https://soundcloud.com/sentimentmusic
Facebook SENTIMENT --- https://www.facebook.com/sentimentmusic

<a href='https://theartistunion.com/tracks/357b7b'>Download for free on The Artist Union</a>

Download

sound(ge)cloud 038 by SENTIMENT – entropy

'CORPUS DOMINA' - DJ HITA DEL CID - STUDIO SET II / MARCH 2018
Track  1 :  "Las doce acaban de dar" / Camarón
Track 2 :  "Burning Sun (Be Svendsen Remix)" / Monolink
Track 3 :  "Kote (Original Mix)" / Mockbeat
Track 4 :  "Granmother Tree & The Feathered Serpent (Simakov)" / Deya Dova
Track 5 :  "Una pena (Solomun Vocal Mix)" / Stimming Paula Olarte
Track 6 :  "Sophos (Roginial MIx)" / Bollen Fichtner
Track 7 :  "Wake up (Original MIx)" / Dennis Cruz

'CORPUS DOMINA' - DJ HITA DEL CID - (STUDIO SET II / MARCH 2018)

HITA DEL CID - CORPUS DOMINA  - (STUDIO SET II / MARCH 2018)

The Artist behind this episode is MARCEL PUNTHELLER ( @marcelpuntheller ) 
We met Marcel in the production of his very own hoppla!-Festival wich is still the best Clubfestival we have witnessed till now. As one of the heads in his unique truly calm, nice and good way we soon become friends and fell in love with his sound. He is part of slow bar and Love foundation, a project we already worked together and share many ideas with.
If you dont know them you should check them out (www.facebook.com/LoveFoundation/)
As we were building and hosting a stage on this years Melt! festival (@meltfestival) we just had to invite him. And it was a really wonderful time. 
Big love <3

see:

Marcel
www.facebook.com/punthellermarcel/

Slow Bar
www.facebook.com/slowbarsound/

Love Foundation
www.facebook.com/LoveFoundation/

hear:

Marcel
@marcelpuntheller

Slow Bar
@slowbar

Love Foundation
@love-foundation

Photo:
Elisa Georgi
www.instagram.com/elisa.georgi

----
Lotenheim consists of DJs, producers, artists, dreamers, builders, visionaries, thinkers, revolutionizers, pessimists, optimists and other crazy, happy and creative people from all over the world, based in Germany.
Our aim is, to make the big and the small world a little bit better by creating playful and intelligent events and mix hedonistic lifestyles with love and politics.
In our podcast-series, artists get an platform, can share their music, present themselves and help us also to get attention for our projects and support us with this on our way to a better world.

FB Lotenheim

LOTENCAST · MARCEL PUNTHELLER @ MELT! Festival / Sensi stage by Lotenheim ·

Hip-Disco-House (Monkey Bar 19. Jan. 2019)

Latin, Deep & Afro-House (Monkey Bar 19. Jan. 2019)

C๏sʍ๏cast ★ 15 - @nikko-hruska
Art by Mateo | www.mathieubories.com
Release date: April 6 | 2019
Label: @cosmovisionrecords

We are really happy to host one trippy and cosmic storytelling from our long time friend Nikösh.  It's time to walk on the right side of the Chill with his unique vibe around the earth.
Nikösh is a former heavy metal singer who made his way into the electronic scene by singing on a co-production project which has been called Nik'Otikz (2009-10). After he started mixing as a DJ in different events in Quebec and Mexico. 
Last year, he has been welcomed in the With Dimensions collective in Montreal, with a downtempo project that includes a lot of world music, but also grooves with heavy basses that can't deny his taste for techno music  and psychedelics sounds.
https://soundcloud.com/nikko-hruska

<a href='https://theartistunion.com/tracks/95d529'>Download for free on The Artist Union</a>

Free Download

C๏sʍ๏cast ★ 15 | Nikösh| Chillin' my ass off

For Provocateur and Bar Convent Berlin I created a special set with lots of oriental and balkan grooves, arabic melodies, hiphop and electro beats. Thanks to everybody who was there. What a fabulous night!!

Need a track id? Please ask in comments or write to me mail@cupofjazz.de.

Balkanarabic Beats, BCB 2019

Schlager

Fisch im Wasser

DJ-Set recorded May 31st, 2020
Monkey Bar Berlin

Jazzy Chillout Grooves - Monkey Bar 31-05-2020

Hupke - Gartengeballer Warm Up

Upcoming Berlin Dates:

19.07. Dresden Palaisgarten
24.7. Hardrock-Cafe
29.7. Manon
09.08. RBB-Dachlounge
23.08. 260°
03.09. Solar
06.09. Frannz, Die Schöne Party  
29.10.-01.11. Zürich (Soil to Soul) 

Cup of Jazz aka Jazzylectro started djing in Berlin Bars and Clubs in 2005 - with a record by Fred Astaire. Maybe that's why Jazz became a major influence for him. In his dj-sets he often combines Electro sounds whith those from the eras of Swing and Latin Jazz, calling his style 'Jazzylectro' - kickin' beats from HipHop to House and Drum'n'Bass, mixed with delicious jazzy vibes. At Berlin Swing events he creates a set with BigBand-Swing bombs, Dixieland and Charleston rockers. As a journalist for different newspapers he regurlarly interviews celebrities, djs and producers of the music he's got in his record bag.

Contact: mail@cupofjazz.de

Jazzy Chillout Grooves - Monkey Bar 31-05-2020

Jazzylectro

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