Watch a new short documentary on how techno traveled from Detroit to Berlin

‘How Techno was born: From Detroit to Berlin and back’ is a new short film that delves into the origins of techno and its impact on the cultural landscape of what's become the world's clubbing capital.

Shot by journalist Ute Pfeiffer for the Arts Unveiled programme of German state TV channel Deutsche Welle — just ahead of Love Parade’s modern incarnation Rave the Planet — the documentary explores the early days of the genre, connecting the influence of Detroit's techno scene to Berlin's pre-burgeoning club culture, namely thanks to the transatlantic exchange of DJs clubs like Tresor have provided to the likes of Underground Resistance since opening in 1991.

Tresor’s founder Dimitri Hegemann shares insightful commentary on the intense and transient period the two sides of Berlin were going through, how that shaped mentality as the walls came down, the club’s original location in the centre of the reunited city, and how techno became to be a sound that was in more demand than say house or acid house.

Alongside the cultural context of what “Techno (with a capital T)” has come to be and mean to Berliners, the19-minute documentary features interviews with DJs and producers such as Blake Baxter, Juan Atkins, Alan Oldham (DJ T-1000), Ellen Alien. The short film progresses to shed light on the post-Berlin Wall era and how the sound grew into the hands of European DJs such as Paul van Dyk.

Watch ‘How Techno was born: From Detroit to Berlin and back’ below.

Arun Ramanathan is Mixmag Asia’s Director. Follow him on Instagram.