How to get into Berghain remains one of clubbing's perpetual mysteries. There are websites, games, and illustrated guides dedicated to making sense or making fun of the unwritten rules of gaining entry into Berlin's most hedonistic club: Wear black. Speak German. Go alone. The high temple of techno's allure is only magnified by its strict no photos policy. There are Instagrams and Tumblrs that demonstrate this to hilarious effect by posting pictures of the block-color sticker that's taped over your phone's camera if you do get in.
German Illustrator Felix Scheinberger has found an equally creative way to circumvent the very concrete rule. He takes his sketchbook to record the scenes, people, and outfits he sees inside Berlin's most exclusive nightclubs, including Berghain, techno sex club KitKat Club, and high-end swingers spot Insomnia. However, I have always drawn and already sketched very early on concerts and in clubs. What was the first sketch you drew inside a nightclub and what inspired you to do it?
I've always painted in different underground scenes. On the one hand I like "underground," on the other hand, the protagonists are also great to draw. My first connections to drawing in Berlin's hedonist clubs came, however, through a professional job.
In Berghain you can not take photographs and that is why in a large newspaper in Berlin asked me to make drawings for an article. And after this I drew more and more pictures in clubs like this. What is a typical night out for you when making these sketches? What do you wear? Do you dance or just observe? Do you indulge in any substances? Do you ever get rejected by Sven? I go out in normal clothes. When I'm in the university in front of students I actually wear the same clothes: black trousers, black shirt.
Usually I go with friends, we drink something and go dancing. The only difference is that I always have my sketchbook with me. And if I am in the mood afterwards, or I see something interesting, I draw a little. Such kind of drawings can not be made "from the outside. When I am in a club, I have in one hand a sketchbook and in the other a drink. And the bouncers? In fact, I have never been rejected.
