It’s 8pm when DJ Lag steps up to the booth for his sound check at Open Ground, a dance venue in western Germany. The space has earned a reputation for its exceptional acoustics, evident as soon as the first track begins to play.
Deep basslines resonate through the carefully designed room, amplified by a high-performance sound system. Crisp melodies and detailed layers unfold with striking precision, while vocal ad-libs sound as if the performers are right beside the audience.
For many, the venue leaves an immediate impact. “I remember the moment vividly,” says Eddy Toca, also known as Piccell. The Angola-born DJ, now based in Dortmund, is performing alongside DJ Lag and the rest of Barulho World, his afro-electronic collective. “It was instant, a complete standout. We’ve never experienced anything like it before—it’s unreal.”
Open Ground is situated in Wuppertal, a city near the Ruhr valley, known for its historic suspended monorail and as the former home of Pina Bausch’s influential dance theatre. Though Berlin has long dominated Germany’s electronic music scene, Open Ground has quickly gained recognition since opening in late 2023. Nightlife enthusiasts and DJs worldwide have praised its sound quality, with some calling it among the best in Europe.
The club was founded by Markus Riedel and Mark Ernestus, who together bring decades of music expertise. Before this venture, Riedel spent 20 years at the Berlin-based record label Hard Wax, which Ernestus had established in 1989. Ernestus is renowned for his contributions to dub techno. In 2008, Riedel returned to Wuppertal and joined his brother’s communications company, which has worked with major international events.
Years later, the city proposed converting an old wartime bunker near the train station into a nightclub as part of urban renewal efforts, though no public funding was allocated. Financed entirely by Riedel’s brother Thomas, the renovation took seven years. The team reshaped the structure, merging smaller spaces, cutting into concrete ceilings, and redirecting a discovered water reservoir into a ventilation area and an additional dancefloor. Even the air conditioning was adjusted to optimize the sound system’s placement.
Riedel, Ernestus, and Open Ground’s team have transformed the space into a destination revered by both artists and audiences.
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