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Electronic Music Museum to open in Frankfurt this summer

The Local Germany
The Local Germany - [email protected]
Electronic Music Museum to open in Frankfurt this summer
Photo: DPA

Clubbing fans everywhere now have cause for celebration: Europe’s first museum focused solely on electronic music is set to open its doors in Frankfurt this summer.

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After plans were originally launched by the city of Frankfurt and private sponsors in 2015, the Museum of Modern Electronic Music, or MOMEM, will soon occupy a space at the heart of Frankfurt’s city centre.

The idea for a techno museum in Frankfurt was the brainchild of world famous DJs Alex Azary, Talla 2XLC and Stefan Weil, who approached the city authorities in search of a suitable location.

After two years of failed location hunting, they secured a lease from the city of Frankfurt for a 1,000-square-metre, rent-free space in the Hauptwache, Frankfurt's main plaza, until a permanent home for the museum can be found. In addition, the city has promised to renew the mezzanine level of the building, turning the area into an urban park oasis for visitors.

In a recent press release, co-founder Azary notes that the city of Frankfurt has “lived up to its promise” by aiding in the creation of MOMEM, a sentiment with which the city of Frankfurt agrees.

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The MOMEM exhibition will be split into seven sections and plans to address not only the various genres of techno music, but also the musical influences, social impact and international context in which electronic music is played. The Museum's website explains that the exhibition will house many original artifacts related to techno music, as well as “installations, photography and pictures by visual artists, complemented by temporary exhibitions on selected themes, genres, clubs or labels.”

The museum also expects to promote musical education through the establishment of the MOMEM Academy, complete with lectures by well-known DJs, a concert series and club night programs.

The choice of Frankfurt as the location of this electro-themed museum was no accident, explain the museum's co-founders.

“Frankfurt is one of the birthplaces of European Electronic Music. In the home town of legendary clubs like Dorian Gray, OMEN, Cocoon, U60311, Monza and XS, MOMEM revives a part of local history,” the website states.  

Frankfurt’s Mayor Peter Feldmann also sees the importance of Frankfurt’s musical background.

"The fact that Frankfurt has played a decisive role in the international development of electronic music since the 1980s is no longer a secret. In Frankfurt, the cultural relevance of this youth and cultural movement is perceived and appreciated accordingly by the city,” he said last month.

The MOMEM staff will be given access to their space this spring in advance of the summer opening, and all are excited about the increased tourism the museum is set to bring - not the least of which will be felt by the city of Frankfurt itself.

“I am especially looking forward to the numerous young visitors from Germany and abroad who will probably visit our city in the future, not least because of MOMEM," said Feldmann.

While there is no official date set for the MOMEM grand opening, museum co-founder Azary announced that they will “renovate and hopefully set off this summer."

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