Krach - Verzerrte Erinnerungen: Alexander Hacke in Konversation mit Frank Spilker ・ Pop-Kultur Festival 2026

August 24–30, 2026 | silent green Kulturquartier, Festsaal Kreuzberg, Kulturbrauerei, Pierre Boulez Saal, and more 

Live concerts, experimental music formats, talks, and more. International and local artists, world premieres, and music in all its facets await you—from large stages to intimate club shows.

Krach – Distorted Memories: Alexander Hacke in conversation with Frank Spilker With “Krach – Distorted Memories,” Alexander Hacke has not written a traditional musician’s biography, but rather a chronicle—as personal as it is rebellious—of a life spent navigating West Berlin’s underground scene, punk, industrial music, film, art, and pop. Originally published in 2015 by Metrolit Verlag, the book was out of print for a long time before being reissued in an updated edition by Ventil Verlag. It brings together memories, anecdotes, and observations from more than four decades of musical boundary-pushing—told by someone who joined Einstürzende Neubauten at the age of 14 and has consistently followed his own path ever since. In conversation with Frank Spilker, Hacke reads selected passages from his book and discusses the stories behind them: West Berlin as a laboratory for subculture, noise as an artistic method, collaborations, detours, and the many lives of a musician who never allowed himself to be confined to a single genre or role. Amid memories of the early days of Einstürzende Neubauten, encounters with figures such as Christiane F., and forays into industrial, country, film music, and performance, a portrait emerges of an artist whose work has always defied conventional categorization. Today, Alexander Hacke works as a musician, composer, and producer; he releases solo works, writes film scores—including for films by Fatih Akın—and performs internationally as part of the duo hackedepicciotto with American artist Danielle de Picciotto. As the singer, guitarist, and lyricist of Die Sterne, Frank Spilker is one of the defining figures of the Hamburg School. As a musician, author, label founder, and cultural observer, he has spent decades exploring the intersections of pop, society, and narrative—making him the ideal conversation partner for an evening about memory, music, and the productive power of noise.