OPEN GROUN D E ME A
WUPPERTAL / GERMANY
Th e i n s t a l l a t i o n o f a b espoke s ou n d s y s t e m d e s i g ne d in col l a b o r a t i o n w i t h M arkus R ied el , Fu n k t i o n - O n e , a n d B e ntin P r oj ec t s , h a s c o n t r i b u t ed to an ex tr e m e l y s u c c e s s f u l o pe ning p e r i o d f o r t h i s n e w c lub.
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V E N U E - E ME A | WWW.M O ND O D R .CO M
In its first seven months, Open Ground, an underground bunker-turned-nightlife hotspot in Wuppertal, Germany, has found its way onto the wishlists of DJs and clubbers alike, as its reputation has spread around Europe’s electronic music community and beyond. When DJ Mantra appeared on Martha’s Radio 1 show a few weeks after her first visit to the venue, it was clear she had been moved by the experience. “It’s truly special. Standing in the middle of the dance floor, enveloped by that sound, is emotional. It can almost bring you to tears. The space and the sound create the perfect environment to hear music as it should be. It’s deep, weighty and incredibly clean.” Open Ground was created and is operated by both a local and an international team. At its heart is Markus Riedel working in collaboration with Mark Ernestus. Riedel’s brother, Thomas, made the Open Ground project possible with his support and financial investment. The club’s unique site is an old underground shelter, taking a total of seven years to be transformed into the venue it is today. “We realised that converting the bunker into a club