It started as a small stand at the Frankfurt Musikmesse, but now Superbooth is taking on a life of its own and heading for the Funkhaus in Berlin in the form of a totally new fair and festival of electronic music known as Superbooth16.
The show starts on 21 March and runs until 2 April, and MusicRadar will be at the Funkhaus (a former German radio station), reporting live from the show floor. As this is a new event, no one quite knows what to expect, but here are five reasons to start getting excited...
1. New gear
With over 100 exhibitors in and around the lobby and studios of the Funkhaus, there will be plenty of shiny toys (both new and old) to look at and play with.
During its Musikmesse years, the Superbooth stand was synonymous with Eurorack gear. However, it's not going to be all modular at Superbooth16: Native Instruments, Yamaha, Bitwig, Roland, Dave Smith Instruments and many more manufacturers will be showing their latest and greatest wares.
And, because Superbooth precedes Musikmesse by a week, this will be our first opportunity to see some of the new products that were launched at NAMM 2016 on European soil.
2. The grand Funkhaus
Originally the central transmission station for the German Democratic Republic's national radio stations, the Funkhaus is a beauty of Bauhaus architecture that contains the Main Hall, which connects to the studio complex via the lobby and will play host to exhibitors' booths. They are flanked by the Bogengang, a curved hall that will house sound installations during the show.
Originally the home of the East German radio station, since the fall of the Berlin wall the studio complex has played host to such stars as Sting, Mariah Carey, Black Eyed Peas and Alice Cooper.
3. Workshops and presentations
Not just an exhibition of the latest in music tech, Superbooth will also be playing host to workshops and presentations with artists and manufacturers. These will be located in several spaces around the Funkhaus, including the Main Hall.
The likes of Richie Hawtin and Daniel Miller will be among those taking part.
4. The CulturHall
As one curtain falls on the daily events at Superbooth, another will be raised in the Funkhaus CulturHall.
An evening program of talks and concerts will provide the perfect segue into an all-night selection of DJs and artists, including the likes of Mark Verbos, Matt Black & Dr Walker, Skinnerbox and Colin Benders, who'll be playing on Friday and Saturday from 11pm till dawn.
5. You can still go
If you can get yourself out to Berlin, Superbooth16 tickets are still on sale, priced at €85/€49 (full price/student) for the whole event, or €35/€19 per day. You'll need to pay an additional €12 should you want to get your rave on in the CulturHall till dawn.
The show kicks off tomorrow, running until Saturday, so there's still time to score those last minute deals. If you prefer to experience Superbooth in the comfort of your own home, then stick with MusicRadar, as we'll be bringing you all the news and pictures you need to make you feel like you're actually there (probably).
