BigCityBeats, the pioneering brand known for producing completely unique and extraordinary events, has been consistently pushing the boundaries to deliver some of the world’s most spectacular experiences, right from sea to space. In the past few years, the BigCity Beats has proved that there really are no limits to where BigCityBeats will host & deliver their events. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic situation led to canceling of Festivals & Events, BigCityBeats successfully hosted 7 sold-out drive-in shows in Germany following all the safety protocols & a number of roof sessions which were live-streamed across the world featuring performances from the world’s biggest EDM acts.
BigCityBeats founder Bernd Breiter has revolutionized the clubbing game over the past decade, introducing new and groundbreaking dance music experiences. Bernd was barely 17 years old when he entered the electronic music scene, built his very own recording studio & later on established the BigCityBeats brand. The concept first took shape as a weekly radio show on BigFM, before branching out into publishing under BigCityBeats Recordingsthe imprint which saw the release of Guru Josh Project’s ‘Infinity 2008’ that subsequently became the most successful dance music track of the year.
2013 was the year when debut edition of BCB WORLD CLUB DOME in 2013, held at Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena and was a resounding success! Determined to deliver unforgettable festival experience, Bernd & his team worked out experience such as BigCityBeats ICE Club Train, BigCityBeats Club Jet, BCB WORLD CLUB DOME Cruise Edition (The largest floating ‘club’ in the world). After dominating the sea, air & land, it was time to take things to the next level, the BigCityBeats Zero Gravity edition took place & became the first-ever ‘club’ in complete weightlessness. But Bernd wasn’t still satisfied with it, so he did something really unreal! He made history as he teamed up with ESA for the first-ever DJ set from space, performed by ESA astronaut and commander Luca Parmitano from the ISS. Later on, the brand continued its worldwide expansion with its unique clubbing experiences in the world’s major destinations and new heights. Bernd Breiter is indeed an inspiration to all the people out their who want to make it big in the electronic music industry.
We got an amazing opportunity to chat with the BigCityBeats head honcho, check it out below:
1. Recently you & your team hosted a lot of successful editions of BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME Drive-In Events, Roof Sessions to name a few. How did you plan & execute such amazing events while taking care of safety?
Our main focus, above everything else that we do, all the craziness, is that we love being the people responsible for events that no one has ever attempted before. However, our true focal point is the safety and security of every fan, DJ, and employee involved in WORLD CLUB DOME. Meaning that when you attend a WORLD CLUB DOME or BigCityBeats event, you know that every member of staff is working behind the scenes on our first-class security concepts to ensure the festival and our security is completely unique in the industry. The German Government is incredibly strict regarding new regulations and laws and as a result, we take every aspect of the festival very seriously from the ground floor to outer space. This is especially true when you take into consideration incredible moments such as working with the European Space Agency. (The WORLD CLUB DOME is our gravity), so we had safety engineers, professionals who could ensure the safety of everyone involved, and everyone onboard the World Gravity Club. Safety guaranteed. In all the 15 years that I have been involved in planning and organizing events, there has never been a single incident, and because of this, we can offer our guests reassurance and security even in these uniquely difficult times.
2. Over the years, BigCityBeats has expanded to major cities across the globe. How did you extend this unique clubbing experience across the world?
Well, the BigCityBeats and WORLD CLUB DOME festivals have unique concepts worldwide. So we avoid defining the festival in such a way that it becomes inflexible in relation to other events around the world. BigCityBeats and WORLD CLUB DOME are welcome to all.
3. As we know there are many aspiring people out there who want to make it big in the electronic music industry, what is your advice to them?
What I have learned through my past experiences is to never give up. To always believe in myself, trust my instincts, always use my brain and acknowledge my gut feelings, but never be afraid to scrutinize every one of them. Your instincts should be your guiding light, never copy from someone else. Be your own creator. Copying something that already exists is basically making a clone or replication of someone else’s creation. And this would be missing the whole point of creating something from nothing. I think the special thing about “WORLD CLUB DOME” is being able to create an environment full of fantasy and unique moments without being influenced by the rest of the world. Well, I always tell my team to look around and see what other festivals are doing so that I can fully concentrate on the next festival creation I have brewing in my mind. I love to express myself freely through the inspirations and ideas that I have followed from my gut instinct. This method has led to the creation of events like the highest mountain, the cruise ship, the railway, and of course the International Space Station.
4. Back in 2018, BigCityBeats was set to take place in India but it was canceled. As you know India has turned into one of the most important EDM hotspots in Asia, so can we expect BigCityBeats to bring its unique clubbing experience to India in the near future?
I mean, if you are traveling through the world and want to hold WORLD CLUB DOME festivals in every country. We have a huge responsibility towards the people. This is their homeland. The people here will be expecting the same quality of culture in the festival regardless of whether the festival is taking place in India or any other destination. And then we have to do it, but if for various reasons we cannot fulfill this, we don’t do it, even after announcing that ‘it was happening’, sometimes we have to live with the consequences. Again it’s a gut feeling if something inside says: “The time isn’t right for it, right now”, or perhaps we expand too fast, I’m not too bothered about what other festival brands are up to, they might simply be licensing their brand to accelerate their expansion across the world. There’s no real need for WORLD CLUB DOME to do that. We have always and will always host WORLD CLUB DOME on our own terms, we do it our way, and that’s why we always give 100%. We want to give festival attendees the experience they would expect from WORLD CLUB DOME. And this reflects on our social media and in each aspect of our festival experience. And when we announce plans to expand into new territories in the coming months, be excited, be thrilled, because new festival dates are coming soon.
5. The EDM scene is suffering many cases of mental health issues, being one of the important persons in the scenario today how do you balance work & family life?
I have a great family, my son is now 21 years old. We worked incredibly hard to establish the incredible ideas involved within the BigCityBeats brand, the ‘weekend feeling’ and WORLD CLUB DOME. You have to find your anchor, your security, whatever you end up doing in life. Because if you party as hard as you work, constantly burning the candle at both ends, especially with the job I do, you are certain to run out of steam and cause yourself serious health problems. For the last three years, I’ve had a dog called Whiskey. We walk 10 kilometers every day, and we both love taking trips into the forest. You must make sure to take care of your mind, body, and soul, and not lose yourself to night after night of parties. Make no mistake about it, this is an exceptionally hard job, long hours, lots of stress, even if it doesn’t seem it, the job is constantly challenging. To have friends and family you can rely on is incredibly important during these big events, and even after meeting the superstars, great people, astronauts, and so on, it’s always good to come home, to have a slice of normal life around you. Finding the balance between the excitement of standing in front of 50.000 people, every one of them screaming “BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME” and the hard times, overcoming any doubts you may have. That is the true challenge.
6. Due to the COVID-19 Outbreak, a lot of festivals were either postponed or canceled and it has affected the scene drastically. How will it affect future events and what is your message to all the people working in the music industry?
I cannot speak for the whole festival industry but I can see there is a huge problem. For our society to function efficiently it depends on work, life, and entertainment. Entertainment gives you the power to unwind after completing difficult tasks, tasks that everybody has to carry out during the week. Entertainment gives you the opportunity to reward yourself. So this means, if there are less and less entertainment opportunities, the feeling changes within the big city, suddenly younger people are seeking other forms of entertainment which can sometimes lead to violence, especially if they are unhappy with other aspects of their life and don’t have any options to release their pent up energy. So it becomes a cultural problem. COVID 19 is really bad and has been really bad, but to be honest we have to find a way back out, while equally respecting all the guidelines for health, etc. We have so many great scientists and people who are searching in laboratories right now, searching for medicine, searching for a vaccine, carrying out tests, this will allow us the chance to return to normal life. A big event cannot function with 50 people here, and 50 people there. It needs the spiritual electricity that allows the artist on stage and the crowd to merge as one. This is the pure energy essential to creating a perfect vibe, which in turn gives the crowd the power to return home satisfied, happy to head back to work. This is our mission, to return life back to normal.
7. What can the fans of BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME expect from the upcoming Winter Edition 2021?
People can expect a fantastic WORLD CLUB DOME. We don’t know what the Covid-19 rules will be, but we are pretty sure that the guidelines will be workable because we have an enormous stadium at our disposal. Allowing us to create different areas, to build new concepts that bring the people and the energy together. Of course, at the moment we have to wait. We have 5 more months till the BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME Winter Edition. What provides me with excitement is that the acts and DJs from around the world are all saying they want to start with WORLD CLUB DOME Winter Edition, the first big event, giving the feeling of enjoyment back to the people and offering a sense that normality can resume. Everybody said to me, Bernd we want to do this with you. We are working together with you to make sure it happens. Ensuring that everybody has a damn good WORLD CLUB DOME.
8. We wish you & team good luck for the top-tier clubbing experience you will deliver after this unfortunate situation. Any message for all the artists, ravers across the world?
My message to everybody is to believe in yourself. Take on the challenges that appear out of nowhere, accept, and live with them. Find the solution to every challenge no matter how difficult, and be the beacon of illumination that guides everyone out from the darkness and into the light. And the most important thing I want to do is bring everyone, the artists, the DJs, and the fans together to celebrate the freedom, love, and excitement that we all cherish, once had and took as normal. It’s only when we look back that we realize we can no longer take this incredible form of happiness for granted any longer. We must create indestructible foundations that cannot be destroyed by a little virus, pollution, or the economy.
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