Kühlspot Social Club

Kühlspot Social Club is a 50-capacity concert room in Berlin-Weißensee, geared toward jazz, improvised music, electronics and contemporary sound. Its distinguishing feature sits in plain view: the venue operates inside the former studio of Berlin artist Siegfried Kühl, with his work permanently displayed around the performance space. That makes a set here feel like a concert staged within an active visual-art environment, at a scale where every seat is close to the players.

A studio becomes a meeting place

Kühlspot opened in 2013 in Siegfried Kühl’s former atelier; artist Christoph Kühl founded and has led the venue. The public programme grew around creative music, theatre and art, while the studio’s resident artwork remained part of the room. Siegfried Kühl died in 2016, giving the site an added role as a living setting for his work as well as a performance venue.

The pandemic brought financial pressure, according to Jazz am Helmholtzplatz, which helped initiate the formation of Kühlspot Social Club e.V. after the shutdown period to support the room’s continuation. That shift is visible in the current setup: MIZ lists Isabel Anders as artistic director and names a three-person executive board, framing the space as an association-run platform for small-scale experimental performance.

What the room offers

Expect a programme led by free jazz, improvisation, electronic and contemporary music, with occasional dance, theatre and visual-art events. The booking approach includes open sessions: participants register in advance, Isabel Anders and Marc Schmolling curate ensembles, and listeners are invited in. For players, the regular Jazzkeller 69 sessions use an on-site grand piano, drum kit with cymbals, and guitar and bass amplifiers. The setting is a rear-courtyard studio room, so the experience favors attentive listening and direct contact with performers over large-club spectacle.