Active since 2000, Telekom Electronic Beats (TEB) is a comprehensive music platform produced by Deutsche Telekom. With its editorial content, podcast, EB.TV, club nights, and Electronic Beats festivals, TEB supports artists in Germany, Poland, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, and Austria, and reaches music fans across the world. With its extensive network, TEB continues to create European-wide campaigns. Despite the impact of live events stopping in 2020 and 2021, TEB still has a lot to celebrate – including its 20 anniversary book (available here).
Throughout 2020, TEB focused on online content, carried on with digital club nights, and supported relevant online events. They also interviewed creatives including musician Billie Eilish, filmmaker Vincent Haycock, GmbH fashion label founders, Alexander Huseby and Serhat Isik, and interdisciplinary artist, Honey Dijon. Additionally, TEB launched Futureproof! to help European artists remain relevant with new career pathways and tools. Following a quote from TEB’s Head of Electronic Beats, read on to discover the momentum TEB was building before the pandemic.
Besides social media, our Electronic Beats Podcast became one of the most important meeting and exchange points within our Telekom markets. We aim for conversations with creative opinion leaders, and it is essential for us to share new knowledge with the community.
-Ralf Lülsdorf
Before 2020
TEB worked with British virtual electronic group, Gorillaz, on their 2017 “Humanz” album release. With this project, Telekom created a Lenz App where fans could access footage, clips, and performances provided by the band. Also, the app incorporated augmented reality technology to bring Gorillaz to life across Europe. Additionally, TEB live streamed Gorillaz performances in Warsaw, Budapest, Katowice, and Cologne, which commenced with a secret Printworks show in London.
Two years later, EB.TV surpassed 100.000 YouTube subscribers. TEB also worked with long-time collaborator, Richie Hawtin, on amplifying his CLOSE COMBINED audiovisual album in 2019. To support this, Telekom co-created a CLOSER mobile app and hosted a live podcast recording at Factory Berlin. The app includes a 2017 show in Hungary, among other performances.
TEB Club Nights & Podcast (Germany)
As the home of TEB, Germany is the hub of Telekom’s creative activity. It’s also where Telekom introduced its first Club Nights in 2017. With this initiative, TEB supported local talent at Blitz Music Club, Galerie Kurzwil, Gewolbe, Goethebunker, Institut fur Zukunft, Klub Neu, Landschaftspark, Mobilat, Oma Doris, Pal, Studio Essen, Suxul, and Zeche Zollverein with its story-driven content. This includes TEB’s culture and nightlife podcast, covering topics like “women in nightlife,” “growing old in nightlife,” and the “evolution of club culture in Berlin” with artists, club and label owners, nightlife personalities, cultural leaders, and other influential individuals.
Events across Europe
There was a lot of activity for TEB Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Austria in 2018. From 28-30 September, TEB produced an Electronic Beats festival in Warsaw, which featured Justice, Meute, Maribou State, DJ Tennis, and Perel. In Budapest, Telekom debuted its first-ever lifestyle market with a music/tech workshop from Kompakt Records and Roland Synthesizers masterclass during Hungary’s Electronic Beats festival.
During that same year, TEB Romania launched during a two-day festival at Control Club in Bucharest, and Telekom Austria commenced with a small party in the small mining town of Eisenerz. During this event, Crowd & Rüben broadcasted names like Matador, Bicep, and Wolfram through TEB’s platform. Hosting such talent in a remote area resonated well with both the artists and local community. The party emphasised how music is meant to connect people.
Electronic dance music is an experience that ought to be shared with everybody. I come from a small fishing village outside of Dublin. Even in that small environment I met people with turntables who introduced me to dance music. That connected me with the scene in Dublin and elsewhere.
-Matador
Also, worth mentioning, TEB Macedonia kicked off in 2017 with a special party. The event featured Âme, DJ Koze, Tijana T, and Herzel. In addition, there were film screenings for “Raving Iran,” and “RICHIE HAWTIN – Pioneers of Electronic Music” – both produced by EB.TV.