Tucked away above a supermarket at Skalitzer Straße 135A is a collection that has shaped the sound of pop history. The Synthesizer Museum at Kottbusser Tor houses the original instruments whose sounds became famous through global hits by Madonna, Kraftwerk, and Depeche Mode. What makes this museum special is that visitors are allowed to play most of the more than 50 rare, vintage analog synthesizers themselves.
Music History Instead of Display Cases at the Synthesizer Museum
Founder Michael Soltau brings music history to life with his space and deliberately breaks with the concept of traditional exhibitions behind glass. Among other instruments, visitors can play a Korg M1 here—the very synthesizer whose piano preset defined Madonna’s hit “Vogue.”
Right next to it, models from manufacturers Moog and Roland are lined up side by side—the very instruments that bands like Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode used to shape the sound of the 1980s. The legendary Yamaha CS-80, which made the soundtrack of the film *Blade Runner* famous, also enriches the collection.
An expensive exception
One notable exception to the Synthesizer Museum’s interactive concept is a special synthesizer owned by Bruce Springsteen, which he also used for the album “Born in the U.S.A.” Since the original physical unit is now worth around 60,000 euros, you can unfortunately only view it from a distance. Too bad—we would have loved to try it out!
Visitors can use all other sound generators for their own sessions. For twelve euros, interested visitors can play on the historic keyboards for two hours. They can record the tracks they create directly at the console onto a USB drive and take them home.
