Philip Sherburne is a Berlin-based music critic and journalist who occasionally plays records in public and, even more occasionally, puts out records of his own. To serenade the denizens of Kotti's Monarch bar, he'll be playing records he doesn't normally get to play in dance-club settings—slower, maybe murkier—though there's a distinct chance of some actual house music sneaking in by the end.
 
For all intents and purposes, the Monarch will serve as the "official bar" for this year's CTM. Hidden above the Kaiser's supermarket (the entrance to an unlikely concrete staircase can be found next to the Turkish snack bar), with a splendid view onto the elevated U-bahn station at Kottbusser Tor, the Monarch has been a bastion of local social activity for the last few years. Just a few doors down from the action at the nearby Festsaal Kreuzberg, West Germany, Paloma Bar, Nr 4 and Kotti Shop, the Monarch is the ideal place to stop in for a drink when the performances have finished, before heading to the more remote CTM locations of Maria am Ostbahnhof or Berghain.
 
For your edification and listening pleasure, we have organized Selector's Choice: an assortment of discriminating DJs will be spinning records – the only brief being that they follow their intuition and specific interests to provide an engaging soundtrack. In other words, carte blanche. The Monarch will open at 21:00 and close when the last patrons drink up.
 
› Tickets › 5 € box office only