From the left: Chris Parkinson, Martin Fernando Jakobsen, Mark Ernestus and Esther Wanyama.
“If perfection exists, then this venue, from a DJ’s point of view, is that“
The reputation of the Open Ground club in an underground bunker in Wuppertal has rapidly grown into mythical proportions among music heads across Europe. Is this the best sounding club in the world? How did this technical wonder emerge? And what’s the angle of the German music industry legends behind the club?
This podcast deep dives into the fable of Open Ground through the investigative eyes of two seasoned electronic curators and DJ’s: Esther Wanyama aka N.E.GIRL (part of Strøms curator group) and Martin Fernando Jakobsen (Turning Tables).
The duo visited the Deep Medi Special club night in November 2025 featuring luminary legends Mad Professor, Mark Ernestus, Mala, Sir Spyro and a spanking line-up from the label roster. Join their trip down into Open Ground, a music house dedicated to frequency geeks, sound system enthusiasts and people who want to explore new music.
Bass vibrations and first impressions
“The room itself wasn’t so big, but the sound was massive. The bass was so impactful. The vibration just hit my chest”, Esther Wanyama says about her first impression of the sound system in Open Ground.
Open Ground is housed in a former World War II bunker in Wuppertal, right next to the city’s main train station. The space has been meticulously transformed and acoustically optimized after seven years in development. Each room has its own distinct sound, shaped by carefully treated, felt-lined surfaces throughout – even the coat room, Martin Fernando Jakobsen notes. “You can really feel how they’ve considered not just the guests and artists, but the staff as well”, says Esther Wanyama.
Music at the heart of the experience
Open Ground is co-founded by Markus Riedel (managing director) and Mark Ernestus (renowned for Basic Channel/Hard Wax) – a space shaped by high-quality audio, sound system culture, and carefully curated line-ups.
“We are really trying to put the music at the heart of the experience. The lightning here is minimal, we have a no photo policy. We’re really trying to draw everyone’s attention to the music and how incredible that can sound”, says Chris Parkinson, Open Ground’s music manager.
Connecting people in Wuppertal
None of the founders expected Open Ground to become a global phenomenon. Especially not in the span of two years.
“In the beginning, we just hoped it would be a successful thing in the area. We never imagined this success in the whole world. When people from Australia come to Europe, they come to Wuppertal now. This is crazy”, says Markus Riedel.
Music curator Arthur Rieger continues:
“Imagine you’re in your 20s in Wuppertal and you love electronic music. Before, you had to move to a bigger city like London or Berlin to be part of a certain scene. But now, the culture is coming to you”, he says – and paints a picture of how having such a club in a small city will inspire locals to become DJs and producers and nurture an ecosystem of new local artists.
The focus of the founders is very much on local community building. And on providing a 100 percent passion driven space for dedicated artists and enthusiasts who want to gravitate around the music they love.
“The DJ is not more important than the crowd. It’s not about worshipping the superstars. It’s like a community”, Chris Parkinson says.
Dive into more details about Open Ground with words from Mala, Arthur, Markus Riedel and Chris Parkinson in the podcast Inside Open Ground
For more info about Open Ground, their curation and upcoming events visit openground.club