17 October 2026 · RBB documentary
Bringing old places back to life.
RBB is currently filming a documentary about people restoring old things.
Two of the three filming days are complete.
Places, music and the journeys between them
Alexander
Dettke.
I work on places, music and what people can build together. That includes festivals, a housing settlement around a water tower and a railway station. I make music as DETTKE.
Here are some of those projects, and a little about the journeys between them.
What’s on my mind.
· Draußenbande
A festival grows with us.
Tickets for Malina, Morio & die Draußenbande are now available. In summer 2027, we want to celebrate together in Lusatia with people of all ages.
Festival & tickets ↗Work in progress · Music
Tätowiert von innen.
Music by DETTKE. The current recordings are on Boombox.
Listen ↓September notes
01 / REEPERBAHN
Back from Reeperbahn Festival
I was in Hamburg for Reeperbahn Festival from 16 to 19 September.
Get in touch ↗02 / DETTKETätowiert von innen
Music by DETTKE. The current recordings are on Boombox.
Listen ↓03 / 2027Planning festivals for 2027
I am working on new festival formats, including Malina, Morio & die Draußenbande, a festival for families.
See what’s growing ↓01 / Places
Places in Lusatia.
The Wasserturmsiedlung
How do we want to live? And how much do we want to share in everyday life? These are questions we explore at the Wasserturmsiedlung.
WASSERTURMSIEDLUNG
Living in Lusatia
The Wasserturmsiedlung is a housing project in Lusatia. I live here myself. I am interested in how a place can make room for individual lives and shared activities. The project website has more about living here and the settlement’s development.
Explore the project ↗One possible future ＋
↔ Move the line. Discover the idea behind it.
Future sketch: an AI-generated illustration of an idea, not a building plan or a promise of delivery.
02 / VISION
We are exploring future uses for the station building. This illustration shows an idea, not a completed place.
Concept visualisation · In development
We bought
a railway station.
Calau railway station is one of our projects in Lusatia. The project website presents ideas for its future use.
Explore the project ↗
03 / VISION
The concept for the brickworks brings together nature and hospitality. Further planning will determine which uses can be realised.
In development · Muckwar
Ziegelei Muckwar
We are also developing the old brickworks in Muckwar. The project is still in planning. Its website has more about the site and the concept.
Explore the project ↗
Holiday apartment · Drebkau
And if you’d like to stay …
A few days in the countryside. Our holiday apartment with a garden, sauna and hot tub.
Be my guest ↗02 / Festivals
And the festivals.
Many people know me through Wilde Möhre. Here it is, alongside the other festival projects I work on.
Festival · Wilde Möhre
Wilde Möhre
The festival that started much of my work in Lusatia in 2014. Music, art and a weekend outdoors.
Explore Wilde Möhre ↗
Family festival · Tickets available
Malina, Morio & die Draußenbande
In summer 2027, we will celebrate in Lusatia with people of all ages. Tickets for our family festival are now available.
Festival & tickets ↗
Festival · Lusatia
Somewhere a little different.
Music and encounters in Lusatia. Step out of everyday life and into a shared weekend.
Explore Lusatia ↗
Festival · In development
Back to the outdoors.
by nature is an emerging festival for music, connection and time in nature. Discover the idea.
Explore by nature ↗03 / Music
DETTKE
Tätowiert
von innen.
DETTKE is my music project. Listen to the current recordings here, including “Tätowiert von innen”.
Open playlist on Boombox ↗If the player does not load, open the playlist directly on Boombox.
Wilde Zeiten – No Mask No Party04 / Film
Wilde Zeiten –
No Mask No Party
The film follows the organisation of Wilde Möhre during the pandemic, including the work that usually stays behind the scenes.
Watch the film on Prime Video ↗05 / Cooperative
mit Freude eG
How can cultural spaces be sustained and supported collectively? This is the question behind mit Freude eG, with a focus on festival and club culture across Germany. Visit the cooperative’s website to learn about the idea and ways to get involved.
Discover mit Freude eG ↗
Thinking across Germany06 / About me
A few stops along the way
I was born in Halle an der Saale and grew up in several places, including near Hanover, in Tokyo and near Chicago. Berlin came later. Today, Lusatia and the festivals and housing projects here are an important part of my life.
Open a place below to read more.
Values
I build spaces where joy, freedom and community can thrive. A humanist at heart, free from dogma, and responsible by design.
01Halle (Saale)Origins
Born in Halle an der Saale in 1988.
02Near HanoverPrimary school
I went to primary school in Gümmer near Hanover.
03TokyoSeven years
I lived in Tokyo for seven years and attended the German School Tokyo Yokohama.
04Chicago / NapervilleOne year
I lived in Naperville near Chicago for a year.
05Back to SeelzeSchool years
After living abroad, I returned to the Hanover area and attended Georg-Büchner-Gymnasium in Seelze.
06BerlinFrom 2008
I moved to Berlin in 2008. Its music and club culture is part of the journey that led me to festivals.
07Lusatia & beyondSince 2014
Wilde Möhre has been part of my life since 2014. Today, my work in Lusatia also includes housing projects, Calau railway station and the Muckwar brickworks.
Living in different places showed me how many forms everyday life can take. That still interests me, including in the places I work on myself.
MECO Holding
Main Engine
Cutoff
MECO stands for Main Engine Cutoff. The spaceflight term describes something I aim for in my projects: developing them to a point where they can continue independently.
What that takes, and when the time is right to hand things over, differs from project to project.
MECO / 01
Ready for a nudge
Use your mouse, finger or space bar. The movement continues after you let go.
More to listen to
Beyond Wild
The podcast explores cultural spaces, how they come into being and how they can last.
Listen to Beyond Wild on Spotify ↗In conversation
In an interview with Creative City Berlin, I discuss shared cultural spaces and the idea behind mit Freude eG.
Read interview (German) ↗ZDF Frontal 21 also covered Wilde Zukunft and structural change in 2021. Niederlausitz aktuell and FAZEmag document our response to that portrayal.
I also presented the concept in Davos in the context of the World Economic Forum.
MECO · MAIN ENGINE CUTOFF
Get in touch.
If you have a question about a project or would like to suggest something, you can reach me here:
alex@mainenginecutoff.deAlexander Dettke