SoundCloud EyeEm Summer Party at Picknick

Yesterday afternoon, I jetted from London to Berlin to attend SoundCloud EyeEm's Summer Party held at Picknick. Although this was an "office" party (a party that went from 7 pm - 9 am Sunday morning and had over 1,000 people in attendance at one point), I couldn't help but also feel that it was a borderline beard meet-up. I have never seen such a sea of hairy faces (and this coming from someone who used to live in Brooklyn).

It is no coincidence that SoundCloud's founder & CEO has a beard - has a staff of tech beards and/or mustaches working there - and that I'm their US PR Manager.  

It was a great soiree. Here are some stand-out beards to admire (below), more on EyeEm, and conversations captured during the event. 

Photo: Alexander Ljung, Founder and CEO, SoundCloud

Photo: SoundClouders Eric Wahlforss, Founder & CTO; Dave Haynes, VP Biz Development (Content)

Photo: Ben Fawkes, Audio Content Manager, SoundCloud

Photo: Sarah Haswell, Music Content Team

Photo: Ramzi Rizk, Founder CTO, EyeEm

Berlin - A Hotbed for Beardos

Berlin first caught our eye back in 2005 (before this blog was born), for the World Beard and Mustache Championships that were held in Germany - and hosted by the Berlin Beard Club (founded in 1996). But more recently, in 2011, Elmar Weisser, a German hairdresser, scooped the title of World's "Best Beard" after impressing competition hosts in Norway (his beard sported a moose and the Norwegian flag).

Not surprisingly, Weisser has a long history of winning - taking the title in 2005 in Berlin with his beard in the form of the landmark Brandenburg Gate, and 2007, dominated in England for his recreation of the Tower Bridge.  Not to be outshone, Karl-Heinz Hille - also of Germany - won a 5th straight gold medal in 2011 for rocking the Imperial Partial Beard category.

Germany and the United States have traditionally dominated this eccentric contest - but beyond the world of competitions, Berlin has also made headline news in fashion.  Remember in 2010 when German designer Patrick Mohr decided that his female models should be bald and sport molting beards?  It was the most talked about show in all of Berlin Fashion Week.

So with all this intrigue, does it come as any surprise that Bab co-founder, Riss, is going to be heading over to Berlin for a few weeks to see if this capital can hold up to its reputation as the premier city that exudes God-like hirsute powers?  

If you're living abroad, please show her the best bärte in Berlin!
(Photo: Elmar Weisser)
 

Ich bin ein Beardo

Thank you to Gabriel Shalom for making this (and to @abillboard for passing the link along of course). We love it eventhough it does involve shaving... we like to play it backwards, but it works both ways.

Gabriel Shalom is a Videomusician, Hypercubist and Designer/Producer out of Berlin, Germany . He blogs on the future of Cinema here: quantumcinema.blogspot.com.

So, we'll be on the look out for a reverse, you should get on that right now, Gabe. Thanks... 

Beardbox from Gabriel Shalom on Vimeo.