Coinciding with its Berlin pop-up radio station, the Red Bull Music Academy blog shared an English translation of a comprehensive article about the Communist-era electronic-music scene east of the Berlin Wall, as told by artists who were there. The original piece, penned by Florian Sievers for Groove, tracked down all of the musicians and producers featured on Permanent Vacation‘s Mandarinen Träume: Electronic Escapes from the Deutsche Demokraktische Republik 1981-1989 compilation, which sought to showcase electronic music made in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. What transpired is an illuminating discussion between a handful of former East German residents as they recall the difficulties of smuggling synthesizers and drum machines into the country and the struggles of making new music while in such a controlling state, all while mapping the trajectory of East Germany’s mostly unknown electronic music development. RBMA’s full translation of the illuminating article can be read here.