ID: Interview · Pitti Herzfeld
BIOSPHERE
Not back. Forward together.
Pitti Herzfeld on the feeling of BIOSPHERE, a long road back and how a shared memory can become a new night.
06.11.2026 · EXIL / VÖSENDORFTHE TECHNO SPIRIT
Strangers became friends. For Pitti Herzfeld, that is the heart of BIOSPHERE. He was part of Vienna’s rave culture in the late 1990s; now he and a new team are preparing another chapter. It is due to begin on 6 November 2026 at EXIL in Vösendorf. Our conversation explores what survives a night – and what needs room to emerge anew.
What remains is a feeling.
To bring a night back, you first have to understand what mattered about it. Pitti starts with the people on the floor rather than a name on a flyer. His memories of BIOSPHERE are memories of connection.
What memory of the original BIOSPHERE nights could no photograph capture?
What I remember most – and, as I now realise, what many other people remember too, since advertising and coverage have brought BIOSPHERE back into focus – is that very special atmosphere and the feeling it created. You met friends, and strangers became friends through a shared enthusiasm for the music. There were no smartphones yet; in a way, much of it was spoiler-free. You did not always know what to expect, and you were simply in the moment. Dancing together created a strong community. And that feeling of life, that spirit of the time, is something photographs can barely capture.
Experience meets new beginnings.
Sam Paganini · The Advent · Joro & Joabo · Elex Red · Tolaris
An idea does not simply switch off.
In the mid-1990s, Herzfeld worked on promotion and event organisation around XXX Productions. Family, other work and advertising came later. The desire to create a night of his own remained. The pandemic gave him time to follow that thought.
When did the idea of returning become the decision: we are doing this again?
After I stepped away from the club scene, other things took centre stage: family, my son, and different professional paths. What I always missed, though, was the creative work involved in organising events. Looking back at the years between 1995 and 2003, I was able to contribute to some wonderful projects, including events at the Gasometer, BIOSPHERE and the Casanova Line, to name a few. Later, I could express some of that creativity in advertising, but my special connection to the origins of BIOSPHERE never really disappeared.
During the pandemic, like many other people, I had a lot of time to think. At some point, I began imagining what BIOSPHERE might look like in the twenty-first century. That developed into an increasingly strong desire to bring it back. What followed was quite a long journey – at times a real odyssey. On 6 November 2026, it will finally happen. For me, that marks the start of a new chapter.
1997 is the starting point.
The announced night spans three floors. Sam Paganini and The Advent join Austrian artists; FLUFFIG hosts the Maschinenraum with Anna Ullrich, MARØ, WHO IS ELA¿ and Dorah. Pitti describes the programme as a meeting of experience and new perspectives.
What stays from the Techno Spirit of 1997 – and what should be different today?
That is a very good question. Above all, it matters to me that BIOSPHERE does not become a purely retro party. Some people may find that difficult to imagine because they associate BIOSPHERE with the 1990s and therefore expect the new event to be entirely shaped by that era.
BIOSPHERE was an innovative platform even then. That is precisely the idea our new team, whose hearts still beat with the rave spirit of those days, wants to pick up. With today’s technical possibilities, we also want to explore new approaches and experiment, without losing the charm of the 1990s or the musical classics.
At the same time, we want to build a bridge to a younger generation. That is reflected in the music programme, the visuals and the overall production, but also in projects such as the CYBERSPACE Artist Lab, through which we want to give new talent and DJs from back then a stage.
A new room.
A familiar impulse.
Three floors. A night designed to bring memory and the present onto the same dancefloor.
Club EXIL · SCENE:IDA stage is an invitation, too.
The CYBERSPACE Artist Lab makes space for new talent and artists who want to return. DJ SDRICCI mentors the project, while a jury and the community select the slots. Asked what makes a set convincing, Pitti turns to the words of contest director Engine Eric.
CYBERSPACE Artist LabWhat does a set need for an unfamiliar name to earn a place on your stage?
Engine Eric · CYBERSPACE DJ ContestIt is a question of getting the right mix of many factors. If a DJ shows the greatest skills on the decks but cannot tell a story that sweeps the audience along and lets them experience the journey in ecstasy, then the link that makes you say “this is it” is definitely missing. As an experienced musician, you can recognise whether somebody brings all of that. We want to encourage it, develop it and then present it to our audience. One love, one crowd, giving back to the community!
The next perspective.
Anna Ullrich · MARØ · WHO IS ELA¿ · Dorah
A floor of its own for the voices of a new generation.
In the end, the night belongs to everyone.
A great deal of work separates the first plan from people actually meeting. A shared moment, however, cannot be decided in advance. Pitti’s measure of the return is simple: people from different generations celebrating together, without age defining the night.
What would have to happen in the middle of the night for you to think: something new is growing together here?
That makes me think of one of my favourite classics, “Music Is the Answer” by Danny Tenaglia. The title already says a great deal.
You can plan, organise and prepare as much as you like beforehand, but at some point you also have to trust the process and let things take their course. If the music is right, people dance together, feel comfortable and have a good time, a lot happens naturally.
And if I walk through the club in the middle of the night and see people from back then celebrating alongside a new generation, without anyone’s age mattering at all, then we have essentially accomplished our mission!
At this point, I would also like to thank the countless people who have kept the techno spirit of the 1990s in their hearts and still look back fondly on those BIOSPHERE nights. A big thank-you also goes to all the helpers supporting this project with so much commitment. And, of course, to you and SCENE:ID: your coverage helps carry this idea forward.
