Offbeat • 27 April 2022
A step to the less explored sounds moving Berlin dancefloors.
Refugees reskill behind DJ decks
Source: Facebook - Future Female Sounds
Female, queer and non-binary refugees have been honing their DJing skills in a three day workshop led by Palestinian DJ and filmmaker Nour, Resident Advisor reported. The programme, offering asylum seekers a new creative and community outlet, was held at Monopol Berlin with the support of Future Female Sounds.
"I'm not exaggerating," participant Martina Ashraf, who travelled from Egypt to attend the workshop, told RA. "It was life-changing." In just two days, more than 60 aspiring DJs applied to join the workshop, with eight being selected to join the sessions which took place earlier this month. Nour revealed her plans to take the DJ workshops to Palestine in the future, she revealed to RA.
For aspiring Berlin DJs who are women, queer or non-binary - also edged out by dance music's macho posturing but aren't necessarily refugees - a course available to the general public is in the works. "An open call for the next round of summer workshops will be launched in May", Future Female Sounds founder Tia Korpe told RA.
Uganda’s dancefloor innovators
2022’s most exciting beats are emerging, not from Europe or North America but East Africa, says Studio Brussels presenter Rik de Bruycker. In Uganda’s vibrant capital Kampala, Arlen Dilsizian and Derek Debru have been running Nyege Nyege since 2016 - a label, festival and artist residency programme building audiences for the region’s most forward thinking sounds.
Berliners can sample some of these sounds in the flesh on Saturday, when powerhouse Kenyan-born rapper, freestyler and Nyege Nyege affiliate, MC Yallah, takes the mic. She is backed up on DJing duties by Scotch Rolex - a collaboration between Japanese bass don Shigeru Ishihara and Yallah's countryman, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Lord Spikeheart. Entry is free if you sign up to the guest list or €10 at the door.
Video filmed on location in Berlin’s S-Bahn, during Yallah and Rolex’s 2021 tour
The performance is part of Refraction festival, two nights of visual art and music at Wedding’s Panke Culture. The festival’s lineup represents an eclectic array of local and international artists, including Palestinian hiphop pioneer Muqa’ata of Ramallah Underground fame.
In a recent interview, recorded live from Belgium’s BRDCST festival, Nyege Nyege label owner and founder Arlen shared his experiences of festival productions in Africa, post-colonialism and the music scene and nightlife in Kampala.
He was joined at the presser by Amsterdam’s maverick vinyl selector and habitual disruptor of Berlin dancefloors, DJ Marcelle - the only overseas resident DJ at Nyege Nyege festival. Marcelle talked about the importance of punk in her youth, collecting mugs, the tedium of modern DJ culture and her new album "DJ Marcelle: The Musical".
Another Nyege Nyege signee, Arsenal Mikebe, a cutting-edge percussion trio living on the outskirts of Kampala, has recently been added to Berlin’s CTM festival ahead of their debut release on the label. Arsenal Mikebe will bring their jaw-dropping polyrhythms to the festival’s closing party, held at Neükölln institution Schwuz on 29 May. You can stay across the over-140 new international tour dates of various Nyege Nyege artists and affiliates here.
Berghain breakbeat break-in
Just upstairs from the trademark pounding four-to-the-floor industrial kick drums of Berghain's Main Room, the second dancefloor of the scene monolith - Panorama Bar - is swaying to some different rhythms this Friday.
Making a connection is the overarching goal of REEF, a party hatched by Canadian-born Berliner Darwin. Bringing further heat to 2022's first REEF night at Berghain is Berlin-based synthlord Objekt and REEF resident Esposito. The latter follows his fresh-off-the-cutting-room-floor release, Framing Void, on SPE:C - Darwin's dub imprint - available digitally here.
Closing Berghain Ostgut is the night’s special guest Sherelle. Growing up in East London, she has become one of the most sought-after drum'n'bass, footwork and jungle DJs in only a few years. You can get a taste of Sherelle’s impressive mixing and selection chops on her new BBC Radio 1 show, as well as her 2021 Fabric mix and various live recordings from her prolific touring schedule.
Together with Naina she runs the label Hooversound, which already has ten releases under its belt since its launch in 2020. As the REEF collective declares, these releases sound just like Sherelle's sets: full on rave material!