Astradanza

Maayan Nidam

Maayan Nidam, also performing as THE WAVES is an artist in flux, continues to change, evolve and challenge boundaries both in her Berlin studio and on stage. She has built a reputation as a fine producer, live performer & DJ who favours a subtle approach towards mesmeric moments. Her DJ sets, predominantly based in stripped-back, deep sounds, utilise an intriguing vinyl collection, using obscure interludes for re-contextualisation. This approach makes for some magical moments on the dance-floor, where a night’s highlight may come from the most unlikely of tracks. As a musician obsessed about sound and the technology behind its creation, her workflow places a strong focus on the studio environment. Triggering chain reactions between guitar pedals, drum machines, modular synths and acoustic instruments, generating sounds in unpredictable, exciting ways. As THE WAVES, Maayan has developed a solo live set that allows her to further her studio experiments and take them on the road. With a flexibly evolving range of hardware, she re-creates the spontaneous frame of her productions, delving deep into the possibilities of live dubbing and improvisation, keeping the performance exciting for both the crowd and Maayan herself.

Thomas Melchior

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

Mathew Jonson

His music offers a rare fusion of populist intensities and nuanced musicality. With a keen understanding for the needs of the dance floor and the universal laws of house and techno, he's thrown out the rule book time and time again, sneaking tricks learned from electro and even drum'n'bass into the clubs, and loading up his B-sides with tracks that do what they damned well please. (No kick drum? No problem.) His standards for sound and presentation are exacting. Both on stage and in the studio, Jonson's fealty to analog equipment and real-time playing; as opposed to mere layback-serves as a standard bearer for a kind of electronic music that goes way beyond the drag 'n' drop world of digital composition. Jonson has always been eager to get his hands dirty, and the music reflects that in gnarled bass sequences and long, intuitive lines. His sounds have serious teeth. Despite his quick ascent through the ranks of the techno elite, Jonson hasn't just stayed personally grounded. He's devoted much of his energy to supporting his own close musical family, in the groups Cobblestone Jazz, Midnight Operator and the Modern Deep Left Quartet, and with his Wagon Repair label. He studied classical piano as a kid, plus jazz drumming, and played drums in a marching band – thus laying both the melodic and the rhythmic cornerstones of his music today. Thanks to his father's work as a musician, he also got his hands on synthesizers at the age of 9. By the time he discovered hip-hop as a young teen, he was recreating its electro-based beats on his own rudimentary setup at home. Jonson gradually began honing in on his own sound, both in his productions and his DJ sets, inspired by a deeper, weirder sound that had begun filtering into the Victoria's techno parties. His first record, in 2001, was the first release on Itiswhatitis (a label Mathew bought from its original owner 11 years later). Another followed in 2002, and in 2003. That year, he also made his first appearance on Perlon, 'Alpine Rocket' – a track he recorded alongside Luciano during his first trip to Europe. And then, suddenly, Jonson was everywhere: Sub Static, Arbutus, Kompakt, M_nus – and every track an anthem. "I had all that music kind of saved up," says Jonson, "and then, just by chance, released it all at the same time. People criticized me for it, said that it wasn't a good idea. But it worked out for me. All the tracks did well. I wasn't saturating the market with bad music." He's right there. In 2005, Jonson co-founded Wagon Repair, and it's been a blur since, a nonstop series of tours and recordings, solo and with his band mates. Crucially, he moved to Berlin. His studio here is jaw-dropping, frankly: a semi-circle full of gear, from old workhorses like the 808 and 909 and SH-101 to unique beasts like their Cwejman and Roland System 100m modular system. Tate's Rhodes piano anchors one corner of the horseshoe, and everything feeds into a massive desk where tracks are mixed and recorded in real-time. His two hands have come up with some remarkable material. Having perfected his brand of earthshaking epic with tracks like 'Marionette' and ‘Decompression’, Jonson has increasingly turned his efforts towards more personal, introspective music. He never left the clubs behind though; his 2010 album, Agents of Time, featured a number of tracks that are as hip-winding wily as anything he's produced yet, full-on tracks like 'Girls Got Rhythm' and 'Thieves in Digital Land'. Equally physical was his 2011 drop on Hawtin's M_nus, 'Learning To Fly', and the well-received 'Automaton' on Crosstown Rebels. His 2013 album, On Her Blurry Pictures, too; here Jonson took advantage of the long player format to stretch out and indulge darker moods and slower tempos, but the core of the record remained rooted in a dancefloor context. In 2015, Mathew fulfilled his long-standing ambition of contributing to Fabric's esteemed mix series. Fabric84 is a recording of his set at the club's 15th birthday, during which he played a number of his classic tracks and unreleased edits. The energy of the occasion and the particular way Mathew performs his material blend perfectly, capturing a singular and very special set on CD. As well as continuing to tour his in-demand solo live show, which is consistently ranked amongst Resident Advisor's top 20, Mathew has recently remixed Paul St. Hilaire + Rhauder, The Martinez Brothers, Seth Troxler, and VCMG (to add to his past work including Moby, Cybotron, The Chemical Brothers, and Nelly Furtado). He released an album with Units and Measurements in 2016, and another as his new alias Freedom Engine entitled “A Box Full Of Magic” in 2019. Eighteen years on from his debut release, 'New Identity', Mathew's sound and reputation as an artist have developed, as you would expect for someone so richly and widely talented.

EVGHENIIA

Ossios

Since his beginnings in Mexico City, DJ/producer Ossios has dedicated his life to cultivating good taste and working from many angles of the creative spectrum. Born in the 80’s, his first memories were graced by his father’s broad music taste and celebratory family gatherings. So it’s no surprise that when Ossios arrived in Berlin, he continued his creative journey through all sides of nourishment: sonic, spacial, and culinary arts. It is a combo he serves consistently at Motif, his cozy wine bar and listening hotspot in Berlin’s Neukölln where one can sip natural wine, listen to downtempo rarities, and find vinyl gems in a well-curated room of records. Ossios is a purveyor of all sounds funky and mysterious. As a vinyl collector and explorer of genres, his record bag might easily reveal Sergio Mendez next to James Holden or Miles Davis next to Ricardo Villalobos. From a 12-hour only disco session at Berlin’s Heidegluhen to an all day long daytime seaside journey at Garbicz festival, Ossios has brought his inquisitive and inviting energy to a wide range of spaces, both on and off the dance floor. Behind the booth, Ossios effortlessly shares his sense of wonder and precision, reading the room with selections that are united in groove yet never predictable. It is because of this attentiveness that Ossios has made routine appearances at Club der Visionaere and Hoppetosse in Berlin, Papaya Playa Project in Tulum as a resident, Kaiku in Helsinki, Cervo in Zermatt, and various European summer festivals each year. The key to Ossios’ vision is a dedication to his heart. Whether with his approach in curating the music and wine selection at Motif, hosting special collaborative events, picking records for a cozy summer sunrise set, rocking dance floors in Mexico City, or even satisfying his creative hunger through his daily painting practice, Ossios is a true renaissance man thriving in a modern time.

DJ STRANGELOVE

influenced by artists such as andrew weatherall, depeche mode, christophe, air and serge gainsbourg, johnny strangelove have been living in baja california sur for the past years. this is where he met giorgio de la paz, daniel weil and alf moctezuma and a bunch of other wizards. together they organized many raves in the desert. they reunited under the flag of a magic imaginary kingdom called Astradanza. today dj strangelove regularly appear on the line up of the Rainbow Wizard Collective, as well as a few solo shows, mostly in Europe, Asia and Latin America.