Fête de la Musique: XJAZZ on the floor (free open air)

Allynx

DJ Amir

Early Days: From an early age, Amir’s ears were filled with the warm and colorful sounds of jazz, gospel, soul, and disco coming from his parents’ stereo. As a young man, he made the leap from this soulful home and dove head-first into the world of hip-hop the first chance he got. But instead of the clean break he had anticipated, he discovered so much of his parents’ classics sampled in the music of his peers. Intrigued, Amir found himself tracing ties through the music — first with light curiosity, soon, tirelessly. This came to be his passion: to map the sonic lineage of hip-hop. Kon & Amir: Amir has been a man on a mission ever since. He has braved strange and dangerous locations in pursuit of the rarest wax; dealt with the shadiest characters and collectors in over 100 cities across the globe; and has had his knowledge called upon by some of the biggest names in hip-hop. It was kismet that Amir would meet fellow crate digger and kindred spirit Kon in 1996; instantaneously becoming fast friends and collaborators. Beginning with the esteemed underground On Track mixtape series, Kon & Amir have since released twelve compilations, including three volumes of Off Track, the follow-up to the On Track series. Kon & Amir’s expertise have been sought by Shady Records, Pete Rock, Diamond D, and Capitol Records, to name but a few. Aside from his work in this partnership, Amir’s own client list has included the likes of Dilla, Madlib, Common, Mandrill, The Mizell Brothers, Duke Jones, Lyman Woodard, and Dennis Coffey. Label Maker: It was also during the 90s that Amir began working at record labels. Starting out in an entry-level position at Fat Beats, Amir quickly rose through the ranks to become VP of Sales. Since then, Amir has worked as an A&R for Rapster/!K7 Records; Sales Manager for ABB Records, and Label Manager of Wax Poetics Records. Having amassed a great wealth of experience and know-how over the years, Amir founded 180 Proof Records in 2010, and has released four albums on the self-made label to date. No Days Off: Today, Amir continues to work and create, not only as a label owner and manager, but also as a prominent tastemaker and curator. Recent projects include the curation and production of the Strata Records exhibit for the Scion IQ Museum and the reissue of the two ultra-rare Newban albums on BBE (Barely Breaking Even) — a project Amir brought to the label back in 2012. And, of course, djing continues to be an intrinsic part of his repertoire. As half of Kon & Amir and on his own, Amir tours the world playing out to a global network of the most fanatical of fans and provides them with deep, rich, alternative sonic experiences.

Christian Prommer

Daniel Best

At a time when DJing is less about connecting with music lovers and more about branding, play counts and frequent flyer miles, Daniel W. Best’s approach is so straightforward that it’s almost groundbreaking: an egoless passion, a fine-tuned ear and most important, an open mind with good taste. Although he prefers to call himself a music activist rather than a DJ, Best has over two decades of experience behind the decks, getting crowds onto their feet whether he plays Jazz, Soul, Reggae, Rare Groove, Disco or House – sometimes all within the same set, always on vinyl. Rooted in Berlin for over 15 years, he has established residencies at Cookies and Tausend and organizes a variety of special parties and one-off events. But his DJing is only one aspect of his musical credibility: he runs his own company Best Works, which serves as a powerhouse for booking, artist and event management and publishing, representing an array of talent including Jazzanova Live feat. Paul Randolph, Mop Mop, Nôze & Band, Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band, Fetsum, William Adamson, Kyodai, André Lodemann, Vidis, Clé, Christian Prommer, Alex Barck among many others. Bringing professionalism to partying, Best is responsible for some of Berlin’s most successful events, including Kaleideskop, which pairs Jazzanova’s DJ team with top names from around the world such as Masters at Work, Carl Craig and Metro Area, as well as Dixon’s now defunct club night Innercity held at Weekend, and the oldschool House party Washing Machine which has been running in Berlin for over 10 years at different clubs and which finally arrived at Kater Holzig and Panorama Bar. Aside from all this, Daniel has proven his A&R prowess, most notable with his two labels Best Seven Records – a Sonar Kollektiv imprint focusing on Reggae and Soul sounds – and Best Works Records, together with André Lodemann focusing on House music. His three Best Seven Selections compilations have earned praise for their classic yet contemporary angle on Reggae, and his Polish Jazz compilation for Jazzanova Compost Records showed his ear for the obscure. Best’s most recent focus is G.I. Disco, a name that encompasses a DJ duo along with Berliner Hip Hop DJ Kalle Kuts, the aforementioned club night, a compilation released by legendary London label BBE, and the temporary exhibition „From G.I Blues to G.I. Disco“ at the Allied Museum. Last but not least, Best and Kalle Kuts have brought their concept to some of Europe’s top clubs including Bob Beaman (Munich), Prater Sauna (Vienna) and Zukunft (Zurich).

Eddy Ramich

Femdelic

FEMDELIC This Berlin DJ has built a solid reputation for coming to wreck your body. Shaped by the energy of Berlin, where she grew up, Marisa aka Femdelic is a DJ with a deep love for boogie funk and disco. She started spinning vinyl in 2005 but fully dedicated herself to music after stepping away from dancing. With a Congolese father and German mother, music was always present in her life, and her african heritage played a key role in shaping her musical ear. A former breakdancer with a background in popping and b-boy culture, movement was her first language—until music took over completely. Her journey has taken her to many European countries, California, Kazakhstan, and South Africa. bringing her groove-infused sets to dancers and music lovers alike. Alongside her music career, Femdelic has always been engaged in social work, a commitment that runs parallel to her artistic path. Over the years, Femdelic has shared the stage with artists like Maurice Fulton, Nightmares on Wax, Shy One, Mendel, DJ Amir, DJ Koco aka Shimokita, Kyoto Jazz, and many more. Her selections have not only earned her a place among respected crate diggers but also led her to open for legends such as Cymande, George Clinton, L’Impératrice or Fatoumata Diawara. Whether warming up for icons or locking in a dance floor deep into the night, she brings the same dedication to groove, always crafting a journey through sound. With an ear tuned to the raw energy of funk and electro boogie, Femdelic curates selections that bridge the past and the future, always staying true to the rhythms that shaped her. Since last year, she has been hosting a monthly radio show on Refuge Worldwide, where she further explores other genres and invites guests to share their musical perspectives.

Flashbaxx

Henrik Schwarz

Kava (GE)

One day this will be completed. One day.

Ken Okuda

Influenced by selectors like Theo Parrish and Sassy J, Ken Okuda aims to take the artform of cross-genre DJing into the modern day. With a dedication to spinning vinyl and a keen ear for contemporary sounds, his sets move in all directions.

Marian Tone

moe.

A globetrotter at heart (originally from Sudan, raised in the UAE & lived in the US, Malaysia, Sweden & Germany), I've traveled the world pursuing the magical feeling only dancefloors can exude; a search that proved to me that regardless of where you are: genres don't matter. What matters is the feeling the music gives, the energy/soul you put into it & the space as a participant in the collective experience; be it as a dancer, dj or organiser. This heavily informs my taste and selections that I explore through my sets as well as the curation of the projects I organise: as a resident radio host at Berlin’s online radio station Refuge Worldwide, as a co-host of 'Endless Groove' (a non-profit Loft inspired community driven party based in Stockholm & Berlin), initiator of 'Black Is...' (gender-inclusive platform supporting BIPOC voices based in Berlin & Amsterdam) & founder of ‘Wild Combination’ (a Berlin multi collective showcase benefitting essential causes), as well as the curation of my bi-monthly VIBRATIO)))NS mix series.

Philippa

Philippa started DJing in the halcyon days of the late 90s, an era ring-fenced by Motorbass’s smoky ‘french touch’ deep house and the American overlords DJ Sneak and Derrick Carter - artists who were endlessly churning out grinding disco loops, brutalising astute global dancefloors into pulverised messes. House music was by turns art based, intellectual and relentlessly fun/ctional. These cutting edge international sounds made their way to clubs in New Zealand where a young and impressionable Philippa earnestly lapped them up. Working by day in seminal Auckland record store BPM, nights she learnt to DJ in the city’s brilliant corners of sound. As a training ground there's nothing quite like the weekly residencies of local scenes: breeding grounds of talent where artists are nurtured and toughened up by the critical presence of week in / week out dancefloors, and that’s certainly what happened here. Philippa would go on to become a leading light in the New Zealand underground. By the time she left in 2013 she had headlined six national tours under her party banner Chicago Disco, won music industry awards and accolades, and hosted Friday Drive on the nation’s electronic music radio station George FM for seven years. Curiosity however, can be a bitch. Questions had been entering Philippa’s mind - were European dance floors really as intoxicating as they seemed from afar? What could she learn if she leapt from the safe waters of her natural home? Moving to Berlin in 2013 perhaps inevitably meant that DJing took a back seat, and as such these years were difficult. With no production background to act as a business card, Philippa came to a vital realisation - that she could either start again and work her way up through the city’s innumerable clubs, or embrace a new era of learning and double down on music production. She chose the latter. Working by day teaching tertiary level students in an institution of arts and technology, Philippa spent weekends focused on learning a new craft - not one of rotating records, but one of synthesisers, samplers and sound design. Immersed in this world Philippa went to ground, emerging finally in 2019 with the birth of her record label At Peace - named so to honour what she’d given up by moving to the often brutal grey city that is Berlin, and the frame of mind she’d decided to adopt in response to those losses. It was through the launch of this label that Philippa’s sound came to the attention of hugely respected UK house label Freerange. In the early days of the pandemic, label head Jimpster asked if she would consider submitting demos - and consequently Philippa’s Freerange EP ‘There’s A Ghost in My Synthesizer’ was released in September 2022. The record was well received in house music circles and was followed by another release in December 2023: ‘Latent Magic’. Further releases followed - Philippa’s ‘Rainy Nights’ ep came out on London’s Slothboogie in June 2023 and was a big record for the label internationally. 2023 was also the year Philippa was asked to remix iconic New Zealand band Fat Freddy’s Drop, with the track ‘Bones’. And her remix of classic house cut Roach Motel ‘The Night’, for the UK Faith Fanzine and Defected Records banner label Faith, came out early January 2024. 2024 saw a joint ep with Freerange label head Jimpster - All I Wanted. Followed a few months later with a release on Canadian label Lazy Days, featuring a remix of the track Blue Skies by Dutch house heroes Fouk. There's more production work planned for release in 2025, including an ep for Swedish label Local Talk, as well as a bunch of remixes, and a track on Slothboogie's 15 years compilation.

Tom Kutsche