Sai has been a music nerd since her youth, influenced by styles like postpunk, dark wave, ska, jungle, DnB, and techno. Two trips to Jamaica in the late ’90s deepened her passion for dancehall and sound system culture, with the heavy basslines of dub and raggamuffin having a lasting impact on her.
After the pandemic she established the podcast series “Moments Of Light And Darkness” and just began to release mixes by guest djs. In May 2024 we met her at the Superbooth Berlin and listened together to some live dub music. Finally she contributes a dj-mix to our podcast series.
Hi Sai! Great to have you on the podcast. How are things going?
Hey Oliver! Thanks for having me in your mix series, big honour! I’m doing quiet fine in the moment. Bit challenging to balance my all day life with my music stuff recently. But it could be worse.
What was the key moment that got you into house and techno?
Oh, that’s a long story. If I remember correctly, it was 1993 or 1994 when my attention was drawn to techno music. There was a youth center in Salzgitter where I used to go to sound system parties when I was studying social work in Braunschweig. And suddenly some people started organizing techno parties there. That was my first contact with it, I think. But it wasn’t love at first sight, I remember that. It was something completely unfamiliar to me, the way I danced to it. But it fascinated me because I noticed in my environment that more and more people were going to techno parties.
What I found so strange about it was that so many different young people were there, whether from the indie or dark wave scene, hip-hop heads or even right-wing youths. In other words, members of youth cultures that normally view each other very critically or even fight each other were all there without any stress. I became interested in this from a social point of view. So I started to investigate this. I’ve always had a strong connection to Berlin and went there regularly. I started going to parties at E-Werk and all the clubs near Ostbahnhof, like Casino, Deli or Ostgut. But I never became an excessive partygoer and scene member. As always, I stayed more in the background, listening to this music during the day through my headphones, started reading Frontpage and stuff like that, hahaha…
In 1996 you wrote your thesis about “Techno Culture in Germany”. What was the essence about it?
Yes, that’s right. I wasn’t just interested in techno culture musically, but also culturally. That had to do with my studies in social work. I was at the Love Parade in Berlin in 1996, shortly before I wrote my thesis. That year, you could read in the news that 750,000 people took part. Questions like: “What makes this thing so attractive that so many people are infected by it?” came to my mind. There’s a chapter in my thesis entitled “The specific quality of the techno party experience”, and that’s kind of the main topic in it.
I saw a lot of parallels with sound system culture, for example the DJ as the ‘master of ceremonies’ facilitating this experience and putting the focus on the music and the sound itself and getting people to interact with each other through dancing. This can create a very intense communal experience. Also the hypnotic patterns driven by riddims, which made me think of African drumming and polyrhythmic patterns. I actually started learning to play djembe, the African bass drum, during this time. For me, techno has something very archaic and touches on some inherent human needs. And I wanted to explore that and find some answers to my questions. Maybe I should publish it after all, now that I think about it, haha. It’s a bit of a contemporary document actually.
How does techno culture feel to you in 2024?
I sense very different and even contradictory trends. On the one hand, I notice that everything is becoming more and more commercial and superficial. The music business is getting tougher and tougher. How can creativity and art develop when freelance musicians can basically no longer make a living from it and are dependent on promoters and social media algorithms to even have a chance? I find that absurd. I see how many clubs and trendy venues in Berlin are closing or are threatened with closure and are not being supported by the city. That often makes me very angry because it means that more and more of what makes Berlin special is being lost – the real magic of this city is disappearing more and more.
Berlin has an image in the world that basically no longer exists and has no substance. And when I sometimes still go to club events, I often don’t feel connected to the people anymore and am frustrated about it.
But of course that also has to do with my age. I’m one of those people who experienced Berlin in the 90s, the time after the fall of the Wall, and that time is irretrievable and had a huge impact on me.
On the other hand, I’m also experiencing something of a revival and a longing for connection through music, the very essence of techno culture. Recently, so many documentaries have been released about techno and its beginnings. This obviously strikes a chord with many people and of course has a lot to do with a romanticized sense of nostalgia. But I think it would be great if new, interesting and creative places could emerge from this and, above all, if the people of the generation that grew up with electronic music could create something for themselves according to their own needs. And I would find it very interesting to be involved in that.
What was your highlight at the Superbooth this year?
What makes the Superbooth so special for me are always the spontaneous jam sessions and random situations. You see so many electronic music producers in the audience and many artists who take part out of their own interest.
But a particular highlight was seeing Michael Fiedler as Ghost Dubs play live on the sound system at the Berlin Dubcafé and talking to him afterwards about his history as a producer and his skills. That was a highlight for me.
Please name 3 artists that inspire you and why?
Oh, that’s not an easy question. I’m sure I’ll regret my choice and think of others later… ok, so I’d say:
Patty Smith from childhood. She is like a female role model for me. I love her authenticity and her thoughtful sensibility. A woman who shows that age is just a number. I grew up with her music and love her lyrics.
Peter Murphy, frontman of Bauhaus, for his enormous charisma in his voice and on stage. I listened to Bauhaus from the age of 16 and during that time I started doing theater with some friends at school. I loved Bauhaus for their dramatic and theatrical performance, which felt so expressive and emotional to me. I always felt so alive when I listened to their songs. And later found out that they were the ones who got me into dub music!
When I think of my intense reggae and dancehall phase between the mid-90s and mid-2000s, which got me into sound system culture, it would make more sense to name a sound system crew here, such as Stone Love. I saw them play in Jamaica in 1997. I’ve never had a more intense bass feeling in my stomach. Never! Not even at the Open Ground. Maybe a bit at a Mogwai concert. But back to your question: I would like to mention Anthony B. as an artist who had a big influence on my reggae taste. There was actually a tune by him that inspired me to later call myself DJ Selectress Firestarter. Which, as you know, was also a track by Prodigy. So I had the feeling that it might suit me.
What is the idea behind your mix?
This mix was built around this second track that I wanted to include in the selection. I like it because it has some rhythmic and cultural aspects that I would associate with some crucial elements that I find really intriguing. You could call them shamanic elements, which I think has to do with techno music and especially dub techno-influenced sounds. So I wanted that atmosphere in the whole selection and combined it with some abstract, polyrhythmic and also experimental stuff.
What can we expect next from you?
The next project is the digital release of my first compilation “MLD – compilation 2025”. Many artists from the world of dub and techno have contributed a track. But without being named in it. So you won’t know which tune is by whom.
We will do a bandcamp listening party on November 24th. The release date of the compilation is December 6th 2024.
Because I did it this way, the focus is really on the music and not on the pictures of certain artists. It’s amazing, the response to my open call for this was so great. The whole compilation contains more than 30 tracks and will be released in two parts.
The first part brings more smooth dubs and consistent sounds, also with some nice ambient tracks. The second part contains more hard, abstract and experimental sounds. That was exactly my aim with this compilation, to cover the whole spectrum of dub techno sounds. I’m very happy that I succeeded. I’m also very happy about the incredible support from the artists, which is just great and really motivates me to continue with my future projects. I’m also proud to be represented with a track myself.
I would like to add that the compilation is to draw attention to a live event in the form of a small festival called “MLD goes live”, which I would like to organize and curate for the first time next year in August 2025. It will take place in an area called Havelland, in the countryside about 80 km from Berlin.
Both parts of the compilation will be available on Bandcamp on December 6, 2024. All donations will support the festival to make it possible.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from SoundCloud. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationTracklist:
1 Substak – My Ambient
2 Radio Badjay & Varganhall – Taiga Koukai [Noosa 3 Sound System’s 43_dub]
4 Echo Inspectors – Nyctophilia (CV313 Decaying 5 Detroit Dub)
6 FREUND DER FAMILIE – Monday
7 Echospace – Sonorous [phase90 reshape]
8 re-fraction – Parallel Directions
9 Martin Stürtzer – Bright Singularity
10 Sub Basics – Haze
11 Asphalt Layer – KG348 Orbit (Original Mix)
12 Adam Carling and Nick De Voost – September
13 Elliahh – The End Of Time
