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Damon Wild: Producer, dj and head of Synewave Records.

Being one of the most in-demand Techno DJs of our times, Ben Klock needs little introduction. His name has been closely associated with Berlin’s legendary club Berghain since 2005. His monthly residency has formed the backdrop to his international success, providing an invaluable platform for his ability to create a room rather than just play to it.

Much of his early career was marked by marathon sets – a signature that played a considerable role in nurturing his skills and reputation – but even the more compressed sets he shares today evidence an intricate narrative and sense of flow that defines him as a DJ. It was these inherent abilities that led him to compile the fabric 66 compilation in 2012, before winning the BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix of the Year award in 2015.

His releases on Ostgut Ton have become landmarks in the imprint’s history. 2009’s “Dawning”, the first of his collaborations with Marcel Dettmann kickstarted the label itself and remains a stand-out track in its discography. Another release of particular note is the Before One EP including “Subzero”, which many techno lovers still refer to as their gateway track into the whole genre itself. For many, however, it is his album One (2009) that best captures Klock’s talents as a producer. His skills as a remixer have also seen him rework tracks by a wide variety of artists, including Kerri Chandler, Depeche Mode, Robert Hood and Kenny Larkin.

Additionally, Klock curates with great passion his own label Klockworks, founded in 2006. With releases from DVS1, Stef Mendesidis, The Advent, Sterac, Etapp Kyle, Temudo and many more Klockworks became a synonym for unique, high quality Techno.

In 2017 Ben started his own event series PHOTON which is a unique concept show that blends light, architecture and music. Since then he toured PHOTON at special venues in major cities around the world such as Printworks (London), Gashouder (Amsterdam), Arca (Sao Paolo), to name a few. It quickly became a new standard for audio visual electronic music events. In 2023 the project returns after a pandemic induced break with a brand new visual and artistic concept.

Massimiliano Pagliara was born in Tricase (Lecce) in the deep south of Italy. Already as a child he listened to diverse types of music: rap, classical, reggae, dub and 60s rock'n'roll. Coming from this small village, he and his friends created a small musical world for themselves, spending a lot of time every day playing records in his basement and at private parties.
Upon moving to Milan in 1997, Massi embarked on an academic career and eventually earned his diploma in theatre, dance and choreography at the Civica Scuola di Teatro Paolo Grassi in 2001. While discovering the fashionable and alternative club scene of the city, his imagination was captured by experimental electronic music such as Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Autechre and Mira Calix. Naturally these avant-garde sounds eventually found their way into Massi's original body of work.
After finishing school he ventured to Europes underground capital Berlin, where he continued his studies in contemporary dance, but also dived into the city's explosive techno nightlife, particularly the renowned OstGut club. Massi's interest in electronic music found its peak in 2003 when he finally began to pursue DJing with a passion. Ever since he's been spinning records across the world as well as some of the most popular underground venues in Germany – among them Tape Club, SchwuZ, Tresor, ://about blank, Robert Johnson, and of course Berghain / Panorama Bar, where he holds a residency.
Massi describes his style as an eclectic mix of house, disco, electro and techno – one may call it current-yet-classic. DJing has since led to productio. These days Massi lets his obsession with analog synths run wild – usually he's holed up in his apartment studio, working on his latest productions. 2011 saw the release of his debut album Focus For Infinity (on Live At Robert Johnson), followed by his sophomore LP With One Another in 2014. February 2017 saw his debut release on Ostgut Ton with the EP Time And Again. Since then, Massi has worked on various EPs, remixes, single track, all culminating in the late 2018 release of his third full-length solo album, titled Feel Live. February 2020 saw his debut on Munich's label Permanent Vacation with his new EP Nothing Stays In One Place For Long, in 2021 he's added the third part of his Uncanny Valley label trilogy with the EP Connection Lost Pt. 3. His latest album See You In Paradise releases in October 2022, once again with Permanent Vacation.
But he’s not always alone: Massi has been collaborating with luminaries around town such as gui.tar, Snax, Daniel Wang, Lemercier & The Lala By, Discodromo as well international artists. This lead to several side projects over the last decade, such as [sic!] with the two members of gui.tar, The Rimshooters with the Brazilian DJ and producer Rotciv, Egyptian Nipples with the multi-instrumentalist Jules Etienne, Banana Moon with Luigi Di Venere, Couple Looking with Chris Cruse to name just a few.
There's an ongoing lust for dialogue when it comes to Massimiliano Pagliara – be it through his collaborations and solo productions, during his DJ sets, with his own music label Funnuvojere Records or on a personal level. The world of dance, movement and communication is deeply rooted in Massi's life – when you know how to move yourself, you easily know how to move others.

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