Magic 8

"You realise you're not just playing music. You give people the power to empower themselves." Cofounders CEM and MCMLXXXV discuss the revered party series and its fledgling label.

Berlin queer party Herrensauna—which means "men's sauna" in German—started as a seed of an idea shared between friends Cem Dukkha (AKA CEM) and Nicholas Endlicher (AKA MCMLXXXV). They were teenagers in Vienna at the time, dreaming of becoming DJs in Berlin. When they finally relocated, they started throwing parties in the basement of a Neukölln off-location. This quickly snowballed into a residency at Tresor, and now a globally recognised brand that curates lineups at clubs and festivals around the world and counts Salome, SPFDJ, Héctor Oaks, JASSS and DJ Saliva as residents.

In this RA Exchange, hosted ahead of Herrensauna's curated night at Wire Festival in New York, CEM and MCMLXXXV spoke with senior producer Chloe Lula about the party's origins and how its mission has changed, shifting from focusing on gay men to championing an all-inclusive vision of queerness. They also discussed their artwork and aesthetics—including their provocative re-appropriations of quasi-religious iconography—as well as the role that platforms like theirs have in shifting the cultural zeitgeist and attitudes towards the LGBTQIA+ community. Listen to the episode in full.

EX.660 - Herrensauna

TT @ The Lot Radio 08-19-2023

Magic 8 Episode 98 - 12/2/23

Recreational DJ is joined by special guest, Honey Bun. Two hours of bubbly, spacey house and techno.

Honey Bun keeps busy and always has sonic surprises up her sleeve, helming two party series, 1800 Soul Connect and Buntopia, plus holding down residencies at The Lot Radio and Mansions.

Magic 8 Episode 98 with Honey Bun

dance delivery

Alias: Baltza @baltza
Pronouns: They / Them
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Collective: Tiny House Club @tiny-house-club / Bash is Back @bash-is-back-cph-sthlm
Residency: Black Rhino Radio
Name of mix: My House Journey
About the mix: This mix is a great representation of how has my sound evolved as house DJ throughout the years, and which sounds i hold dearly in my heart. Going from old school, soulful house to dusty garage, peaking into electro, modern deep house, minimal house & re-surfaced 90s rave sound; this set is a great testament of my unwavering devotion to the groove.

#tracklist
01. Fibre Foundation – Free Your Mind (N.J. Remix) [Vjs Productions New York, 1995]
02. Kool Vibe – KV’s Groove [Traxx Underground, 2012]
03. Mike Millrain – Lift Me Up [Soul Revolution Records, 2021]
04. Todd Edwards presents The Messenger – Main Vibe [Nervous Records, 1993]
05. Solution – Feel so Right (Victor Simonelli Remix) [Undercontrol, 1994]
06. Sandy B – Make the World Go Round (Deep Dish Vocal 12”) [Champion Records, 2009]
07. Gisele Jackson – Love Commandments (Vocal Edit) [Z Records, 2015]
08. Walter G – Never Give Up (Luis Radio Remix) [Groovebom Records, 2022]
09. Kepler – Back Moving [Pilot, 2024]
10. Frits Wentink – Mouse [Wolf Music Recordings, 2013]
11. Malin Genie – Pushin’ On [Tomorrow Is Now, Kid! 2012]
12. Raw Power – Wanna Be Your Girl (A G’ Thang Mix) [Strictly Rhythm, 1993]
13. Alex Agore – Nothing I Wouldn’t Do [Development Music, 2012]
14. FPI Project – Rich in Paradise (Going Back To My Roots) (Soul Speech Remix) [Snatch! Records, 2018]
15. DJ Bee ft. Charles McDougald – Bounce (Othersoul Remix) [Clubstar, 2015]
16. Ann Consuelo – See the Day (Stonebridge Club Mix) [Z Records, 2020]
17. Barbara Tucker, Tuccillo – One Desire (Demi Riquísimo Extended Mix)[King Street Sounds, 2024]
18. Demi Riquísimo – Talk to Frank [Life and Death, 2023]
19. Demuja & Kolter – Bonzai [AUS Music, 2023]
20. Djoko – Odyssey [Shall Not Fade, 2022]
21. Luuk van Djik – Aperol Spritz [Shall Not Fade, 2023]
22. L.P. Rhythm – French kiss [Earwaxxx, 2023]
23. L.P. Rhythm – People Dancin’ (Paige Tomlinson Remix) [Dansu Discs, 2023]
24.E.T.H (italy) & Palmiz – Trilobite [Gestalt Records, 2024]
25. Deborah Aime la Bagarre – Say Again (Original Mix) [Average Records, 2024]
26. Clint – Native House Dance [Permanent Vacation, 2024]
27. Herr Krank – Smalltown Acid Boy [Helios Records, 2023]

House of Others #085 | BALTZA | My House Journey

Joining us for Tapes #138 is London-based DJ, Jess Hands. Having only started DJing in 2023 Jess Hands has already played some of London’s most iconic festivals such as; Risen, Body Movements and Queens Yard as well as supporting the likes of Octo Octa, Jaguar, Aloka, Mollie Collins and many more. 

This year she played 2 international gigs, at the iconic Copenhagen venue Baggen as well as the Way Out West festival in Sweden. She is known for her bass driven mixes, with blends of left-field techno and UK bass and has featured on Keep Hush, Radio 1Xtra, NTS, Rinse, as well as her regular show on London’s Netil Radio.

Tracklist: https://www.originssound.com/os-tapes/jess-hands-mix

Follow Jess Hands  —

instagram.com/jess__hands
@jesshands

Origins Tapes 138 - Jess Hands

Magic 8 Episode 114 - 10/19/2024

Two hours with Recreational DJ. Swimming around in the deep end for this one


Magic 8 Episode 114

Magic 8 Episode 115 - 11/2/2024

Liquid J is yet another excellent DJ from the rich Miami -> NYC pipeline (where I started doing radio, shoutout WVUM 90.5). Liquid J also produces, hosts Splash! on Newtown Radio, does killer graphic design, and is one of the minds behind Jezebel Sound. 

Recreational DJ kicks the show off with groovy electro and techno. Liquid J holds down the second hour with a tasty mix of techno, bass, garage, and more.

Magic 8 Episode 115 with Liquid J

Magic 8 Episode 116 - 11/16/2024

The unifying theme amongst my Magic 8 guests is that they are busy, and GENG PTP certainly fits the bill. He's a community organizer, visual designer, label head, sound engineer, teacher, archivist, DJ, musician, and has been at it in the DIY trenches for a long time.

Recreational DJ kicks it off with an hour of deep bass and techno grooves, with a couple of detours just to keep you on your toes.

GENG PTP takes over the second hour. He says "it’s actually two mixes stitched together that i found on tape earlier this week... documenting not only a time when i was experimenting with analog tech as a means of archiving/back up, but a time that a good few of us have been fondly reminiscing on concurrently by chance/coincidence... bringing that sound back but yea now w tape saturation and hiss (even better).

also it was when i was really starting to dig into a chapter of my own sound design and production."

Magic 8 Episode 116 with GENG PTP

Special opening set for EXT (Mexico City).

UUFFOO DJ Live at EXT 2024.11.22

𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖎𝖆𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖆: 𝕵𝖚𝖑𝖎𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖆 𝖎𝖓𝖛𝖎𝖙𝖆...

Estrenamos nueva residencia con una de las figuras más claves de la escena nacional, @julianna_move. La curadora, dj, productora e ilustradora de Medellín, trae una serie de programas resaltando sus colegas nacionales e internacionales de un abanico muy amplio de la electrónica global.

𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐚 𝐀𝐡𝐬𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐧 & 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫

1. Primera hora por @ahslyan:
Ahslyan es seudónimo tras Ahsly Mejía, una Dj de la ciudad de Pereira que en los últimos años ha estado trabajando con la escena desde distintos focos. Musicalmente se destaca por tener variedad en sus sonidos y géneros, atravesando distintas fronteras musicales sin necesidad de encasillarse. Entre los breaks, electro, techno y otros más. Sus sets se basan en la representación de algo subjetivo, personal y emocional.

2. Segunda hora por @huntertexas:
LadyHunter, Dj, performer, chismosa y gestora de Medellín, lleva 5+ años en la escena club (13 como Vj). Co-fundador de House of Tupamaras y residente de MIXXXTA, prioriza lo cuir y disidente. Co-creador de "Maricone Night Diva" y "Club Enduro". Este set para Mariposa contiene un reguero de géneros que manifiestan esa diversidad de la que se habla y se politiza en los colectivos a los que pertenece. 

---------------------------
Timestamps:
00:00 Ahslyan
59:28 LadyHunter

🦋

Julianna invita a Ahslyan & LadyHunter - Residencias Mariposa

diet clinic presents weaponise your sound.

an ever evolving entity.

weaponise your sound is a label with a focus on elevating female djs/ artist and supporters of. 

it is a reflection of our environment, sexuality and psyche. 

audio timestamped memories.  
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/diet-clinic/episodes/diet-clinic-9th-december-2024

Weaponise your sound w/ Diet Clinic 091224

@bobbygottrax

Introduce yourself:

Just your local NYC nightlife dinosaur, fossilized and fermented. Still slaying though.



What was your inspiration for this mix:

I’ve been working in Upstate New York this year, where I have a monthly residency at this awesome little cocktail bar called Martine. All the local DJs play there. I’ve done almost exclusively 120-130 bpm bitchy house music sets, open to close. It’s been a nice change up from my usual style in NYC. I made this mix to showcase this new side of me. There’s a different pace of living up here and I love making mixes based on the different regional styles and genres I’m around. Some of the parties I’ve enjoyed so far are Sole Rehab, Buddy Buddy, and Pep Rally in Toronto.



Favorite DJs of all time:

Joey Beltram, Leonce, Lakuti, Donis, MORENXXX, L-Vis 1990, Jubilee, Anna Morgan, AceMo, X-Coast, Bok Bok to name a few



If we were going to a party and needed to get the pre-game turned up what would be the song you play?:  

02-52-03 by RP Boo



Where was the first place you played?
 Bossa Nova Civic Club, always and forever



In and outs for 2024:



In:
The Killer
Universal Healthcare
Tuition Free College
Rose Hip Oil
Monogamy



Out:
Brat
Red 40

Advice to the new upcoming DJs:
It’s about being heard not being seen.



What's next for you in 2025?:
I got accepted to a Psych NP program back in the city starting this Fall. In the meantime I’m just DJing, making music, working in the psych ward, publishing research, living my best Hannah Montana lifestyle

Rumors Mix Series #122: Bobbygotback

Magic 8 Episode 117 - 12/14/2024

sola system helps run the label, collective, and party Slick Down, plus HYPNOSIS, plus ABEG, plus hosts constellations on 8 Ball Radio.

Recreational DJ eases into the first hour and picks up the pace with bass and techno. sola system takes over for the second hour, keeping the intensity high and the tunes grooving.

Magic 8 Episode 117 with sola system

Magic 8 Episode 118 - 12/28/2024

The Grand Finale of Magic 8. Two hours and change with Recreational DJ,

Thank You to all the guests who joined me, the listeners, and 8-Ball Radio and 8-Ball Community. 



Magic 8 Episode 118 - Grand Finale

🌐 Refuge Worldwide is a radio station and community space based in Berlin-Neukölln.
➡️ More info, more music: www.refugeworldwide.com

Support us by becoming a member on Patreon for just 3€ a month: www.patreon.com/refugeworldwide

Sun Over My Head - Cmba - 10 May 2025

NYC

Upcoming dates:


Instagram: @vastafazooool

Magic 8 Episode 98 with Honey Bun

Recreational DJ

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