“Homecoming” is the word DJ Gigola chose to describe her 3-hour set at Berghain last month. It started out verging on minimalist, reflective of her yearning for “the new take on minimalism” in fashion, as she told us. The set really got into a groove as the night went on. The highlight? A spin of her 2024 release La Batteria, during which the crowd was visibly changed. Flashes of grinning teeth and shaking (almost) bare bottoms responded to the beat and lyrics “la batteria è completamente ricaricata”.
It's a club that has a lot of lore surrounding it, and as Conde Nast Traveller reported “the most intense vibe-check you’ll ever receive”. Past the bouncers, we got into the thick of it, dancing to DJ Gigola in the main room at Berghain, just adjacent to the toilets where rumours circulate about piss-play. But it was a Live From Earth label night, so people were there for the music first and with DJ Gigola on the line-up, Ascendant Vierge and Mura Masa we understood why.
Mashing and melding genres in her signature style, and the DJ didn’t disappoint. With a detailed understanding of rave culture and club community DJ Gigola knows what she’s doing. If you want a concrete rating, Groove Magazine put her in at number 7 in the world, happily above Fred Again.. . Next you can catch her at Dour Festival x LFE this Saturday and Habitat Festival Hamburg this Sunday. With new music coming this Winter, she is one to watch.
Your approach to music is, like many in this day and age, intuitive and indiscriminate of genre. You took Berghain by storm late in June. How would you summarise the event?
I would probably summarise it in the word homecoming — playing music to the community and family that made me the DJ I am today, in the city I grew up in, in the club that has been such an integral part of my musical education and surrounded by talented guest artists whose individual sound complimented the night.
I honestly don’t think about playing lots of genres. I just consume lots of genres and I love to browse a lot of music. Music has been ever-present in my life, in different shapes and sounds and not only for me but for everyone: music you listened to on the radio in the car, the soundtrack to your favourite movie, your best friend’s favourite album, the song you met that friend to etc. I love that emotional and biographic layer to music and I also believe that there are songs that evoke the emotional memory of a broader group of people.
I just love to take this music and fuse it with a more technical, educated and professional approach towards music. I grew up in Berlin, (luckily) with access to club culture, collecting records and going to clubs from a young age — educating me musically as well as giving me an understanding of rave culture and club community.
I love both aspects of music and they are both ingrained in me. I love to play with them and bring both together.
Like that a more technical, club-oriented set can transform into something emotional without having to reference a lot. Also, I love to question the context of a certain sound — apart from the genre-context also the emotional context. So putting a tune into a new context can be both a reference as well as questioning its original connotation. I think this is why I would refer to myself as genre-fluid, it is the context and change of context of music that matters to me, not the genre.
I honestly don’t think about playing lots of genres. I just consume lots of genres and I love to browse a lot of music. Music has been ever-present in my life, in different shapes and sounds and not only for me but for everyone: music you listened to on the radio in the car, the soundtrack to your favourite movie, your best friend’s favourite album, the song you met that friend to etc. I love that emotional and biographic layer to music and I also believe that there are songs that evoke the emotional memory of a broader group of people.
I just love to take this music and fuse it with a more technical, educated and professional approach towards music. I grew up in Berlin, (luckily) with access to club culture, collecting records and going to clubs from a young age — educating me musically as well as giving me an understanding of rave culture and club community.
I love both aspects of music and they are both ingrained in me. I love to play with them and bring both together.
Like that a more technical, club-oriented set can transform into something emotional without having to reference a lot. Also, I love to question the context of a certain sound — apart from the genre-context also the emotional context. So putting a tune into a new context can be both a reference as well as questioning its original connotation. I think this is why I would refer to myself as genre-fluid, it is the context and change of context of music that matters to me, not the genre.
We were told you’re an avid high end vintage collector with some great pieces in your wardrobe (90s and 00s Jean Paul Gaultier, Galliano-era Dior, Lagerfeld Chanel and more). Are you someone who tries on a million outfits before leaving the house or are you quite decisive?
I think some people spend time on Candy Crush to zone out, I spend time on eBay and other second-hand platforms. I just enjoy browsing vintage clothes, it relaxes my mind and I do it for the same reason I browse music: I just love to discover, play and recontextualise — and obviously to collect and showcase.
With fashion it is just simpler, because it is visual and therefore more direct. I can be playful and expressive to my personal mood and it allows me to shapeshift and transform into different selves and be humorous which I enjoy. So choosing an outfit really depends on my mood and is quite spontaneous; however if I go on tour I put a little thought into the outfit — more because of my hand luggage size than about the actual appearance.
I love the idea of browsing and finding something for myself rather than an algorithmic presentation of the current trend, I love that the pieces are worn and have their own history and I love that they are more affordable which is what got me into second hand fashion in the first place. Of course, I want to get the best bargain and sometimes I browse for years before I commit to a piece. In addition to that, I also like that it doesn’t add to the production of new clothes. However, I also like new fashion — if it is a young designer or a friend that I want to support or if it is an outstanding design piece, but it takes longer for me to make that decision.
I am a sucker for the Prada Spring Summer Ready-To-Wear 2008 x James Jean collection. The anime-inspired art, the cuts, the presentation; the humorous and quirky approach of Miuccia when it comes to design, love of detail in the shoes and accessories and the quality and wearability of the clothes.
My pieces vary a lot, I think the Prada 2008 one I have a few, then a lot of JPG from the 90s and early 2000s as I love his silliness and recontextualization, too and then some Millennial Dior and Tom Ford Gucci.
With fashion it is just simpler, because it is visual and therefore more direct. I can be playful and expressive to my personal mood and it allows me to shapeshift and transform into different selves and be humorous which I enjoy. So choosing an outfit really depends on my mood and is quite spontaneous; however if I go on tour I put a little thought into the outfit — more because of my hand luggage size than about the actual appearance.
I love the idea of browsing and finding something for myself rather than an algorithmic presentation of the current trend, I love that the pieces are worn and have their own history and I love that they are more affordable which is what got me into second hand fashion in the first place. Of course, I want to get the best bargain and sometimes I browse for years before I commit to a piece. In addition to that, I also like that it doesn’t add to the production of new clothes. However, I also like new fashion — if it is a young designer or a friend that I want to support or if it is an outstanding design piece, but it takes longer for me to make that decision.
I am a sucker for the Prada Spring Summer Ready-To-Wear 2008 x James Jean collection. The anime-inspired art, the cuts, the presentation; the humorous and quirky approach of Miuccia when it comes to design, love of detail in the shoes and accessories and the quality and wearability of the clothes.
My pieces vary a lot, I think the Prada 2008 one I have a few, then a lot of JPG from the 90s and early 2000s as I love his silliness and recontextualization, too and then some Millennial Dior and Tom Ford Gucci.
Similarly, with music do you instinctively know what works or will work or do you prefer to explore many iterations before settling on a finished track?
If I work on club music; I create the tracks by myself in the studio during the week and put them on my USB before the weekend and see how they actually work live. Having the possibility to get an instant resonance to your music is for me one of the biggest blessings of being a DJ. Lots of artists sit on their music or have virtual resonance before they actually go on tour. As a DJ touring is the fundament of your job. And to me it is one of the biggest joys as an artist to see my track perform live, with a real audience — because here my private intentions and feelings are being received by other people and become public. Like that, I can understand the reception live, make changes to the music and tailor the track further down to synchronise my intentions to the live effect.
Apart from that, I enjoy doing music from a less club-focused angle, where it is more about translating my own perception or personal comments into music. Here, I feel the need to create a certain kind of music, no matter the actual reception. Because by the creation, I feel a relief of a thought that has been growing inside of me. Once this music is released, it is more about letting go but of course, I am curious to see the public perception, if people can connect with my perspective or even better: if their perception of my work adds another [or] gives me a better understanding of my thoughts and feelings that I put into the music.
I love working the dancefloor, cooking so to say and I started with that. I played lots of openings in the beginning as I love to set the mood for the night, start creating a certain energy and lure people into dancing and letting go — that is how I started as a DJ and it is what I still enjoy a lot.
I also love to mix songs, creating a new sound with multiple layers of different songs playing at the same time. It is quintessentially DJing but it surpasses the need of just a transition. To me it is editing finished tracks into songs I find personally more interesting and suitable for that particular moment on the dancefloor. I love how fugitive and surprising these live-edits can be. Since I play a lot of different genres, these live-edits are a great way to find suitable bridges that make seemingly diverging genres go together.
I think these live-edits inspired me to start producing, as it is just a different form of being creative with sound. However, I wanted to explore my own sound, the hybrid sound that stems from genre-recontextualization and a love for pop elements.
Thankfully, I started working on music in a collaboration with Kev Koko, who is an excellent producer and who loved my ideas, took the time to explain producing to me, support my own productions and inspired me to do my own vocals and songwriting. We did three EPs and one remix in total together and in 2022, after our last collaboration I felt ready and educated enough to work on solo releases. With the release of Fluid Meditations I allowed myself to think outside of club music and comment on something I was feeling, giving more room for my artist-self and less for my DJ-self.
Now it is hard to tell what I love more: DJing or making music. Thankfully, I don't have to choose as my profession allows me to continue both.
Apart from that, I enjoy doing music from a less club-focused angle, where it is more about translating my own perception or personal comments into music. Here, I feel the need to create a certain kind of music, no matter the actual reception. Because by the creation, I feel a relief of a thought that has been growing inside of me. Once this music is released, it is more about letting go but of course, I am curious to see the public perception, if people can connect with my perspective or even better: if their perception of my work adds another [or] gives me a better understanding of my thoughts and feelings that I put into the music.
I love working the dancefloor, cooking so to say and I started with that. I played lots of openings in the beginning as I love to set the mood for the night, start creating a certain energy and lure people into dancing and letting go — that is how I started as a DJ and it is what I still enjoy a lot.
I also love to mix songs, creating a new sound with multiple layers of different songs playing at the same time. It is quintessentially DJing but it surpasses the need of just a transition. To me it is editing finished tracks into songs I find personally more interesting and suitable for that particular moment on the dancefloor. I love how fugitive and surprising these live-edits can be. Since I play a lot of different genres, these live-edits are a great way to find suitable bridges that make seemingly diverging genres go together.
I think these live-edits inspired me to start producing, as it is just a different form of being creative with sound. However, I wanted to explore my own sound, the hybrid sound that stems from genre-recontextualization and a love for pop elements.
Thankfully, I started working on music in a collaboration with Kev Koko, who is an excellent producer and who loved my ideas, took the time to explain producing to me, support my own productions and inspired me to do my own vocals and songwriting. We did three EPs and one remix in total together and in 2022, after our last collaboration I felt ready and educated enough to work on solo releases. With the release of Fluid Meditations I allowed myself to think outside of club music and comment on something I was feeling, giving more room for my artist-self and less for my DJ-self.
Now it is hard to tell what I love more: DJing or making music. Thankfully, I don't have to choose as my profession allows me to continue both.
It was October 2021 when Miu Miu sent low waisted miniskirts down the runway for Spring Summer 2022, was this the moment we collectively welcomed the 00s back into our hearts?
I think it was rather the moment of office-chic and office-vixen that was introduced by that collection. Of course, the micro-skirt resembled the early 2000s ones (reminding me of the hypermicroskirt at Dolce & Gabbana) but I think other brands showcased the Millennial aesthetics before: brands like I.Am.Gia (around 2017) drawing inspiration from paparazzi pics of Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan that were more Internet-consumer-oriented and therefore faster and earlier with showcasing a certain 2000 aesthetic; peaking in Balenciaga’s Pre-Fall 2024 recent Los Angeles show.
Personally, I am waiting for the new take on minimalism, thinking Chalayan or early Yamamoto, more uniform oriented, less pop culture-reference as I am getting bored by the general trend of meme-ability over design and quality. I like if humour is an element, but it shouldn't be the whole story, especially if the joke has been told already.
Personally, I am waiting for the new take on minimalism, thinking Chalayan or early Yamamoto, more uniform oriented, less pop culture-reference as I am getting bored by the general trend of meme-ability over design and quality. I like if humour is an element, but it shouldn't be the whole story, especially if the joke has been told already.
Your latest single takes the genre lento violento as a reference. What is it about this sound in particular that draws you in?
I love the approach to take hardstyle elements — which are usually arranged in a higher-bpm range around 140+ to express a certain energy — and do the opposite: slow them down and change the mood (usually to a 70-130bpm). The genre dates back to Italy and became more and more visible in the late 90s and early 2000s when different Italian producers showcased their LV productions. A pioneer in this field was Gigi d’Agostino (listen to his track Voyage (Assaggio Mix) from 2007 for example) and he has produced a lot of music in this particular style under different monikers. I don't like all of it, however it inspires me to rethink what musical elements constitute a genre and how they can be worked into something different.
How do you relate to the other artists on Live from Earth? What happens amongst you behind closed doors?
On paper we might be a collective and music label but in reality we are just close friends that enjoy spending time together, being there for each other and having a lot of fun together.
You’ve spoken a couple of times about keeping clubs affordable. Where would you go for a cheap night to dance until the morning?
I think you don't need a lot to have a cheap night to dance until the morning: you need your best friends and some music; it doesn't necessarily have to be in a club as long as you are surrounded by people that make you feel comfortable. At Live From Earth, we started with just that: small DIY parties, where we could come together and listen to the music we loved so we could let go and dance. It started to become more and more professional when the home-setups, small bars and venues by friends and family became too small for our community, however I believe that a cheap night should always start there: friends and music.
And I would always prefer a shitty soundsystem but my good friends over a great soundsystem without my friends.
When is your next musical release coming? And what direction are you taking?
I am working on two different projects at the moment. As mentioned above I have two approaches when it comes to making music: either club music or music that reflects my own perspective and feelings. The upcoming project is just that and I am getting more and more comfortable in finding my signature sound and my voice.
The club music I focus on is an approach to recontextualize the idea of bigroom, as I don’t like the connotation of it but enjoy also playing in big rooms. Here, I have been enjoying finding a way to rework cliché bigroom sound into something new, something that is more playful and translates my club sound into bigroom sound. I have already finished one EP here and it will be released in autumn via Live From Earth.
The other project I am working on is picking up where Fluid Meditations has left off. It took some time for me after its release to find out what I wanted to say, wanted to bring into dialogue and needed to translate into the shape of music. As I like to keep the topic still private, I can say that for this project I experiment with club sounds I know, reworking them into a different mood, tempo and purpose. I also like the idea of expanding the musical body of the work with other arts, so this is going to be part of my new project, too. Everything else is still too raw and too personal to be presented here, however the release is set for 2025 and I am excited to spend the winter in the studio, working on just that and challenging myself with new forms of expression.
The club music I focus on is an approach to recontextualize the idea of bigroom, as I don’t like the connotation of it but enjoy also playing in big rooms. Here, I have been enjoying finding a way to rework cliché bigroom sound into something new, something that is more playful and translates my club sound into bigroom sound. I have already finished one EP here and it will be released in autumn via Live From Earth.
The other project I am working on is picking up where Fluid Meditations has left off. It took some time for me after its release to find out what I wanted to say, wanted to bring into dialogue and needed to translate into the shape of music. As I like to keep the topic still private, I can say that for this project I experiment with club sounds I know, reworking them into a different mood, tempo and purpose. I also like the idea of expanding the musical body of the work with other arts, so this is going to be part of my new project, too. Everything else is still too raw and too personal to be presented here, however the release is set for 2025 and I am excited to spend the winter in the studio, working on just that and challenging myself with new forms of expression.
