Techno was created and developed far away from the mainstream. The underground sound got its deserved popularity in the past few years but there is a lot of movement in sound with sub-genres and a lot of talent you may not hear about.
We believe underground producers and labels deserve special recognition, so we will be dedicating our new feature series to this cause.
Not many DJs can claim to experience as meteoric, grassroots ascent as SPFDJ.
Having established a remarkable energy, style and attitude on the underground techno circuits of both London and Berlin, she is known for inspiring debauchery and sweat-soaked hedonism on an international scale. Typically operating at a blisteringly high-tempo, an SPFDJ trip takes no prisoners in it’s exploration of strains of techno, acid, EBM, hardcore and trance.
In 2018, SPFDJ was inducted into the crew of residents at Herrensauna, the notorious monthly rave that has empowered and transformed Berlin’s queer scene in the past few years. Sharing a lineup with residents, this fertile and (not quite) fucks-free environment has seen SPFDJ’s sets become increasingly dynamic and uncompromisingly distinctive, a key tool in tipping the basement of Tresor over into trademark madness, as captured in an inspiring, increasingly iconic Boiler Room performance.
Owing to her access to techno’s bubbling, hardcore underground, SPFDJ established her label ‘Intrepid Skin’ in order to showcase the work of her contemporaries and those producing some of the most challenging tracks in her set. So far, VTSS and Nene H have launched both vinyl and digital music through Intrepid Skin, with further unruly transmissions soon to follow.
With a specific, uncompromising musical vision in mind, SPFDJ’s monthly residency on Rinse FM further cements her ability to speak for the cutting edge of rave as well as revisiting the genre’s vast archive; rediscovering, recontextualising and reintroducing some of the most forward-thinking and irresistible electronic music ever made, her dedicated mixes have found favour with both veterans of the genre and a fresh-blooded, thirsty generation of clubbers.
SPFDJ’s recent gig schedule has seen her appear regularly as a key feature of Berghain’s cutting-edge programming in the Säule venue, as well as internationally renowned clubs such as Bassiani in Tbilisi, Concrete in Paris, and Amsterdam’s De School.
In a scene of DJs determined to take their stand, precious few can match the impact of SPFDJ.
