This year has been one of memorable moments for Lux: it was the year of her first Asia tour, her first set at Berghain, and many other noteworthy festival and club appearances along the way. This Friday is shaping up as another musical highlight as she takes the booth at OHM Berlin for the first time during the final Patterns of Perception for the year. As the Leipzig-born and now Berlin-based DJ wraps up 2019, we sat down together to reflect on the last 12 months and find out what’s ahead.
With another year drawing to a close, what have been the highlights of 2019 for you?
Indeed 2019 has been a very rich year for me. Gig-wise my highlights were my first tour in Asia – playing in Japan, China and Taiwan was each quite a unique experience. It was extremely interesting to see the different approaches of these scenes to club culture.
Apart from that, I probably collected one of my most beautiful gigs playing in the tent at the final Nachtdigital. Gigs at WAS club in Utrecht (also with the Nachtdigital crew) and at Het Weekend at De School left me very overwhelmed, too. And playing for the first time downstairs at Berghain was also a surreal experience.
You’re from Leipzig originally and moved to Berlin not so long ago. What drew you here, and do you feel that moving to Berlin has had an impact on you musically?
Berlin has been a place of attraction to me since my first visit when I was a child. I instantly had a special fascination for the city’s voice and since then wanted to live here someday. Even if it seemed natural, I didn’t decide to come to Berlin to be closer to the club scene. More the opposite, I was a little afraid that the oversupply of the scene could deflate some of my motivation being part of that. Luckily that didn’t happen and it gave me more inspiration in the end. But I also need to admit that I rarely go clubbing and the many inspirations I draw from here aren’t just from the huge music scene in Berlin, but rather its cultural offering in general.
Are there other sources of inspiration for your music that people might not be aware of?
It’s probably impossible to retranslate the intertwining of all inspirations and the output we generate from those. Naturally dealing with other music must be the biggest inspiration for me, too. But yes, I guess my strong interest for other aesthetics will have an imprint on my approach to music as well. For example, I perceive music more as something scenic or narrative and less as something abstract.
Are there differences between the Leipzig and Berlin electronic scenes that have surprised you since moving here?
It’s really hard to say, as it depends so much on the venues you’re visiting or playing at in Berlin. However of course the musical variety is bigger in the capital city and the crowd tends to be much more heterogeneous. In Leipzig therefore it can be really great to have more intimate nights with a more familiar crowd. I kind of miss that when I’m out in Berlin.
How do you prepare for your sets? Does this change at all depending on where you are playing?
I firstly try to get a feeling for the night by figuring out information about the venue and the atmosphere of the location. I also look at the party’s history and who I’m sharing the lineup with of course, to get an idea what genres and what energy could work, and in what direction the night could possibly be taken. However, the amount of time I’m taking to prepare sets doesn’t really depend so much on the venue, and whether it’s big or small. I still try to take plenty of time to prepare every gig. Somehow I was expecting that it gets much less over the years organically, but indeed I still need a certain amount of practice to feel prepared enough. This is also because I seek to keep reinventing and challenging myself too. It just varies a little depending on how often I’m playing per month; if you play more, you’re also more in your records of course, and that makes it much easier to be more flexible and brave with your familiar structures. Are there collectives, parties or artists that you are following closely at the moment?
As I mentioned, I rarely go clubbing by myself anymore. Back in Leipzig I loved to go to Pracht, a very charming venue in the eastern part of Leipzig with a very diverse and inspiring program, and IFZ was a common destination for me too, of course. Concerning artists that I’m following, right now I’m really curious about upcoming releases of Vivian Koch, her first two records left me very impressed. Perm is also an artist who’s releases I’ve been looking forward to ever since.
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions in terms of music for 2020?
Yes, I want to keep up with producing again. Though I can’t say yet if it’s going to be club music. Right now I feel more attracted to other genres, but let’s see, if I have enough time I’d like to try out different things.
Lastly, what can we expect from your upcoming set for Patterns of Perception?
I don’t know yet for sure, I’ll probably pack more Detroit techno, electro and UK bass for that night. It will be my first gig at OHM, so it will be little adventure for me too. I’m thrilled.
See Lux in action alongside natural/electronic.system this Friday, December 6, 2019. More info on Facebook and Resident Advisor.
Photo credit (in order): Manuel Wetscher, Anyla Ademai and Eric Swars