Taking Fun Seriously: In Conversation with MARIA MAGDALENA

First and foremost, we wanted a name that sounded cool and would stick in people’s minds, and we both immediately liked MARIA MAGDALENA. We also found it a little funny. The figure has been associated with ideas of sin and female shame for centuries and has been interpreted in very different ways, so we liked the idea of taking this religiously charged name, giving it to a DJ duo and placing it in a modern context.

The fact that MARIA MAGDALENA consists of two names and there are two of us also felt fitting somehow. That contradiction and the playfulness of the name simply worked for us. At the same time, we do not want to make it sound more profound or theological than it actually was when we chose it.

We actually cannot agree on when we first met. We each remember a different night, and neither of us has any recollection of the other one’s version. laughs

The only thing we know for sure is that we met through mutual friends in Berlin and got along straight away.

We were sitting in Dasha’s old apartment in Schöneberg, listening to music together, and at some point we started imagining what it would be like to play exactly the music we were listening to as a duo. That was really the moment the idea was born.

Our first gig together was at Watergate in Berlin, which was a pretty special way to start. It was one of the final nights before the club closed, so it felt even more meaningful that this was where we played together for the first time.

Naturally, you are nervous the first time and wonder whether everything will work out the way you imagined. For Dasha, it was also her first time DJing in front of an audience. It was therefore important to us to be technically well prepared and feel confident about that side of things. It meant that, on the night, we could focus much more on the music, the room and each other. We immediately realised how well we work together and how much happens intuitively between us.

Dasha: We share a lot of influences from the 2000s and early 2010s, especially French electro, bloghouse, electroclash and the entire indie scene we grew up with. Justice, Daft Punk, Uffie, SebastiAn, Brodinski, Crystal Castles, deadmau5 and Skrillex are as much a part of that as Skins, Project X, Tumblr… Sky Ferreira! It was a time when electronic music, indie, pop and internet culture all completely merged into one another. For me, bringing those influences back into our sets today feels incredibly nostalgic.

Sophie: At the same time, we are not interested in simply reproducing that era. We listen to a lot of current music and like artists such as Brutalismus 3000, Snow Strippers, Underscores, Fcukers and Frost Children, who work with similar references but translate them into a contemporary context. It is precisely this connection between older influences and new sounds that excites us.

That also gives us a lot of freedom in what we play. A set might become harder and more techno-driven before moving towards French electro or electroclash, which probably comes more from Dasha, while still leaving room for indie, pop or even a proper hit. I may bring a little more openness to those accessible moments. Ultimately, it matters more to us that a track works at the right moment and creates energy than whether it fits a particular genre or some fixed idea of what is cool.

Of course, we sometimes have different opinions, but fundamentally, we have a very similar understanding of music. By now, we know each other so well that a lot of things happen organically between us. You can often tell when the other person really wants to play a particular track without having to discuss it at length. Part of it is simply trusting each other’s instincts.

For us, the visual side is naturally part of the project. Music, clothing, imagery and the design of a night are not entirely separate things; they influence one another. But we do not approach it too strategically. We simply do what feels right and coherent to us.

It can definitely be dressed up, but there should always be something that disrupts it a little. We like contrasts and playing with different references, including things that might not seem to belong together at first. Much like with our music, we are less interested in consistently following one particular style. We also like taking aesthetics seriously without feeling that it means the music has to be taken any less seriously.

Dasha: Mainly indie rock. I was a huge fan of The Kooks and still remember waiting outside the Capitol in Hanover for Luke Pritchard so I could get a photo with him. It meant everything to my teenage self. laughs At the same time, I started listening to electro, minimal and techno quite early and went out dancing a lot.

Sophie: The first CD I can properly remember was Avril Lavigne’s Let Go. I got it from my older sister and played it on repeat. At the same time, I was doing intensive pre-professional ballet training and was seriously considering pursuing it as a career. Classical music was therefore a major part of my everyday life and had a strong influence on me. Privately, as a teenager, I probably listened mostly to indie and alternative music: Lana Del Rey, The xx, sometimes very melancholic, haha. And, of course, always a shout-out to the pop girls!

Nightcall by Kavinsky again. Rest in peace, an absolute legend.

“Heads Will Roll” (A-Trak Remix) by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Acting annoyed with someone behind the decks, haha. Everyone should do whatever they want. <3

Right now, we are really looking forward to the tenth edition of Keyhole, hosted by our friend Kean Farrar at Studio 1111 on September 26. We are playing alongside him and our best friend Baby B3ns. Basically, we get to spend the entire night with our friends. It does not get much better than that.

Yes, especially in Berlin, we are probably quite spoiled in that respect. Club culture and the DJ scene should perhaps be considered separately. While club culture is meant to embody freedom and progressive values, the DJ scene has, of course, also become a highly competitive business. That creates a certain pressure to remain visible and present beyond the music. It is probably simply part of the job today, but it can sometimes conflict with the sense of freedom we associate with club culture.

A sense of lightness and an extreme amount of fun.

You look into the crowd and, at some point, realise that you are truly noticing each other. People are not just dancing to the music; they are genuinely connecting with you. From that moment on, there is a mutual exchange of energy, and everyone experiences the moment together. It is probably one of the most beautiful feelings you can have while DJing.

At its core, probably our friendship and everything that grows from it musically. We influence and surprise one another, and that is exactly what allows our shared sound to keep evolving.

I think what motivates us most is that this project allows us to express and inspire ourselves together. We are moving through different phases of life side by side anyway, both personally and professionally, so what we create together naturally evolves alongside us.

We really like what is happening in Berlin right now and feel deeply connected to our city. Alongside classic techno, more and more new sounds, parties and alternative scenes are emerging that move very freely between genres. Being part of that and continuing to evolve with it feels very right to us at the moment.

At the same time, we find what is happening in other cities such as Paris and London incredibly exciting and could definitely imagine immersing ourselves more deeply in those scenes in the future.

It would probably begin with food and drinks among our closest friends, followed by a night out, and end with us going to bed much later than originally planned.