KRAWALLBARBIE.
Finding her own place.
Maria on representation behind the decks, playing with Who is Ela¿ and finding the feel of an opening set.
In conversation with Maria · Krawallbarbie
The deciding moment was not a particular track. Maria saw a woman DJing at her university and thought: “Hey, I can do that too!” As Krawallbarbie, she now creates representation in the line-ups she curates herself. We talk about Ela, silly German rap edits and why an opening set does not have to reveal everything at once.
The conversation moves from a shared opening at Paradies Garten to the Forelle Kitchen. Krawallbarbie talks about playing alongside Who is Ela¿, preparing for a club night and the freedom to choose one or two possible openers and take it from there.
“Hey, I can do that too!”
Was there a moment when you realised you wanted to start DJing yourself?
Before I started DJing, I actually spent less time thinking about what I wanted to play. The moment I decided, “Hey, I can do that too!”, came when I saw a woman DJing at my university.
Before that, I had mostly seen men playing. Seeing her gave me motivation, and a sense of understanding: I felt represented as a woman. That is exactly why creating representation in the line-ups I curate myself still matters to me today.
Learning from Ela – and being surprised
What have you learned from playing together? And what can Who is Ela¿ do to surprise you in a set?
I would say I have learned the most from Ela, Who is Ela¿. Technically, she is really excellent; anyone could pick something up from her and learn! But her relaxed, cool way of DJing is infectious too.
Ela and I have had so many fun nights playing together. I think she can always make me happy by coming up with a really silly German rap edit.
Often, teasing is better than going all in straight away.
Giving a dancefloor a reason to stay
You played the opening at Paradies Garten. What do you enjoy about that role, and how do you know when you can take the music a step further?
At Paradies Garten, for example, it was really cool when people were let in and started exploring the area. The task was to win people over with our sound so they would stay. I think we did that really well: we had a full dancefloor that was ready for the acts coming after us. I think we successfully set the mood.
With one or two tracks, we also started feeling our way towards faster music. You can tell quite quickly whether people are ready. But we left it at that. Often, teasing is better than going all in straight away.
Preparation, contrast – then freestyle
Let’s take your night in the Forelle Kitchen: how do you prepare, and what do you want to create musically there?
Marø, who is also a friend of mine, asked me to play that night in the Forelle Kitchen, which is a great honour for me! The main act is Sven Väth. What really matters to me that night is staying true to my style: creating a contrast to the main floor and connecting with people who might be looking for a change from its sound.
Generally, I prepare for nights like that by finding lots of new tracks in the week beforehand so I can keep my selection varied. I also put a few tracks I definitely want to play into my playlist and mark them – although I usually have them in my head anyway. Then I choose one or two openers, depending on how the person before me has played. And then: freestyle!
If I am very nervous before a gig, though, I sometimes prepare the whole set so I have all my tracks ready.
KRAWALLBARBIE
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. Krawallbarbie (courtesy) · @liz.prd