We are hitting March with a second event and inviting the amazing Beth Lydi from Berlin to Brighton.
„Lydi“ comes from the Norwegian word „lyd i“, and means „sound in“ or „volume within“. The alias has followed her her entire life, as she is known for making a lot of noise. Born in Oslo, she grew up playing the violin and piano. Her curiosity has taken her around the entire world, and eventually she ended up in Berlin.
Currently she is the co-owner of two record labels, actively engaged in artist management in a well-known agency, and touring as a DJ throughout the world. A workaholic with a butterfly image...Deep and bassy, you will find her sound somewhere between techno and tech-house, though fresh, vivid and happy. Her distinctive sound definitely makes her a „must hear“ in the clubs and festivals around the world.
Not only that, Beth has kindly compiled our next Berlin Mixtapes Episode 033 for your ears which you can all listen to here from this Sunday 31st March.
Hi Beth, how are you and what have you been up to this week?
Hei hei, I’m great! Thanks for asking :) This week I spent some time in bed as I had a flu, haha. BUT, I also spent a lot of time in the studio finishing up a remix for a release that is coming next month on my label SNOE.
You've been in Berlin some time now, what made you make the move to Berlin and how long have you made it your home?
I have lived in Berlin full time for six years now, but our love affair started as an exchange year during my studies already nine years ago. Time flies! I was just instantly drawn to the free spirit of the city, and the dive into the extraordinary music scene here changed me for ever. And then I met my Berlin born and bred partner Andreas Henneberg eight years ago, that sealed the deal for me. I’m here to stay ;)
You flutter between your native Norway and Berlin. Is there any kind of electronic music scene i.e. is it growing or very underground?
Oh, Norway is beautiful! I’m there at least every two months. Unfortunately it is very difficult to maintain a decent electronic music scene there. You have a couple of stablished venues like Jaeger, The Villa and occasionally Blå in Oslo, but the government and police are known for giving the scene a very hard time. I guess it happens a lot all over Europe at the moment, just recently the whole ordeal with Kompass is a good example. You also have a couple of fire souls (I just translated that directly from the Norwegian saying „ildsjeler“, not sure it is a thing in English but I love the word) in Oslo that are constantly pushing to give something a little extra to the scene.
Two good friends of mine, Kamelkollektivet, have been vital players for the musical environment in the city as they always try to think outside the box. This has resulted in legendary parties and festivals during the last 10 years that people are still talking about. I love that they don’t just go for the biggest names all the time but also book more unknown people as a way to show their community new music. For the last years they ran a venue called Skippergata, but it unfortunately has to close end of April.
Where was your first gig in Berlin?
My very first official gig in Berlin was in a place called Mein Haus am See. I think it was one of the first events the promoter ever did, and it was not really a techno venue. I remember they had this revolving dancefloor in front of me, haha. It was a lot of fun though, and I was just very happy and excited to play a show! Also a lot of my friends came, which helped with the nerves, haha. The place still exists although I think it is more of a bar these days. Every time I pass it I have to smile and think of that evening.
You run a super cool label called ’SNOE’ Tell us more and how did the name come about?
Haha, cool in all aspects of the word ;) Ok, lame joke done. Actually me and Andreas were on our yearly holiday in the snowy mountains in Norway when we decided to start a label together. As we were sitting in the sauna looking out on the beautiful big and slowly falling snow flakes the name just came to us. It’s rooted in the Norwegian word „Snø“. If you check out our various artist series it is also called SNOEflakes, so we try to play with the name a little bit.
We are going to be running a competition on the night for our partygoers to receive a free SNOE gift. Tell our readers more and how they can get involved
Yes, this is going to be so much fun! On the SNOE page you can download a wallpaper for your phone for free, everyone who comes and shows it to me during the event gets a Jägermeister-shot on me! Ready, set, GO! Get the wallpaper here.
Apart from SNOE, you’ve also had releases on Berlin labels Heinz Music, Get Physical & Voltage Musique, labels that we absolutely hammer at our events and radio shows. What is next on the horizon releases wise?
My year started with a lot of traveling so didn’t really get in the studio until a couple of weeks ago. First up will be my remix for Ayarez on SNOE which will be out April 22nd! He has some massive tunes and I had a great time working with the remix, can’t wait to actually test it out for the first time in Brighton!
What can people expect from a typical Beth Lydi set? What flavours and grooves do you inject into a dance floor?
It is always so hard to say in advance.. I always play some of my own stuff of course, for example Ample and Bulk are always in there at the moment, but the club, the people and the general vibe decides where we go. I have everything from Electronica to Techno in my playlist, so I always let the interaction with my fellow dancers take me on the trip of the night.
You have been in Berlin for a good few years now, where's your favourite place to just to kick back and chill?
I think I’m going to have to say my couch. It is huge and soft and when I am away for a weekend or a couple of weeks it makes me so happy to come home to it.
And equally, where's your favourite place to let loose?
Sisyphos is my absolute favourite club in Berlin as you just have everything there, but also the party series „Betriebsfeier" on a boat called Hoppetosse is a super place to let loose. I still love to go clubbing with friends if I’m not playing, and here you are kind of spoiled with choices.
Which other DJs or producers are you liking right now?
Brett Gould, Adrian Hour, Rene Amesz and Fer BR are always in my playlist, and I always check their new stuff.
What are your go-to labels?
Well, I’m in a quite luxurious position as I have my own label where I only release music I want to play, so of course it is SNOE. But also labels like Stereo Productions have cool releases on a regular basis. I think at the moment a lot of labels are doing Melodic House and Techno which is not really my favourite genre, it is a bit hard to find good and super groovy Tech House. But that is also part of the charm with music, the trends are always changing and evolving.
You have compiled our latest Berlin Mixtapes Series Episode 033 - Tell us more about your mix.
The mix is very representative of me at the moment, lots of my current favourites in there ;)
What else can we expect from you soon? What's next on the horizon for DJ gigs wise? Where can people see you next?
Live is never boring to put it like that! It is going to be a huge festival summer and I am incredibly excited to be back in the UK in July to play Noisily Festival.
Great stuff and thank you for speaking with us today, we're looking forward to more great things from you. Is there anything else you'd like to add for our readers?
See you Friday on the dance floor!
Quickfire questions:
Favourite Colour: Blue Where in Berlin are you: The beautiful South What do you put on your chips: Not such a potato fan (which is kind of a deadly sin in Germany, haha) First record ever bought: Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope Apple or Android: Apple Pioneer or Denon: Pioneer Ableton or Logic: Ableton Can you juggle: I try every now and then, but always turns out I can't Weirdest/Coolest Item of clothing: My Despicable Me minion One-piece? Favourite place to hang out in Berlin: My couch Best club: Sisyphos and Heideglühen Best Beer: Couple of cold beers from the store in a park on a sunny day Favourite place to eat: Every Christmas Norwegian brewing companies are making special Christmas editions, some of these are fantastic.
View on Sauerkraut: Soooo good! Favourite Wurst: The "between club and home" one Coffee or Tea: COFFEE! Favourite Footy Team: Lyn 1896 FK (Oslo) HEIA LYN! Favourite Track right now: Alex Carbo - Cee One 3 words to describe your mix: Groove, euphoria, me
Links:
Berlin Mixtapes Episode 033 - Out Sunday 31st March - Available Here
