The Week

Narciss is on a mission to make techno fun and colorful again. Born and raised in Berlin, the DJ and producer is the opposite of what their name might suggest, more like a nerdy video game fan, a 90s kid who’s grounded, humble, amazingly charming – and a queer icon in the making. After witnessing their first Loveparade in their mother’s womb, Narciss became a part of what they call "the anime school of DJs" and hyped up crowds from Japan to Canada. In conversation with OttO Kent, Narciss talks about their love for the godfather of hard house Tony De Vit, "bad" make up, fake video fames, Trance as the first commercialized form of Dance music and the power of nostalgia.  Follow Narciss on Instagram.  Find OttO Kent on Instagram. Check out “Vermis” – the fake horror video game that doesn’t exist. Watch Narciss’ ARTE concert at Stone Techno Festival 2023. Watch Narciss’ Boiler Room set. Watch the Picture Stories with Narciss on Electronic Beats TV.The Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: OttO Kent Producer: Carlos SteurerEditing and Sound Design: Marc ÜbelExecutive Producer: Isabel Woop

This week, OttO Kent speaks to Marke Bieschke of the Stud collective to learn the inspiring story of a community banding together to save a beloved local venue. Plus: an iconic house label is reborn, Black British music at the British Library, and celebrations of Rico Wade of Organized Noize and footwork pioneer DJ Rashad.Support the StudBeyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music at the British LibraryThe Art of Organized NoizeThe Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: Otto KentProducer: Aaron Gonsher Editing and Sound Design: Marc ÜbelExecutive Producer: Isabel Woop

This week, Kikelomo speaks to Ryan C. Clarke of the Dweller festival and blog about their work centering and celebrating Black artists and perspectives. Plus: Weekend One of Coachella, a BPM ban in Chechnya, anti-LGBTQ laws in Georgia, and Earth Day initiatives from EarthPercent.Read the Dweller blogLearn more about EarthPercentThe Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: KikelomoProducer: Aaron Gonsher Editing and Sound Design: Marc ÜbelExecutive Producer: Isabel Woop

This week, Otto Kent speaks to returning guest Christa Belle about the enigmatic and very viral DJ/producer HorsegiirL – and what her popularity tells us about the current dance music. Plus: An awkward encounter with Tyler the Creator, music courses on Spotify, a new lease for the long-running Berlin venue YAAM, and a new database dedicated to gender equality projects in the music industries.Read more GENIE (Gender Equality Networks in Europe)The Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: Otto Kent Producer: Aaron Gonsher Editing and Sound Design: Marc ÜbelExecutive Producer: Isabel Woop

As a queer, black, female artist working with everyone from Solange to PinkPantheress, Swarovski to Ferragamo, Kelela has been pushing boundaries on representation in music and fashion since the early 2010s. After disappearing from the public and taking an extended social media hiatus, Kelela reemerged in 2023 with the critically acclaimed album RAVEN. Her sound dances at the intersection of R&B and electronic dance music. However, her work remains unapologetic in the way it honors the black roots of club music and culture.In conversation with The Week host Kikelomo, Kelela dives into her approach of educating and reading, her RAVEN era, the possibility of building worlds and communities –and the importance of staying offline sometimes.  Follow Kelela on Instagram.  Find Kikelomo on Instagram. Check out Kelela’s Tiny Desk Concert and more of her music. Read the books “Blues People: Negro Music in White America” by Amiri Baraka, and “The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth” by Michael Spitzer. And watch “The Last Angel of History” by John Akomfrah.The Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: Kikelomo Producer: Carlos SteurerEditing and Sound Design: Marc ÜbelExecutive Producer: Isabel Woop

This week, Otto Kent speaks to the Berlin-based DJ and music producer Sarah Farina about her work with Chicago house vocalist Tish Bailey, and the frequent erasure of Black women from dance music history. What can be done to help change it? Plus: A new Beyoncé album, Wizkid disavows Afrobeats, YouTube introducing search by humming, and James Blake's new music platform.Read more about Tish Bailey's story.Support the GoFundMe campaign.The Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: Otto Kent Producer: Aaron Gonsher Editing and Sound Design: Marc ÜbelExecutive Producer: Isabel Woop

Last week, UNESCO added Berlin techno culture to its list of "intangible cultural heritage." But what made Berlin eligible for this honor, how did it earn the recognition, and what impact does it actually have? Juba finds out more speaking to Ellen Dosch-Roeingh from Rave the Planet, the Berlin-based nonprofit that helped initiate and write the application to UNESCO. Plus: boycotts at SXSW, vinyl record sales affecting UK inflation, and a new venue opening in Amsterdam.Watch "Technokultur in Berlin", Rave the Planet's short film on the UNESCO application.The Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: Juba Producer: Aaron Gonsher Editing and Sound Design: Marc ÜbelExecutive Producer: Isabel Woop

James Blake just went viral with a series of tweets about the state of the music industry, including one about artists not being able to live off streaming royalties. This isn’t news, we keep having the same discussion over and over again. Which leads us to the question: Does anyone actually care about streaming payouts? Juba joins OttO Kent in the studio to discuss this question. Plus: the Living Wage for Musicians Act, songs and sonics at the Oscars and Dig This – a new app to explore random genres.  Read the New York Times essay “In Oppenheimer and The Zone Of Interest We Hear What We Are”The Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: OttO KentProducer: Carlos SteurerEditing and Sound Design: Marc ÜbelExecutive Producer: Isabel Woop

It’s that time of the year again! OttO Kent invites two familiar faces to the studio to look back on everything 2023: Juba and Christa Belle. They talk about what to take into 2024 and what to leave behind: Bandcamp, BeReal, Dubstep, Fred again.., filming random people on the street? And of course they each crown their own personal record(s) of the year.Follow OttO Kent.Follow Juba.Follow Christa Belle.The Week is a production by Telekom Electronic Beats and ACB Stories.Host: OttO KentWriters for this episode: Helena Schmidt and Jacob SperberEdit and sound design: Marc ÜbelLead Producer: Isabel Woop