Berlin has always been a breeding ground for innovative artists. Amidst this vibrant landscape, one name has risen to the forefront, enchanting dance floors and captivating house lovers worldwide – Cinthie. Her journey from a young vinyl collector to an international artist, DJ, label and record store owner has been nothing short of remarkable. Her innate passion for music, combined with the city’s legendary club culture, fuelled her ascent through the ranks of Berlin’s competitive circuit.
Cinthie has an unwavering passion for vinyl and an ear for incredible music, with her sets boasting a plethora of genres and eras seamlessly woven together to create a joyful experience. This passion for physical music has also blossomed into Elevate, a record store based in Berlin, as well as 803 Crystal Grooves and its many branching sub-labels. These platforms have not only propelled her career but have also nurtured a community of emerging talents, adding another layer to her illustrious career.
Back on the road once again, Cinthie brings her live show to Canada ready for this year’s edition of Mutek Festival. We caught up with the Berlin local ahead of her show to talk plans, times and tunes!
INTERVIEW
Hey Cinthie! Thanks for chatting with us before Mutek. Are you excited for the festival?
Helly guys, first and foremost big thanks for having me and the great introduction. Love it! I’m super duper mega excited. To play Mutek has always been on my wish list of festivals to play. So I’m mad excited it s finally happening. But also it’s gonna be the last heavy weekend of traveling and I’m also looking forward to go back to club season after and spend more time in the studio. I started tons of new tracks that are just waiting for to be finished.
Where can everyone catch you playing at Mutek?
you can catch me twice at Mutek this year. On Saturday I play my life set at Metropolis Stage and Sunday I play a DJ Set at Experience 6. It’s gonna be my 6th or 7th live set since I started and I hope everything goes well. There is still lots of potential to upgrade and add more gear but for now I’m more than happy how it sounds and came out.
Saturday August 26 2023 2.20 am_3.20 am
Sunday August 27 2023 8.50 pm_11:00 pm
The live set sounds exciting, what does your setup consist of? And can we expect to hear some upcoming releases in the performance?
The live set is still at the very beginning for me but it s an exciting journey for me. There is just so much more you have to think of. Since the tracks are not mastered you need to make sure you are not loosing the power of the music when you play after a DJ. So I also bring a little mastering box, invented by the one and only Stimming. I have my computer, a drum machine and a bass synth. I don’t think this will be my final set up but for now it s great. Let’s see what i ll do next year. I also added 1 or 2 upcoming releases, hope people will like it?
I have to say, the photos of your Berlin studio are pretty impressive. What’s your favorite bit of equipment? Any secret weapons to mention?
ha, yes it s almost a bit too much but I’m lucky to also have some generous friends who lend me some bits. So next to my impressive collection I also got a few extra bits in which I can use. My favorite bit is still the 909 or overall the Roland collection. It’s just so easy and fun to use and it always sounds good. the only problem is, i can’t really bring anything on tour. it s just too big and too heavy and i d be scare someone will spill beer etc on my machines. so i m working with some replicates.
We’re also tremendously grateful that you took some time to pull a playlist together for Bolting Bits to showcase some of your favorite work to listen to or find inspiration from; can you highlight a couple selections for us?
i always try to combine the old and the past, hence you will find some oder goodies as well as new tracks by the new kids on the block. someone i recently discovered is Boss Priester.
I think he s from the UK, at least he sounds very UK. Love his stuff. it’s the perfect mixture of UK Garage, house , bass etc. definitely worth checking out all of his other stuff.
Looks like you’ve had an incredible summer touring this year, what’s been the highlight of the year so far?
Ouff yes, it was great but also crazy. Lots of travelling but totally worth it. Every single gig is always a highlight for me but I want to give a special mention to Defected in Croatia, the party at the Buzludzha monument in Bulgaria and Fusion Festival, where i played together with my boyfriend. Croatia was just great, i met so many nice people, colleagues and artists i look up to, it almost felt like meeting your old classmates. So good. Seriously. The party at the Buzludzha monument wasn’t too big but wow, this monument is crazy. You have to google it. It s an old post sowjet monument and it looks a bit like a spaceship. the guys did some video mappin on it and combined with the music i seriously thought that s it , the end of the world and the aliens are coming. so so so impressive. And well, Fusion Festival is always a treat, especially this year when I was able to play with my man Meat. We had such a great time and it made me proud to see so man friend in the crowd supporting us .
Any upcoming plans for the rest of the year?
Yep, some holidays with the family, working on my album and try to be more in the studio again after the summer madness. Also there will be a special party coming up soon ;)
