Photography by Johann Sturz
Styling by Marie Fee

How well I remember my first techno parties. And even if it seems from a different time, it has lost none of its fascination. Personal memories are obviously mostly always subjective, and yet those parties were different back then. Dancing, freedom, ectase. Without cell phones, without recording, simply dancing in the moment that leaves the traces exclusively in the heart.

Charly Schaller celebrated her first techno party as an 18-year-old in Berlin at Berghain, when she visited her best friend. “I immediately fell in love with the music and always went back to Berlin in the term breaks. I think at some point when standing on the dance floor in real ecstasy I thought: I want to be this person behind the decks.” And she has managed to do that. By the way, she actually studied Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.

We wanted to know more about the talented DJ and producer and had an incredible inspiring chat with her, e.g. about how commercialization is not always a bad thing, the value of fun in our society and the hope that the scene and people will become more aware and be confident to speak up about chronic pain.

You were born in Munich, what memories do you have of this city?

Munich is a very beautiful city and I was lucky to grow up in the suburbs surrounded by nature when I was very small. We moved into the city when I was 14 and I have good memories. In the summer you can hang out and even swim in the river Isar which is going right through the city. When I was a teenager, I was really into rock climbing and bouldering and would go to the climbing hall around 4-5 times per week. That was a great time and I still relate Munich to rock climbing. What I miss most about living there is being close to the mountains. If I had to decide, I’m more a ‘mountain and forest person’ than a ‘beach person’, and my friends and I would drive to some beautifully located climbing areas every weekend in the summer and just camp free in the forest. So that was great. Nowadays I always enjoy coming back to visit my old friends and family. So that was great.

I also remember that I first went to an electronic music club in Munich. My first proper clubbing experiences were at Rote Sonne and when I played there for the first time a while ago that was a super cool experience.

“I think the value of fun is underrated in our society. Being productive is what counts.”

Berlin is THE city when it comes to electronic music. What is it about Berlin & Techno that makes all feel so special?

I would say it is the people. Berlin has a reputation for having a very open culture where people can follow alternative life paths and express themselves without being judged. I directly felt that vibe when I first visited Berlin. This reputation results in a lot of very diverse people with very interesting backgrounds, personalities and concepts of what constitutes a good life, moving here from all different parts of the world and these people bring this very special spirit to Berlin that makes you feel accepted and welcome – also in clubs. And for sure, Berliners love to have fun, so you have many people going clubbing every weekend which creates great communities of regulars. Everyone knows each other. And the people here really LOVE Techno. The ravers here are true music nerds and as a DJ you feel that when you play.

I’m also a techno kid, it’s my biggest musical love. Dancing in the club has so much to do with freedom and pure energy for me. What do you love most about it?

Exactly what you say – just feeling entirely free and simply having fun. I think the value of fun is underrated in our society. Being productive is what counts. People say all kinds of things why raving is a worthwhile activity, but few mention that simply having fun and the best time of your life is what makes all these sleepless nights so valuable.

Charly Schaller · // RELEASES

“I believe that if we do not forget what Techno stands for and how delicately it is (historically) connected to freedom, we will be able to keep our community’s great spirit.”

Techno was apolitical in the beginning, but now politics has entered here as well. I’m an advocate of not politicizing all areas, in order to preserve a last remnant to escape from everyday life. Today, however, that is almost no longer possible. The same could be said with commercialization. Techno was uncommercial, a niche. In the meantime, however, commercialization has also since long arrived in techno. How do you think about these themes?

In general, I don’t think commercialization needs to be a bad thing. For many people, it directly has a negative connotation, whereas it might simply mean that something wonderful like Techno is being made available or starts to please and attract a much larger crowd. Music is for sharing and I think it’s great when more people can have the pleasure of experiencing Techno. For sure, I see and acknowledge the risk that through commercialization and the attraction of bigger crowds, the Techno community might stop being a safe space for some people whose specific ways of self-expression for example are not being understood by people who are nowadays getting attracted to Techno through social media and the like. But I think we should stay optimistic here. Reflecting on the processes that are happening is key and I believe that if we do not forget what Techno stands for and how delicately it is (historically) connected to freedom, we will be able to keep our community’s great spirit.

In which club (no matter where in the world) would you like to play this weekend?

I’m actually going to play at Stahlwerk in Basel and am very much looking forward to this, but one club I would really love to play at as well is Basement in New York. I recently visited NYC for three weeks and had the best time there. Heard amazing things about Basement and would love to get to know the scene in NYC better and play there some day.

In an interview you said that your fav DJ is DJ Anetha. What connects you with her?

I am a big fan of both her productions and DJ sets. I love the playful, synthesizer-driven character of her sound and I love the harmonies she uses. It feels super trippy, hard, and melodic at the same time. My favorite track by her is still ‘Candy from Strangers’ – its synth melody is next level.

“Chronic pain is a public disease of whose existence most people are not really aware. I think it troubles a lot of people, probably also in our business, who however stay silent about it. I hope that in the future, our scene will become more aware of this and more people will feel confident to speak up.”

Which music do you listen to when it should be more quiet?

Actually a lot of Pop music right now. I used to listen to a lot of psychedelic rock like Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and generally older stuff when I was younger, but really got into Pop recently. My favourite producer right now is Labrinth who made the soundtrack for Euphoria. For me, he’s an absolute genius. Otherwise, I’ve always loved classical music and jazz and listen to this a lot, too.

Where do you see yourself, let’s say, in 10 years?

I would love to have played on every continent in 10 years and will still be making music. But hard to tell what the world will look like in 10 years given how everything’s changing these days.

Would you like to share with our readers something that is important to you?

I would like to tell you about a very personal experience that has massively changed my awareness of certain things: I had a scoliosis surgery one year ago that didn’t go so well and am since living with a disability and chronic back pain. It’s much better now, but I had a very tough year which has changed my perspective a lot through experiencing and facing all the many obstacles that I did not have before. It’s great that nowadays our scene has become very aware of the necessity to promote women and other minorities in our scene and that is another topic that has always been of utmost importance to me, but I notice that people who suffer from any physical restrictions, disabilities or illnesses are very often left out of the discourse. Chronic pain is a public disease of whose existence most people are not really aware. I think it troubles a lot of people, probably also in our business, who however stay silent about it. I hope that in the future, our scene will become more aware of this and more people will feel confident to speak up.