No Shade Collective

Composed of a badass group of hardworking DJs, promoters, musicians and more, we wanted to feature them as a new and powerful voice in the future of Berlin’s club scene – one that is intersectional, femme-forward, and inclusive. Their DJ training program offers advice from hardware and software tutorials to music theory, personal practice sessions, and mentorship opportunities.

At the end of a month-long training course, new DJs are given a paid gig at ACUD with a well-known headliner and an opportunity to apply everything they’ve learned. And alongside all of that, No Shade also designs and sells merch that is perfect for any club night. We sat down with some of No Shade’s current members to talk about the collective, the inspiration behind it, and what you would find on a typical club night with them:

Linnea Palmestål
aka LINNÉA @linneapalmestal | Co-founder, DJ, and Main DJ Teacher for No Shade, 26 years old, originally from Gothenburg

How did all of you meet?
Linnea: I put the original crew together when I realized I wanted to rebrand my regular party at ACUD and take it to the next level by applying for funding. I realized it was way too much work for me to cover all the tasks of a project like this by myself, and I also didn’t think I was the best person to be in charge of a lot of these tasks so I asked a bunch of friends if they would be down to do this together and narrowed my role down to what I’d really like to focus on – which is the teaching part.

Since then, we have of course grown as a crew through the mentoring program, with the beginner DJs being welcomed to join the family, as well as other people simply wanting to join in and help.

What inspired you to start the project, and what do you like the most about being a part of No Shade?

Linnea: A few things inspired me to use the opportunity of doing a regular party at ACUD as a way to share the access to DJ equipment as well as sharing my then recently gained skills and knowledge with as many non-male beginner DJ’s as possible. One of the main reasons I wanted to help generate more local female and non binary DJ’s is obviously the still existing gender imbalance within the DJ world. Another huge motivation was my own struggles as a beginner DJ, with limited to no access to new equipment to practice on and no real mentor for learning how to use CDjs properly (although I did have many friends willing to teach me other ways of DJing).

How has Berlin influenced your music and No Shade as a project?
Linnea: I’ve lived in Berlin for more than 7 years and although I had a long-existing interest in music, I initially couldn’t really get into club music here. That changed with the Janus parties that started back in 2012. I started going to my first couple of Janus parties in 2013 when I found out about them and they really opened up my eyes for club music in a way that Berlin’s techno and house scene had never done for me.

Since then, the scene that has developed with parties whose curation is heavily inspired by the sounds of Janus has also opened up my mind to different styles of DJ-ing. One thing I particularly like about this scene is how – in contrast to the techno scene – it’s not at all about perfectly smooth and clean track blending. Instead, it’s encouraged to use the equipment in a pretty drastic way to be properly creative and to dare to experiment and mess things up in order to create new sounds.

I find that because of this I’m able to find a fresh and inspiring new wave of DJ-ing. I also have zero interest in playing the typical 4/4 sounds of Berlin and don’t think I should be teaching what I don’t believe in or what simply doesn’t interest me. I’m just not the right person to do that. Therefore, I would say that the sound of No Shade as a DJ collective has naturally taken a similar direction, since we obviously think the people we select to take part of the mentoring program should get the most possibilities out of it.

Could you tell us a little bit about ACUD MACHT NEU, and what the relationship between the venue and the crew is?

Linnea: ACUD has been incredibly supportive ever since the beginning and without them I doubt that any of this would have happened to the degree it has.

What goes into your training program, and what are the upsides of training at a No Shade workshop?

Linnea: The idea behind the group workshops we try to provide regularly is to give a useful introduction to DJ-ing using Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS and to teach people how to best prepare the music in Pioneer Rekordbox to facilitate the mixing. One of the main advantages that makes DJ-ing with CDJ’s one of the most popular ways of DJ-ing is the ease of only needing to bring a couple of USB flash drives accompanied by a pair of headphones to perform.

Through personal live tutorials, we are hoping to provide a broad but detailed overview of how to use the equipment accompanied by some basic music theory knowledge and terminology, useful technical knowledge, along with some of our own personal tips and tricks. In the mentoring program we narrow it down to only two people attending to give them the maximum amount of attention and comfort possible over a couple of weeks until they are confident enough to play our party at the end of it. The mentoring program is free of charge and the DJs get paid to play the party.

What do each of you do when you’re not leading the next generation of female and non-binary DJs?

Linnea: I’m a trained hairdresser so I cut my friends hair regularly. I also DJ quite a lot. Otherwise I try to have fun everyday and enjoy being outside and offline when the weather allows for it.

Anyone/anything you’re really crushing on?
Linnea: My boyfriend, spring bursting, new friendships. Life in general through love drunk eyes.

Can you tell us about some of the collabs you’re doing with venues, organisations, and other party crews around Berlin?

Linnea: There will definitely be a collaboration party between No Shade, TRADE, and the Oslo-based KOSO collective coming up this summer – we’ll have more info soon. Other collabs are expected too.

Anything coming up that you’re super excited about?
Linnea: Later sunsets.

What’s in store for No Shade in the future?
Linnea: Hopefully more financial support so we can keep on growing and doing what we are doing!

Carmel Köster
aka @Ceekayin2u | Co-founder, DJ and project manager for No Shade, 30 years old, originally from Estonia/London

How did all of you meet?

Carmel: I initially met Linnea through mutual friends and going out in Berlin/ getting my hair done. Kim and Lele I met through Linnea both through the Sister parties she would promote as well as during the early stages of creating No Shade. All of our other members have joined through our mentoring project.

What inspired you to start the project, and what do you like the most about being a part of No Shade?
Carmel: It felt like there was a gap in the clubbing scene for a collective like this when we first started. It was also inspired a lot by the Sister network that had been going for a while but Linnea and I felt that we wanted to break out of that and create our own thing; something local and a bit on the smaller scale. It really feels empowering to be a part of such a large collective full of talented and inspiring people.

How has Berlin influenced your music and No Shade as a project?
Carmel: I think it’s more like our very different backgrounds influence the music we play and create the sound of No Shade. Berlin is just a really great place to exchange influences and play.

Could you tell us a little bit about ACUD MACHT NEU, and what the relationship between the venue and the crew is?
Carmel: ACUD has been such an amazing support system since the get-go. Without the help of Shub (head of the club and music promotion at ACUD) No Shade would not exist as it currently does. They provide us with free access to the DJ equipment, help with our funding applications and with general advice in regards to the music industry, events etc. It’s a really great relationship.

What would be the vibe of a typical No Shade party? What is your guys’s door policy (if you have one) and what kind of atmosphere are you trying to create in your space?
Carmel: We don’ t really run a strict door policy – essentially it’ s to be open for all. The vibe is free, bumpin, people dancing enjoying the music, smiling. It’s about good vibes – good energy.

What goes into your training program, and what are the upsides of training at a No Shade workshop?
Carmel: The month-long mentoring program gives you the tools to work as a professional DJ – period. You will know about how to prepare your sets, lern basic music theory, and be able to set up your equipment and understand how it functions. Knowledge is power and power will give you the freedom and confidence to be great at what you do. So I think what people get from the mentoring program is amazing and such a gift, really.

What do each of you do when you’re not leading the next generation of female and non-binary DJs?
Carmel: I am a freelance choreographer, dance teacher (teaching regular classes at Motions Dance Studio in Berlin), and dancer. I’m also currently involved in music video producing/directing under Bass&Köster.

You guys are sponsored by Music Board Berlin, which provides grants and other kinds of support to new projects in Berlin that strengthen the local music scene. How do you like working with them? How do you feel about Berlin’s government putting support into local scenes?
Carmel: I think it’s great. I wish more cities would provide such assistance to their young artists.

No Shade also has this really strong visual element, from your logo to your merch. Could you tell me about the role of aesthetics in your project, and what compelled you to expand past music into art and fashion?
Carmel: For me music, fashion, art, dance… it all influences one another and blends together at the end of the day. With the help of Shaun Bass, we have been able to be really on point with our visual communication. The idea behind the No Shade logo came about a few years ago when we still lived in London but made a lot of sense with this project so we went with it. The neon colour choice and bold text is about visibility and that we want to be seen, noticed, and not remain quiet in the underground.

Can you tell us about some of the collabs you’re doing with venues, organizations, and other party crews around Berlin?
Carmel: We are currently doing collaborations with deadHYPE radio and doing our own individual ventures with hosting. We are also involved in local DIY things like wanting to throw a block party in Wedding with some friends during the summer and will also have some open workshops in the next months, an exchange program possibly, etc.

What’s in store for No Shade in the future?
Carmel: World domination and No Shade eye bikinis!

Ves
aka GrinderTeeth @GrinderTeeth | Project Manager for No Shade, 28 years old, originally from Grinder, Norway

How did all of you meet?
Ves: I live with Linnea, one of the Co-founders of No Shade, and I went to some of the first events before it developed into what it is today. Ive been working with projects and collectives with a similar vision almost all of my life so the line to get involved was pretty short from there. I love the crew obviously.

What is your guys’s door policy (if you have one) and what kind of atmosphere are you trying to create in your space?
Ves: Our door policy is that our parties are open to attending for anyone/any gender/etc., as we represent female identifying and non-binary visual artists and DJs. Our mentoring and training programs are strictly for female-identifying and non-binary people.

I would like to think our atmosphere is one where everybody attending feels like they are living their best lives while simultaneously feeling welcome, supported, and like we care about taking care of everybody/everyone’s experience.

What do each of you do when you’re not leading the next generation of female and non-binary DJs?
Ves: I also produce and perform live under the name Grinder Teeth and am part of another queer-femme collective called Oracle: Femme Futurities.

What other projects do you really love in Berlin? Anyone/anything you’re really crushing on?
Ves: Room 4 Resistance – Room 4 Resistance – Room 4 Resistance (@ About Blank), I am crushing so hard on them really. They really live out their politics in practice, do pretty much everything I would like to see as part of an event, and they do it successfully. Other honorable mentions are: Lecken, Queens against Borders, and New World Dysorder.

You guys are sponsored by Music Board Berlin, which provides grants and other kinds of support to new projects in Berlin that strengthen the local music scene. How do you like working with them?
Ves: Its interesting for me actually, to work with a project that has public funding. I come from a lot of projects and collectives which are self sufficient and DIY, and where we always worked from the ground up without any funds – which can be a challenge. No Shade is also very DIY and works itself up from the ground, but thanks to the money from Berlin Music Board, we’ve been able to offer our mentoring and DJ-training sessions for free and book bigger headliners for our parties, which we wouldn’t have been able to do without funding. I think it’s great.

How do you feel about Berlin’s government putting support into local scenes?
Ves: I think it’s essential, really. It takes a lot of work and time to get new projects off the ground, especially when you don’t have so much funding and resources at your hands to begin with. Since the spaces, opportunities, and resources have historically been – and still are – adapted and allocated unequally to different social groups, I think it’s about high time that those sitting on public money started allocating funds to projects like No Shade to re-address that balance. I hear some of the focus of Berlin Music Board this year is to increase accessibility for people with disabilities, which is a topic that hasn’t been approached that much yet so I am thankful for this.

Anything coming up that you’re super excited about? What’s in store for No Shade in the future?
Ves: At the moment we are working on booking some group workshops to make the No Shade training more accessible and available. We have a high number of applicants for each round, but can only really take on two applicants for the intensive training and mentoring, so we started planning this to be able to reach more people. We have a number of collabs and events coming up, to keep up to date on this, just go follow our page!

Kim
aka poly maze @1polymaze | DJ and management for No Shade, 22 years old, originally from Hamburg

How did all of you meet?
Kim: I had Linnea’s contact through Facebook by making a post in the Sister group – I had just moved to Berlin and knew basically no one, so I made a post asking for contacts and people that would maybe want to meet. The first time I met her was at a group CDJ workshop she was hosting. She told me about No Shade – which had yet to start – and got me booked for an event for the Trade party series which was my first time DJ-ing. Afterwards, I asked if I could help with No Shade in any way, so she invited me to the next meeting. I met everyone else in the crew through No Shade.

What do you like the most about being a part of No Shade?
Kim: Since I had not had any access to CDJs or people who could help me in that aspect for a long time, I can strongly relate to a lot of our applicants. Therefore it feels really good to be able to be part of an initiative that gives people the opportunity to not only receive access to CDJs and knowledge but also to gives people the opportunity to get booked and paid.

What do each of you do when you’re not leading the next generation of female and non-binary DJs?
Kim: I work full time in an apprenticeship. Most of the time outside of that I’m making music. Other than that, I also occasionally produce other kinds of art such as paintings and 3D models. I also want to get more into modelling.

Kikelomo
@_kikelomo_ | DJ for No Shade, 24 years old, originally from London

How did all of you meet?
Kike: I am one of the alumnis of the No Shade mentoring program. I found out about the program via the Sister FB group and applied for the second round of training. The rest is history!

What inspired you to start the project, and what do you like the most about being a part of No Shade?
Kike: I love that all of the crew members play different styles and draw from different influences, but the sound still comes together. It’s also so nice to have a little family to perform with and to support.

Could you tell us a little bit about ACUD MACHT NEU, and what the relationship between the venue and the crew is?
Kike: ACUD is a great community space, it hosts club nights, is a base for Berlin Community Radio, a cinema, and has spaces for workshops and events. As a member of No Shade, we are able to use the club facilities to practise our skills, which has been invaluable in our development as artists.

What would be the vibe of a typical No Shade party? What is your guys’s door policy (if you have one) and what kind of atmosphere are you trying to create in your space?
Kike: If i could use one word, it would be eclectic. There is such a wide variety of sounds that span our collective selections, but attendees to our parties are usually very openminded, which is very encouraging as a DJ. The atmosphere is free and open, and we try our hardest to maintain a safe space for all of those in attendance, no matter their gender identity, sexuality, appearance, whatever. As long as you’re down to have a good time, and are respectful to others, everyone is welcome <3

What goes into your training program, and what are the upsides of training at a No Shade workshop?
Kike: As a former participant, I would say there are so many upsides to training with No Shade. Access to CDJs is something hard to come by, and the fact you are instantly connected with a network of great artists who guide you in your growth as a DJ is amazing, and has proven invaluable for me personally. No Shade has not just provided me with mentors, but friends. In addition, the incentive of a paid gig at the end of the training is the icing on the cake.

What do each of you do when you’re not leading the next generation of female and non-binary DJs?
Kike: I actually live a double life – by day I work full time in the Berlin tech scene. I also host a monthly radio show with Cashmere Radio. Balancing working full time with playing gigs every weekend can be pretty exhausting, but it’s worth it for me.

What other projects do you really love in Berlin? Anyone/anything you’re really crushing on?
Kike: I am loving what my friends at hoe_mies are doing, they run hip hop parties centering around women*, non-binary and trans people and speak primarily to an audience of Color – the vibe is so refreshing and open compared to the typical atmosphere you find at hip hop parties.

I also am a big fan of the collective Room 4 Resistance. There is a lot of club night talk about intersectionality and cultivating safe and open spaces, but their parties were probably the first I experienced that practised what they preach. As a black woman, you really do notice when you see diversity flourishing in club spaces. I’m a born and raised Londoner, and diversity is integral to London life. I was missing it a bit in Berlin, but both hoe_mies and R4R succeed at bringing people from all backgrounds together for a good time.

Clarisse
aka Ace of Diamonds @aceofdemons | DJ for No Shade, 26 years old, originally from Berlin

How did all of you meet?
Clarisse: I met the No Shade members through the DJ training project that I was accepted in.

What do you like the most about being a part of No Shade?
Clarisse: What I like most is the fact that everyone comes from a different background musically, geographically, etc. so we get a lot of input from different sides, because everyone has different contacts and is involved in different things. It really enriches the development of the collective.

How has Berlin influenced your music and No Shade as a project?
Clarisse: I come from Berlin and, because of the different people I grew up with, I got to know a very broad range of music. Places like Yaam or the big events in the streets like Karneval der Kulturen and 1st of May already gave me an idea of how diverse going out in Berlin can be. Going out on a regular basis began in high school where friends were already DJing at events. Back in 2009 or so, they were DJing at a party where Buraka Som Sistema had a live show which was something that I never heard in my life before – I was really blown away. At one point, going to Techno events took over and that’s when I began to go to events to see a specific DJ.

The amount of techno I heard during the week by myself combined with weekends in the club was just a bit of an overdose at some point. I had the feeling I was repeating experiences and I was searching for something else. Back at that time all the events that we have now like Trade, Janus or Creamcake were just beginning to exist or didn’t exist at all and I wanted to hear a variety of sounds on big speakers in the club with all my friends. That’s how I started to search for more music on the internet and began to play. The first event I played was at a birthday party of two friends. As for No Shade, I think the founders can answer this question better.

Could you tell us a little bit about ACUD MACHT NEU, and what the relationship between the venue and the crew is?
Clarisse: ACUD MACHT NEU was providing us with professional DJ equipment so we could learn how to use the CDJs and is also home to the No Shade event that takes place after training is completed. A big thank you ACUD for all the support!

What would be the vibe of a typical No Shade party? What is your guys’s door policy (if you have one) and what kind of atmosphere are you trying to create in your space?
Clarisse: For the first event I was so pumped and nervous from playing on the CDJs for the first time that I just had the time of my life. In general though, I think we try to evolve from event to event to create a whole experience. That’s why we had a second floor at the last event which was planned as an ambient floor where people can slow down, chat, and have a musical experience that is not necessarily connected to dancing.

I think that the vibe we try to create in combination with the people that come is unpretentious and kind. I also have the impression that everybody usually looks out for each other, which I think is essential but not necessarily a given – even though Berlin nightlife is quite inclusive in general. ACUD is not a place where a lot of party tourists come to, so people that come generally know about the event or are connected to the space which makes the door not so difficult to handle. A setting I generally like, which is also the case with the No Shade parties, is that if you want, you give your all while dancing a few hours to exhaustion and then can go home happy and tired.

What goes into your training program, and what are the upsides of training at a No Shade workshop?
Clarisse: The best thing about training program is being able learn how to use the CDJs and having regular access to them on a sound system in a club, as well as the introduction to the Rekordbox software.

What do each of you do when you’re not leading the next generation of female and non-binary DJs?

Clarisse: I was working as editing assistant, but I’m currently writing my master’s thesis in anthropology, which is based on the ethical implications of doing anthropology. I argue for methods which concentrate on collaborative, practical projects and show how those in the field of anthropology can participate in de-colonising knowledge at the university level.

Apart from that, I am organising a few events at the moment. The next one is a party called Booty Call for lesbian/female identifying/non-binary people, because in Berlin there are plenty of gay events which have a great vibe where people can hook up, but for women*, parties with great music and a sexy vibe is hard to find. I began a new party series called Ionise with three other friends in which we try to focus on a different topic/style each time. For the first event we invited Renick Bell from Tokyo, who does live coding. For the second event, we have something more rhythm based planned.

What’s in store for No Shade in the future?
Clarisse: To do more events in various parts the city, give workshops, and do collaborations with different crews and collectives.

Julia Parchimowicz
aka Bad Juju @itsbadjuju | VJ for No Shade, 26 years old, originally from Poland

How did all of you meet?

Julia: I knew Shaun, Carmel, and Linnea through mutual friends and I got involved in helping with designing the website. I really loved the whole concept so when I got asked to do visuals for the first party I was really excited and just kind of stuck around.

What do you like the most about being a part of No Shade?
Julia: It’s a fun and supportive environment to play and experiment with visuals for me. I just really enjoy being able to amplify the vibe and support badass music acts/people.

No Shade also has this really strong visual element, from your logo to your merch. Could you tell me about the role of aesthetics in your project, and what compelled you to expand past music into art and fashion?
Julia: I immediately fell in love with the identity Shaun created for No Shade and I immediately felt connected to the visual language that we stand for. As I don’t really have musical skills, visual arts is a natural way for me to express what inspires me. I just really love the general bad-assery that our acts represent and I think my visuals are influenced a lot by that. I mix a lot of bold and ugly imagery, digital mutants with a soft touch.

What’s in store for No Shade in the future?
I would really love to release some more drawn-out visuals for mixtapes!

Sara Fumaça
@_sara.s2000 | DJ for No Shade, 27 years old, originally from Porto, Portugal

How did all of you meet?
Sara: I met everyone when I enrolled in the course.

What do you like the most about being a part of No Shade?
Sara: Definitely the group dynamic. I like the fact that there’s not any sort of judgement, pressure, or negativity at all. Everyone is extremely supportive, everyone is striving for the best, and working to include every element. The mutual respect is so right on so many levels – this goes for opinions, individuality, decision making, personal space, etc..

How has Berlin influenced your music and No Shade as a project?
Sara: I use to follow the Trade parties on Wednesday at Ohm. It was the spot that I got most influenced by in terms of electronic music. But it was the Görlitzer area that was without a doubt the spot where I started to realise the gigantic musical diversity this city has to offer. My main inspiration comes from being here with my friends, hanging out and listening to everyone’s music.

What goes into your training program, and what are the upsides of training at a No Shade workshop?
Sara: I got Linnea as my mentor and love it! My music knowledge was almost inexistent; it was so hard in the beginning but she was always supportive, positive, and fresh. Linnea tried her best to keep everything on point so I could progress significantly. We worked towards concrete improvements, building my self confidence, and exploring my style.

What do each of you do when you’re not leading the next generation of female and non-binary DJs?
Sara: I’ve been focused on doing my sort of multidisciplinary thang related to painting, design, and illustration. I do commissioned illustrations for magazines, publishers, and studios. I also organise some good vibes backward parties with my group of friends and give logistic support for a delivery company.

Sibel
(not pictured)
aka @Panasiagirl | DJ for No Shade

How did all of you meet?
Sibel: I got accepted into the training program and was trained by Linnea and Lele and met the rest of the crew at the No Shade vol 2 party which was my DJ debut where I played for the first time alongside Kikelomo, Lockhart and Lady Amz.

What do you like the most about being a part of No Shade?
Sibel: The strength of girl power, making things happen for ourselves in the music scene, and killing it.

How has Berlin influenced your music and No Shade as a project?
Sibel: Berlin has definitely opened me up to a lot of different styles in music and combining them in my DJ sets. No Shade is also especially experimental, so that allows me to experiment with different styles and not be afraid to play them.

Could you tell us a little bit about ACUD MACHT NEU, and what the relationship between the venue and the crew is?
Sibel: ACUD is a cool space that also allows us to train and have DJ workshops on location. They also support us with the venue when we have our parties.

What would be the vibe of a typical No Shade party? What is your guys’s door policy (if you have one) and what kind of atmosphere are you trying to create in your space?
Sibel: A lot of cute people! Thereʼs not really a door policy at the moment, weʼre open minded and we trust that the people that attend the party are respectful as well.

What goes into your training program, and what are the upsides of training at a No Shade workshop?
Sibel: The training is important and key in becoming a DJ. I would never have had the opportunity to learn how to use the CDJs otherwise. It basically introduces us to the CDJs and mixing techniques though a close one-on-one relationship with our No Shade mentors.

What do each of you do when you’re not leading the next generation of female and non-binary DJs?
Sibel: I hustle on the weekdays, working on freelance gigs and party and work on music during the weekend! So typical for Berlin!

What other projects do you really love in Berlin? Anyone/anything you’re really crushing on?
Sibel: I do enjoy Creamcake, Trade, and some experimental nights at Berghain as well.

What’s in store for No Shade in the future?
Sibel: I hope we play more international gigs and spread the No Shade fire around!

No Shade’s current members are: Carmel Köster/ceekayin2u (DJ, Project manager), Veslemøy Rustad Holseter/Grindrrrteeth (Live Artist, Producer, Project manager), Hunnid Jaws (DJ, Producer, Booker, DJ Trainer, Linnea Palmestål/LINNÉA (DJ, DJ Teacher/Trainer), Poly Maze (DJ, Management), Jas Fullerton/AUCO (DJ), Kikelomo (DJ), Sibel Ondek/Panasiagirl (DJ), Sara Fumaça (DJ), Ace of Diamonds (DJ)
Foresta DJ), Hanna Marine (VJ), BAD JUJU ( Julia Parchimowicz ) (VJ), Shub Roy (ACUD, Project Manager), Shaun Bass/ Shauny B (DJ, Visual Communication)
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Interview conducted by Kathryn Fittinghoff. Copy editing and photography by EIC Rae Tilly. Check out more Art + Culture on YEOJA Mag.