Denise Rabe
DJ | Producer | Booker
Denise Rabe is a Berlin-based producer, DJ and founder of the label Rabe. Having released her first 12” on Mutewax back in 2015, the German artist is now well-known in Berlin’s evolving community of creatives. Before the pandemic, Denise’s name was continually reappearing on flyers embedded in the base of street lights in the city; a quintessential way of promoting parties in Berlin.
Although she was raised on a diet of hip hop in her native town of Bielefeld, North Germany, Denise was also intrigued with drum’n’bass and jungle. At 16, she began mixing on turntables to learn and practice the techniques to merge multiple sounds and patterns into one smooth transition.
It wasn’t until much later when Denise found her calling within the techno soundscape. As a previous Booker for Berlin’s IPSE club, she was exposed to a range of diverse artists and events which had some influence in shaping her taste, but it was her attraction to bone-chilling techno which pulled her into focusing on one specific genre.
Considering she was now living in (arguably) the most techno-heavy metropolis in Germany, she began to work on producing and moulding her aesthetic in between launching her own imprint, Rabe, back in 2017. The label has since released 3 EPs by Denise which helped to push her profile and add to bookings in Berghain, ://about blank, Dali in Cork, FOLD in London and many more to her loaded schedule.
While today her sound is a far cry from the music she initially delved into as a teen, it’s clear that Denise’s curiosity and open-mind is something that has undoubtedly shaped her vision and grounded attitude as an artist. The pandemic has brought uncertainty to Denise’s path but her outlook, which she shares below, remains somewhat positive - like her to revisit Detroit’s Movement festival…
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it?
This picture was taken on 27th May in 2017 at Movement Festival in Detroit. It was my first time in the States, playing Interface at The Works. Meeting all my friends from the States at the same time and same spot sets a pretty good all around package for a great weekend. Movement is the perfect place to be if you are in electronic music. After-show parties are loads of fun over there!
How have you found the last couple of weeks?
Everyday its like a rollercoaster - not able to do what you love. I miss the energy of the people, creating an atmosphere where we all can let go. At the moment everything seems a little bit pointless. Besides that, it seems like the world is getting more and more crazy. People are tense especially in the US. I am hoping that they will go through this with positive outcome. It is time for change and it will I am positive about that.
Has your taste in music shifted since the first day of lockdown? A few artists featured on here like Ireen Amnes and faux naïf have mentioned a dissociation with electronic music, particularly techno since this all started…
Yeah I can sign that. Techno lives from the dance floor and the crowd. Techno is a together thing, not a ‘DJ in front of a camera thing’. But my taste didn’t really change. I always listened to mostly 80s music or other older stuff at home. Besides that I really like Lorn.
What about your day-to-day life in Berlin - have you found the adjustment period to the lack of gigs quite difficult or have you been benefiting in some ways from a slower pace of life?
I keep it kinda slow. Taking some remixes and podcasts in to keep me a little bit busy. I find it hard to find inspiration at the moment. But I know at one point it will get better, trying not to stress myself too much. We are all on the same planet, experiencing the same thing, we will get through this! But I also think about what else I wanna do besides music. I think it takes a little while to be normal again and a plan B is never bad to have.
How are you looking after your body and mind during this time?
I have my things I do regularly even before the pandemic - in my meditation Rapé helps me to relax a lot. It is a snuff tabac from Peru, a sacred plant medicine. Opens your heart, cleans or grounds you. Besides that I cook a lot nice things and watch animal videos -they always do the trick.
Listen to Denise’ mix for HATE here and follow her below: