Luna Vassarotti
DJ | Producer
Luna Vassarotti is a Berlin-based producer, DJ, one half of the live duo OPERANT and founder of the experimental label Instruments of Discipline (IOD).
The phrase ‘multifaceted’ comes to mind when describing what Luna is all about and how she approaches every aspect of her art. Originally from Rome, her profile has grown significantly over the last number of years from her current base of Berlin. Bookings for club-focused events and secret parties in the German capital and beyond at the likes of Säule, ://about blank, OHM, Moscow-based club Mutabor, Kablys in Lithuania, London’s Electrowerkz and many more have played an essential part in Luna’s evolving trajectory.
Having built a robust work ethic by running the IOD label, performing as OPERANT with her creative partner August Skipper and co-producing tracks which have been released on VEYL, Dissonanze Recordings, Infidel Bodies and Instruments of Discipline, Luna has multi-tasking down to a fine art.
Her curiosity in the macabre and knowledge of electro-punk, 80’s synthpop and oddball techno have helped to shape OPERANT’s productions and ear-marked the duo in Berlin’s heaving music community. In an interview with ÂUGHT, she listed the aesthetic of the project as a 'Dissection of bodies, scalpel and space, puddles of neon-pink blood and metal, flesh and organs’. But it’s not all guts and gore. Over on IOD’s discography where many of OPERANT’s releases have been propped, one bubblegum pink-clad release by Schacke has been described as ‘an orgasm in slow motion’ and a tripped out, spacey album by Age Eternal sits comfortably in the imprint’s back catalogue - all part of the allure and intrigue of IOD.
The below image was taken last year and it’s quite apt to typical set by Luna - transient, ethereal and haunting. Trying to put her into a sonic category is like trying to capture the smoke from the club that night and storing it in a box. It’s impossible. Luna is hard to pinpoint within the dance music sphere yet her dedication to Operant, IOD and presence at every gig is strong and clear, something that will be welcomed back with a new appreciation once this pandemic ends…
Photo: Zuzana Průchová
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it?
This photo was taken in Pilnáčkova Továrna, in the Czech Republic.
I was on tour playing in Operant with Coal, we played in a building that was under construction so the event was totally DIY. It was a huge, white, open space - the interior walls hadn't been built yet so we had the entire floor. The space was filled with white dust from construction which added to this dirty but dreamy atmosphere which is highlighted in the picture.
I always enjoy playing in these unusual spaces with no real stage, where the artists merge into the crowd. The fogginess and blurriness of the photo picks up on that intangible, otherworldliness one can feel when they are lost inside the music and like stepping into the void.
What is lockdown like over in Berlin at the moment?
I have been in lockdown since the beginning of March, sometimes not leaving the house for more than a week. People in Berlin have been pretty relaxed about the whole thing. I still see so many people outside but I also understand that Berlin hasn't been hit as hard as many other cities across Europe and even has low numbers for Germany. But people would look at you weird or laugh at you for wearing a mask in the beginning.
This whole thing is so surreal, this invisible danger that is ever present, sometimes it all just feels like a dream. They have started to lift the restrictions in Berlin and I hope it will be positive and people will still be reasonable although a second wave is inevitable.
We are definitely entering a new era and things will never be the same.
Are you listening to more music at home than ever before and if so, what kind of sounds are you listening to?
We are in the process of finishing Operant's album 'Traumkörper', so I haven't been listening to that much actually, I find it difficult to listen to anything else during this process. I also go through periods where I can't listen to any music like a sort of abstinence which I’m kinda in right now...it becomes a bit of a problem with the label which requires me to listen to a lot of demos etc. If not, I’m mostly listening to hip-hop, trap and hard techno these days.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, do you have a go-to track or style of music that significantly lifts your spirits?
It really depends, I tend to go for the more aggressive sounds in any genre when I need to feel uplifted, also lately a lot of drone music to help me concentrate and work. It really helps stretch the mind and visualize things.
How do you intend on celebrating once we’re out the other side?
The lockdown is never going to end, this is our lives now for ever and ever and ever.
Any tips on how to look after your mind and body during this slightly stressful time, as well as trying to stay motivated?
I don't really have any tips but take note of your dreams, I've heard that people are having very vivid ones during the Quarantine.
Listen to Luna’s latest podcast for OECUS here and follow her below: