Lucia Lu

In a city of DJ transplants, the born and bred (East) Berliner Lucia Luciano is a standout in more ways than one. The DJ, community organizer, podcaster, model and co-founder of the popular Hoe_mies collective has become an unmistakable figure in a notoriously homogenous scene. Both in her former work with Hoe_mies, whose mission is to create safe spaces for marginalized people in a scene dominated by cis, white males, and in her distinctive sound as a DJ, Lucia Lu challenges the narrow conception and antiquated stereotypes of what “Berlin techno” looks like and sounds like, and most importantly, who it is for.

Lucia Lu’s warm, upbeat and soulful sets, which merge the cathartic danceability of house and techno with sassy pop, hip-hop and disco anthems from yesteryear, are powerful protests against the austere, self serious atmosphere that dominates the electronic music sphere. Luciano’s sound, and the joyful and diverse crowds that it attracts, are loving tributes to the original spirit of electronic dance music: a genre pioneered by queer people of color, who engineered a euphoric sound that allowed them to be and express themselves unapologetically, and to celebrate the beauty in one another, in total freedom. Luciano’s magnetic energy has attracted a loyal fandom who are just as enthusiastic about her music as they are about her commitment to making positive changes in the industry.

With celebration and humor at the core of her sound, bliss is always in the air at Luciano’s gigs — where dancers often look at each other in disbelief, as they sing along to ravey-remixes of “guilty” pleasures like Britney Spears, ABBA or Cher. Given the breadth of her musical knowledge and her chameleon-like ability to appease die-hard hip-hop and techno fans alike, with Lúciano you can expect the extraordinary.