Steffi

Born in the Netherlands, Steffi began playing records in her small home town in the mid 90s. In search of broader horizons for her creative expression (a common thread in her artistic journey), Steffi moved to Amsterdam and established herself in the city with DJ residencies and her own underground parties. The diverse approach to sound that she cultivated during this period remains fundamental to all aspects of her creative work today. Resistant to conventional notions of career moves or self-promotion, it was her original vision and pursuit of new challenges that brought her to Berlin in the early 00s and to the city’s emblematic Berghain. As one of the club’s more adaptable residents, Steffi can be found in control of any one of the building’s celebrated dancefloors, transmitting her deep knowledge and appreciation for all forms of dance music. From broken beat, IDM, electro, classic house and Detroit techno to genre-breaking sounds from all eras – Steffi will play it as long as it’s funky and it grooves. Her experience and lasting enthusiasm for her craft have translated effortlessly to the international clubs and festivals – big and small – at which she has long been a staple, as well as to milestone mixes and compilations for Berghain/Panoramabar, fabric and Air Texture. As a producer, Steffi has an extensive discography that reflects her constant development as a musician. A long and fertile relationship with Ostgut Ton began with the release of her hit single Yours (2010) and debut album Yours & Mine (2011) (both reissued in 2022 on DESTEFSTER, her new sub-label dedicated to her own club-oriented output past and present). Two further solo albums followed – Power Of Anonymity (2014) and World Of The Waking State (2017) – and a co-production on Virginia’s debut album, Fierce For The Night (2016). With Martyn, Steffi released the Doms & Deykers album Evidence From A Good Source (2016) on 3024, and under the solo alias Crushed Soul she released the Family Of Waves EP (2020) on Dark Entries. As a remixer, Steffi has worked with both established artists and emerging producers whose music resonates with her, most recently Christine And The Queens, St Vincent, SebastiAn, Josh Caffé, Max Cooper, Azo and FJAAK. Through all of this output, Steffi has developed a varied sound that balances classic dancefloor accessibility with a desire to push at the boundaries of genre convention and production techniques. In parallel with her production work, Steffi has nurtured two long-running labels – Klakson, founded in 2000, and Dolly, founded in 2010 – which continue to release a distinct blend of electro, breaks, Chicago and Detroit house and techno by a range of respected producers to this day. Both imprints have also been home to Steffi’s own joint projects with likeminded artists, such as Dexter, Stingray, Shed, John Daly and, more recently, Sepehr and Privacy (as Negroni Nails). Her reputation for collaboration and expertise in the studio has also seen her perform the role of mentor for several music education programmes, including Red Bull Music Academy in 2018. In recent years, Steffi’s tireless search for new ground has been made tangible in a permanent move to Portugal, where, with Virginia, she founded the label, studio space and artist-driven creative hub Candy Mountain, a platform through which she continues to push herself and the community around her forwards. This new home base in the hills outside Lisbon – framed by an abundant garden that she tends with the same care as her ever growing studio – gives a simple, even romantic impression, but its relevance and impact, like Steffi’s, are truly global. The first project that captures the spirit of Candy Mountain is her latest solo LP, The Red Hunter. With her new studio setup, she plunges even deeper into the details of sound processing, bringing complex, modulating grooves and textures into the foreground while intentionally preserving the song-like arrangements that have always made her work so relatable. For Steffi, the process itself is as rewarding, if not more so, than the final output, and she applies this same attitude to the careful planning and curation of her unique live performances. All of these new initiatives are the latest proof of the hard work, determination and total immersion in music that have led Steffi to where she is today, while also being the perfect indication of where she wants to go in the future.