Munich DJ BASHKKA talks Grace Jones, Glastonbury, and playing ‘problematic’ tracks
Berghain regular BASHKKA tells us her best DJ tips, guilty pleasures and the record that changed her life
BASHKKA is the Turkish word for ‘different’ and highlights this Munich-born DJ’s one-of-a-kind presence on the decks. She is celebrated for a daring style while pushing boundaries in electronic music. From residencies at HAMAM Nights, Club RAUM, and Blitz Club in Munich, to a regular face in Berghain’s Panorama Bar, her debut EP Maktub claimed a number one spot in 2023, making her a music master who defines her own sound.
What can people expect from a Bashkka set?
I’m not the best at describing my sets, but my aim is simple: to make you forget about the ‘who’ and focus on the ‘why’. Minds drifting, souls and lips meeting, bodies moving and prancing.
Name a track you are loving right now.
Terry Lee Brown Junior’s ‘Straylight’. It blows my mind that a record from almost 30 years ago still sounds so current today and can literally captivate an entire room.
The track that introduced you to dance music?
Armand Van Helden’s ‘Witch Doctor’ was key. It wasn’t just a track — it was an introduction within an introduction to New York’s Ballroom scene.
A dance record that changed your life?
This may sound conceited, but my own EP Maktub, which came out in 2023. It literally changed my life.
Your greatest gig ever?
Playing NYD at K41 in Kyiv on 2 January 2022 and closing Block9 at Glastonbury Festival two years ago would have to share that ranking.
Who would be your dream person to DJ with?
Sedef Adasï. That dream has already come true, and it feels like a dream every time we play together.
Best advice you were given by another DJ?
Do not take advice from another DJ.
What were your first set of decks?
My story is not one of those wealthy purist DJs swimming in gear or records. I had to rely on my bedroom DJ friends and the dodgy bars I worked at, where the turntables and CDJs were practically fossils. But that’s how I learned the real way.
Do you have advice for any budding DJs or producers right now?
Do not take my advice, and trust your journey.
Guilty pleasure: what song would you love to play at a club but never would?
OMG. Some of those 90s Miami Bass records. But they were so outrageously explicit and problematic, I’d probably be written off forever — ha!
A dance record that represents your outlook on life?
‘Way of Life’ is one of those tracks for me. Watching DJ Rush chant the lyrics of this Dave Clark classic, one frame, locked into the camera in the video, reminds me why dance music matters. It’s a history we can’t afford to forget, especially in a world of fleeting trends and TikTok loops.
If you could create your ultimate dance record, who would you produce it with, who would sing the vocals, and what club would you play it out at?
I’m going all the way, OK? Since we’re talking ultimately, I’d produce it myself. The vocalist? Grace Jones. I’d play it out on a Sunday afternoon at Panorama Bar, with them performing live to it, while they’re Hula-Hooping!
This feature originally appeared in Issue 363 of Attitude magazine which is available to order here or alongside 15 years of back issues on the Attitude app.
