From city to city, scene to scene, and dancefloor to dancefloor, keeping things moving is Mohajer’s MO. Currently residing in Berlin, the Swedish/Persian DJ found her feet in her home city of Gothenburg as an artist and promoter before relocating to the dance music capital.
Named one of DJ Mag’s six emerging artists back in November, the Persian-Swedish DJ has been making waves in her current home of Berlin with her intimate mp3 parties. Founded alongside Rachel Noon, mp3 only happens a few times a year. It is an outlet for their interest in house and progressive sounds.
As a producer, her high-energy upbeat tracks have graced the likes of Copenhagen’s Fast Forward, Seven, and Nene H’s Umay label. Her most recent release is on Spray’s Punctuality label (who also happens to be a resident of mp3).
‘all in’ is a 4-track EP that seemingly takes inspiration from her mp3 parties. It’s sound leans into multiple threads of UK breaks, 90s house, and trance, and if you’re a fan of Spray, you would have heard him drop its title track ‘intake’ at some point over the last few months.
In our interview, Mohajer spoke about her move to Berlin, mp3, and her go-to tracks.
You are originally from Gothenburg, but you’re now based in Berlin. What encouraged this move?
I was ready for a change. I never thought I would move to Berlin, but somehow that happened. I wasn’t even into techno at the time; I was completely obsessed with French electro. But I’d been DJing and throwing parties in Gothenburg for four years, and I really wanted to learn how to produce. Berlin was cheap, and I was 19. After two years, I enrolled in a diploma program in electronic music production and live performance.
It’s tough moving to a new city or country. How did you connect with the scene there?
Clubbing was the first way I really got a feel of the city. Through partying, I was lucky enough to meet a close group of friends in my first year, and they’re still my core crew today. We all work in similar fields, so it feels really supportive. That sense of connection helped me feel at home and find my place in Berlin.
What has your experience been since then?
Berlin has changed a lot over the past 12 years, and so have I. I’ve been through a lot of different phases. I know that’s what everyone says, and maybe it’s also just me getting older. It took me a few years to really feel confident enough to release my music, but the moment my first track was out, I fell into a really good flow. It was like: finish one track, on to the next.
What/who is currently motivating you as an artist?
Deadlines; without them, I can’t function. But producing music is my happy place—it’s where I feel freest to create and experiment.
You started out in the punk scene in Sweden. What made you want to cross over to electronic music? Are there any cultural similarities that you were drawn to?
I inherited punk from my older sister, who was going through a phase at the time. When she moved on to electronic music, so did I—but she got over that phase, and I never did. I guess I was always drawn to a DIY spirit, and that was very much my entrance into electronic music, going to warehouse raves in Gothenburg as a teenager. It felt like a door into something new.
Tell us about your latest record, ‘All In’, coming on Spray’s Punctuality. And how did you manage to connect with the label?
The record came from me wanting to create something that was not techno-leaning at all. I really wanted to challenge myself to produce something else, but that still felt like me. When I made ‘backseat’ last summer, I sent it to Spray—who is a friend and a resident of mp3—and he pushed me to make more. The whole EP was about mixing different genres together and not staying in one box, which is also pretty much how I play.
Tell us about your mp3 parties in Berlin. How do you curate these events, and how have they impacted your development?
mp3 was always meant to be a word-of-mouth party, for friends and friends of friends– like our favourite memories of parties back in the day. It only happens three times a year and has a capacity of 200 people, so it feels really intimate. It’s also very important for me that the lineups stay diverse and that it isn’t another techno party. That was also how the idea for mp3 came about– we wanted to create a space for house and progressive sounds.
Do you have any advice for other artists looking to follow in your footsteps?
Field research!! Go out, find what you like and obsess about it. Train your ears and your taste.
What are the 3 records that you’re playing on rotation currently?
At the moment I’m really into dubby elements and dubby sounds. I wanna explore that in my productions too. I’ve been listening on repeat to:
What’s next for Mohajer?
More music, more studio time and more green tea.
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