BERLINCIAGAY #8 – CERI

How have you been, and what have you been working on lately?
Lately I have been working on many things. I am my own agent (for some territories), my own manager, I make the music, run the label, dig for tunes, play the gigs, do the social media, create the content, and run my music production community. And even though it’s a lot, I enjoy all these things and they all inspire me in different ways.

The next goal is to get the right teams around me, to help take things to the next level and not burn out. I took some time out in Jan to rest and recover from the previous year, which was great; I did a social media, mental, physical and digital detox, which really helped me reset.

I have just signed with Dessert Agency for EU, and MAC Artists for Asia, which I am very excited about, and really looking forward to my first Asia Tour later this year. 

I have also been working on some new original music from me, collabs, some remixes, and signed some amazing remixers to my label… 

What was the inspiration behind your BERLINCIAGAY mix?

There were many inspirations behind this mix; 

Detroit / Berlin / Queer Culture / Resistance / Chicago / House / Techno / UK Garage / Fun… 

BERLINCIAGAY is Berlin Based Queer Collective, so of course, I wanted to honour Berlin, and the Queer Roots of Dance Music, as well as the Cities that made it possible… 

Obviously without Detroit, Berlin Techno, and Techno as we know it wouldn’t exist. Plus, the link between Detroit, Chicago, New York, Berlin and the UK, was one of the most important cultural exchanges in electronic dance music history.

It was more than just music, it was a form of resistance; shaped by race, class, and queer liberation. While Detroit Techno was primarily politically Black and futuristic, House Music, especially from Chicago and New York, was deeply shaped by queer Black and Latino communities. So I have included a lot of music that is from, or inspired from these places… Anyone who says keep politics out of music, doesn’t understand the history… 

The digging for the mix started last year, when I had a private appointment at Detroit’s Submerge (The Somewhere In Detroit (S.I.D.) record store and Exhibit 3000 Museum) last year to see the Techno Museum and visit the record shop, I spent way too much on records and C.D.’s (oldschool!).

The mix therefore includes tracks from Mike Banks (Underground Resistance / Detroit Techno Pioneer and legend), under his X-102 alias (a project that included solo tracks, in addition to tracks made with his fellow Detroit OG’s Robert Hood and Jeff Mills) released on Berlin’s iconic Tresor Record label, to honour the Detroit / Berlin connection. As well as featuring other Detroit natives like K-HAND (rip my queen), Terrance Parker, and Scan 7 (a mysterious collective closely related to UR).

The Scan7 track on the mix is entitled ‘THE RESISTANCE’ (with vocals by WysPurr, originally released on Berlin’s Tresor in 2012, then re-released with an amazing Terrance Parker remix more recently). The lyrics could not be more apt for what we are going through as a collective right now… 

So much so… I took the time to write them out…

“If you can hear this, you are a part of the resistance

Know that you are not alone, fighting an ongoing battle

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood 

But against principalities, against power

Against the rulers of the darkness of this world

Against spiritual wickedness in high places

If you can hear this, you are a part of the resistance

Above all, know that the resistance is all over the world

To face spiritual warfare, the rulers of the darkness 

Are planning something big

And the resistance is planning something bigger

If you can hear this, you are a part of the resistance

Know that you are not alone, fighting an ongoing battle

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood 

But against principalities, against power

Against the rulers of the darkness of this world

Against spiritual wickedness in high places

So stay strong and faithful

Remember, no weapon that is formed against us shall prosper”

The Queer roots of dance music was also a form of resistance, a way for people to resist exclusion by building community on the dancefloor, through a shared love of music. So of course I had to throw in a cheeky Janet edit by CnA (one of my collab aliases), to honour the fun side of the LGBTQI+ scene, because Janet is a Queer icon after all.

It is important, to honour the more serious side too, so continuing on the ‘resistance’ theme, I ended the mix with Absolute’s rework of one of the most important queer anthems of all time ‘Smalltown Boy’ by Bronski Beat, which tells the semi-autobiographical story of one of the band members, who had to leave his hostile, homophobic small hometown, to create a better life in London. Released in 1984, it was one of the first mainstream pop songs to openly address the struggles and isolation many LGBTQI+ individuals faced, whilst also being an iconic dancefloor banger (peaking at no. 3 in the UK charts, a defining moment at the time). This version stays true to the original, whilst slightly modernising it for today’s dancefloors.

What was a special highlight for you in 2025?

Playing Amnesia terrace with Honey Dijon, Palms Trax and Floating Points was a big one for me, it was my favourite line up of the summer and I love playing for Pyramid, which is still in my opinion, one of the best musical line ups Ibiza has to offer.

I also have to mention my second USA Tour last year too, as I got to play in New York, Chicago and Detroit, which are not just really important cities for House and Techno, but also cities that mean so much to me personally and musically too.

Detroit especially was so welcoming, I met so many amazing people, big ups and big love to all the UR / Submerge Crew, Dorian, Gari, and the Godmother of House Music herself Stacey Hotwaxx Hale for inviting me to play with her at Spot Lite. We played all night and it was so magical. I also visited the Techno Museum and the Motown Museum while I was there, which I highly recommend to anyone passing through.

At the heart of BERLINCIAGAY is a vision of community.
What does a safe space mean to you?

For me, a safe space is a space where you are free to be completely true to yourself, without judgement. Whether that be judging ourselves, or judging others.

That’s one of the reasons I love playing Queer parties and no phone policy clubs, these spaces often are able to not only create safer dancefloors with more respect for one another, but also allow attendees to fully let go and embrace the now, because they are not distracted by their phones, or trying to capture a moment to look good on social media, rather, being able to enjoy the present moment and truly get lost in the music.

When did you start your  Find Your Own Sound producer course?
It’s inspiring to see how you’ve built a community around it. What has the journey been like so far?

Thanks. It started as me having producers in my studio in London to help them with their tracks. My mentality has always been ‘give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, feed him for life’ when it comes to teaching others. I won’t do it for them, but I will help them unlock their uniqueness, and make music that is true to them.

After doing this for many years, I realised that everyone who came to me for help, needed help with the same things pretty much. So when the pandemic hit, I was able to package this into a six week masterclass that I ran online for a few years as a live and interactive online course.

I then realised that, even after the Masterclass had finished, the producers wanted to keep in touch, share music for feedback, ask questions, and get ongoing help with their careers, getting signed, and marketing etc…

So last year I recorded the Masterclass, and put it inside a community, so producers who join not only have access to the masterclass itself, but also to me and the other producers, for a year. I now also do regular live calls for support, give ongoing track feedback, help with getting signed and marketing, mindset, answer their questions and have special guest lectures too. We have also done a few IRL meetups too which has been great.

I’ve also taken my flagship Find Your Own Sound Masterclass to ADE and other similar events where I shared my tips and tricks with up and coming producers. 

It’s great to have a mix of online and real life, as well as be able to give personalised feedback and connect with them on live calls. I know a lot of people are fed up with pre-recorded and AI content, so it’s nice to have real connection. It also makes me proud and so heartening when I hear their progress and watch them go from being unable to finish a track, to getting signed and released. I love helping people through this journey, especially because when I started, I was doing most of it alone, so I am creating what I wish I had when I was starting out.

How did Find Your Own Records come to life?
What have you learned along the way and how was the experience of pressing your own vinyl?

Find Your Own Records is my label, which is my way of expressing myself musically, and not be bound by ‘rules’ or pigeon-holed into a specific tiny niche. I have many musical inspirations. I find it boring when a release just has 3 or 4 very similar tracks, so I like to vary the styles on my releases. Similarly to the mix, the music I love is inspired by the timeless sounds of Detroit, Chicago, New York, Berlin and the UK, so the label is a home for anything that feels representative of that. Just like I weaved all these influences into the mix, I like to weave them into my label as well.

The first release, was my response to not being able to get signed by the labels I wanted to be on, so if they weren’t taking them (I believe because my profile was not ‘big’ enough for them), I decided to take a risk and put the records out myself and start my own label. Pressing the vinyl myself was a huge risk at the time, I was also extremely lucky (and very grateful) that Fred P and Mr. G, two of my favourite DJ’s and Producers of all time, believed in me enough to remix the first two releases which meant the world to me. 
Luckily, my risk paid off and the releases did well, and since, I have done a quality over quantity approach to releasing, keeping the label mainly as an outlet for my original music, plus collabs and remixes. I’ve since featured artists like; D’Julz, Dee Diggs, Paul Rayner, Zombies in Miami, Cici, SE62, Alex Arnout and about to release a special Chicago and Detroit remix EP featuring two of my fave OG DJ and Producers; Mark Grusane and Gari Romalis Electronix, who are amazing and very underrated imo.

Who are your musical inspirations?
Any DJs, producers, records, or scenes that helped shape your sound?

As I said above, Mr. G and Fred P were both huge inspirations to me, as well as D’Julz and K-HAND (rip). I remember sitting making music on my kitchen table in London, years before I had any equipment or my own studio, just listening to their music over and over trying to work out how it was made. Crazy to think years later those artists would be featuring on my label remixing me! 

Moodymann is another huge influence, I love how he is able to mix and make so many different genres, but all with his unique funky groovy soulful sound. 

What excites you about living in Ibiza?
Are there places, memories, or experiences that have influenced your creative journey?

Well I moved here during the pandemic, so nothing was open, and ngl that really excited me in a calming way. It was amazing getting to explore many places and sides to the island I hadn’t seen before. I love the nature, the beaches, the hikes, Goddess Tanit, Es Vedra and the cute little hidden gems, like mini churches on mountains you can go and leave offerings and be at one with nature.

I love to spend a lot of time on my own, with nature, and in silence, which is the thing that helps me with my creativity most. When I can fully tune into my intuition, it helps me channel the inspiration that flows through when you create that space. I also experienced a deep heartbreak here too which I wrote my track ‘Don’t you wanna’ about, and the lyrics dangerously came to me whilst I was driving at night, so I had to pull over to write them down before I forgot!

Ibiza definitely has a magical energy, as a seasonal island, many people go into hibernation / hermit mode during the winter, and rave fiends during the summer. It’s great to have one foot in the rave and one foot in the more spiritual and natural sides of the island. That is my personality summed up, a bit of both! 😉

Obviously I love the clubs and dancing too, and it’s a massive bonus that they are now on my doorstep. For me, Amnesia, Pikes and 528 are my favourites, and I am really happy to be playing in all of them again this summer.

How do you build meaningful connections within the Ibiza scene?
How is it Navigating it sober ? And what does that local community mean to you on a personal level?

I came here many many times as a debaucherous youth ha. And had many fun and messy times over the years. But if I was still that person, I definitely couldn’t live here as there is so much temptation. I don’t go out that much now, which means I enjoy it even more when I do. It does make me sad when people go sober and renounce the rave, because you can still have just as much, if not more fun, sober, as long as the music is good.

As it’s such a small island there is a nice feeling of community, although I do like to keep to myself most of the time, and I am very discerning and protective of my time and energy when I am here. I am am ambivert for sure, so when I am travelling and doing gigs I feel like that’s when my extrovert side comes out, then when I come back to Ibiza, I embrace my introvert side, which also helps me connect to my creativity too. 

I do think it is important to give back to the locals and protect them, as well as protect the clubs and their iconic history too (in recent years there has been some crack downs on clubbing, noise restrictions, and clubs like Underground closed which was devastating).

I am now working with the charity Earth Percent worldwide, and in Ibiza, to help give back to the Earth / Nature / the environment, which is really important on a micro and macro level. The Ibiza side will be working with the nightlife industry here, to help give back to the island where it needs it most.

We have had crazy weather recently, the worst storms in years, and a lot of the buildings and infrastructure just isn’t designed to withstand that, so I hope something will be done about this, as well as recognising and protecting the cultural heritage and economic value that the clubs and nightlife bring to the island.

What are you looking forward to in 2026?
 Any upcoming gigs, creative projects, or dreams you’re working toward?

Playing the Amnesia opening in May will be amazing, the openings and closings are always so iconic. Going to the Amnesia closing many years ago was one of the things that inspired me to start DJing myself, and now I’m playing there! 

I am really excited about my first ever Asia Tour this year later, my third USA tour later in the year, as well as a gig in Bristol in April with Floorplan and Kenny Dope which will be dope! 😉 

I also can’t wait for the Mark Grusane (Chicago) and Gari Romalis Electronix (Detroit) remixes EP to be released on my label later this year as well. These cities mean so much to me and to House and Techno music, so it’s an honour to have them on the label and the remixes will be vinyl only, so watch out for that all you vinyl lovers. 

Of course I am very excited to be joining the Dessert Agency too and looking forward to seeing what is in store there as well. 

Sending so much love and good vibes. Thanks for having me.

Peace and love, Ceri x