Through mutual friends I have gotten to know Maria Gerhardt aka dj Djuna Barnes (name taken from her favorite writer). Maria is a dj of a rare format, not only has she for a decade blasted the roofs of parties around Europe, she can also create moving soundscapes, which may sound corny, but I swear she takes you travelling sitting right there in your chair. And then she can write too. No longer just sharp observations from the nightlife, about people’s intoxicated toilet confessions and dancefloor misdemenours. Now Maria also writes essays about her life and the dramatic turn it took right when she found love, and at the same time was diagnosed with breast-cancer. She is 100% well again and enjoying her family and new chapter in life. Maria is an outspoken lesbian with an idealistic approach to life, and although showing vulnerability by letting people take part in the course of her illness, she did it in a way that only made her stand stronger. I admire Maria Gerhardt a lot as you can tell, to the point of being slightly intimidated. But then I listen to her mix’s, and I know at some deeper lying level, we understand eachother beyond my social awkwardness around people I respect.

This will be the sound of my weekend – ‚Smooth Me‘ by Djuna Barnes: