How's Life: DJ City
DJ City is a producer and dj with a love for early house music and the queer culture that built it. Often romantic but never nostalgic he plays and writes music about night life and the world that evolves around it. Dive deeper into his world in our "How's Life?" series.
Hi! Can you please introduce yourself to our readers? Hi! I’m Johan, a government agent by day and queer DJ by night. How did you get into music? Can you take us back to the beginning of your musical journey? There wasn’t a single point of departure, really. I remember singing The Look by Roxette on a swing in kindergarten when I was about 4 years old. I also recall making drawings of the music video for Prodigy’s No Good and trying to transcribe the lyrics to Missing by Everything But the Girl before I even knew English. Slowly, as I began to realize I was a bit different as a kid, I started searching for others like me—and that’s where I found them. What was that one album or artist your parents used to play? Did they influence your taste in music? My sister brought home Vanishing Point by Primal Scream one day, and that album absolutely changed my life. There’s something so immersive about those productions, and from that moment, I knew I had to make music—I needed to be inside it. It’s only more recently that I’ve started connecting with my dad over music. He’s like an encyclopedia, especially when it comes to British pop music from the ’60s onwards. As for my uncontrollable habit of singing along to every track, whether I know the lyrics or not—that definitely comes from my mum! To this day, what has been your favorite gig, and what made it so special? That’s impossible to answer! I remember a basement in Madrid where the crowd went wild, and they kept asking me to play longer. I remember a night in Kyiv with three gigs back-to-back, ending with us swimming in the river on a cold May morning. I even teared up at Panorama Bar when the crowd’s reaction to one of my friend’s tracks was overwhelming. Every situation is different, and every vibe is unique—a small party in a basement with a bad sound system can sometimes be far better than a fancy nightclub. If I had to name one, though, I’d say my recent set at Gay Haze x Cocktail d’Amore at Horst in Brussels. I absolutely fell in love with that night. You’re hosting a stage. Who would be on your dream lineup? How many hours do we have? I’d start with Sianza for the opening, followed by Raw Silk, towLie, and Josh Caffe. Verity Maze would definitely need to be there, along with Sedef Adasi, Alison Swing, and Bashkka. To close, I’d go back-to-back with my fellow BAD DAD founder, La Schmock, for the ultimate level of cute. The more I think about it, this event should be an entire festival—there are just so many interesting and talented DJs out there right now!
Your favorite place to shop for records and why? Elevate on Gubener Str. 24 in Berlin. They have a great selection, and since it’s small, there’s a good rotation of records for regular visits. They also have an unsorted basement with some really fun finds—I’ve discovered a lot of early electroclash and Y2K house gems there. The staff is super nice, which is rare for record shops in general. Plus, it’s right next to my barber and just a block away from where I live. What’s your favorite record to play in front of a crowd at the moment? What time would you play it, and what makes it so good? Spencer Parker’s Industrial Rhythm remixed by Sparkling Water Dreams is an absolute bomb! Depending on the club and when the energy peaks, I’d sneak this in around 3 or 4 a.m. It’s such a groove builder and interacts in really fun ways with whatever track you mix it into. Everybody has a guilty pleasure. What’s yours? I’m really into awful German techno with vocals—music that sounds like the stereotypical 'Berlin nightclub scene' in a Netflix show. It’s bad, like a car crash, but I just can’t look away! What’s the number one thing on your bucket list (not related to DJing)? I’d love to visit Konstantinos Kavafis’ home in Alexandria someday and pay my respects. He died nearly 100 years ago, but I love him and owe him so much. Any advice for beginners out there? Don’t listen too much to other people’s advice! They’ll tell you what you can and can’t do, but it’s not true. You can do whatever you want, baby! Be naive, keep trying, and don’t plan too far ahead. You’re already great—people will see it soon too!
