A Berlin luminary and a serial dreamer DJ and producer, Toxido Mask is known to execute a synaesthetic experience that makes one dissolve on the dancefloor. She keeps it clean, she keeps it lethal, she keeps it transcendental. At her mercy, spine-chilling emissions of mesmeric synths, textural mechanical bleeps, and batting basslines of industrial house and techno merge and corrode to produce the purest form of a musical elixir, a drop of which evades the concept of mortality for a hot minute.
The Tresor resident functions within the familiar and injects her beloved smoke-haze, club-influenced sound palette into IA MIX 380, drenching it with interstellar-grade, dubbed-out electronics. Time compresses, an hour whittled to five minutes in the blink of an eye, as Toxido Mask steers the wheel, captaining meticulous beat control and strong-grip storytelling, channelling the crowd toward a single vibration. Enter the dungeon with Toxido Mask.
Interview by Asmi Shetty
"Throughout my sonic journey I play a lot with contrast, mysticism and natural soundscapes; fusing industrial sounds with harmonic ambiences"
First thing first, I’m intrigued by the name Toxido Mask. What’s the story behind the alias?
Well you see, a long time ago, in a galaxy far away…lol jk. I actually wanted to become a fashion designer when I came to Berlin and needed an alias. My sister mentioned Toxido Mask back then, as it relates to ‘Tuxedo Mask’, the male, sort of androgynous character in Sailor Moon.
As I looked very androgynous, I could connect with the name immediately. When I started doing music properly in 2013 I kept the name, as I found myself identifying more with it over time. For me personally “Toxido Mask” means truthfulness, as it’s a subtle criticism of society’s “fake smiles” and toxicity, but I leave everybody their own interpretation of it.
How does this persona correlate to the sonic journey you aim to create? Tell us about the textures and artistic influences that define your style.
I do tend in real life and in music to look behind the “mask” of people, that’s why naturally my music evolution is very deep and introspective. Throughout my sonic journey I play a lot with contrast, mysticism and natural soundscapes; fusing industrial sounds with harmonic ambiences and so on.
Your IA MIX is mystical and hypnotic featuring killer tracks from Ones. & Rasval, Mike Parker, Dasha Rush and many more. What was your thought process behind composing this mix? When and where did you record it?
My mixes always represent my current mood and the music which influences me the most at the moment. So in this mix I was drawn to “dubby” sounds with industrial flair, with focus on subs and dubbed out basslines. This is also a representation of what I am doing in the studio at the moment. The mix was recorded at home with 3 CDJs and a E&S DJR 400 Rotary Mixer. No effects sends on this one. I wanted to give the mix the no-frills analog treatment, as I find it fitting for the genre.
Back to your roots, where did this spiritual relationship with music begin? Who/how was your music taste shaped?
My creative journey started in my childhood, where I had the urge to draw and shape things my way, my mother had her hands full with me. I always listened to music and used it to express my emotions. Proper electronic music exploration came relatively late into my life, as I started the deeper journey around 2013, through the influence of my surroundings.
The plan to create music was always there, but I did not have the tools or confidence starting it on my own. So the push from my surroundings was actually very beneficial, as I quickly became addicted to mixing and collecting more and more music.
The biggest impact for me was the dance-floor at Berghain, where I experienced techno in a different way. That’s where I saw Donato Dozzy playing in Panorama Bar for the first time around 2018, and since then I was hooked. His DJ set was the answer to all my questions in a metaphorical way.
"When I produce, especially ambient, it's one of the purest forms of me. All my emotions come out through the music and I lose track of the construct of time and space. I have moment's when it all feels like magic"
Berlin has a growing audience for you, especially now as a recent resident at Tresor. How did this residency come about and what does it mean to you to become a resident at Tresor?
It means everything! I am so humbled to be part of such a legacy. 1991 is actually my birth year and the year Tresor was born. So maybe it was meant to be? Haha.
To have such a legendary club behind you and support you fully in expressing yourself is one of my biggest dreams coming true. I am able to play house music, techno music and everything in between on the 2 different floors and at different slot times. I am living for it.
Sweat Lodge Agency hooked me up to play on the Tresor floor Christmas Day 2022, since then I was asked to play around 6 times in 2023, so the residency came super natural. Big shoutout to Tresor for being such a legend and supporter.
You’re also part of the long-standing sound collective Catharsis together with Cathy Daniëls and SaraMé, hosting events in Berlin with artists such as Levon Vincent, Radio Slave and Margaret Dygas – tell us why the three of you started Catharsis and how it has progressed over the years to evolve into OMM Transmission?
Catharsis was a deep urge felt within myself and the music, based around the need to heal myself and help others to do so, which is an ongoing process. The dream was to build a collective and share this vision. That’s how the vision became reality. The collective no longer exists as times have changed and everybody is focussing on their individual journeys, I am very proud of what we have achieved.
As we built a platform with the following already, I couldn’t completely erase this memory, so at the beginning of this year I decided to reshape the project to “OMM”, which stands for “Open Mind Music”. The ‘OMM Transmission‘ wing is focussing on the podcast platform. I am currently also working on the record label, which will be ‘OMM Records’. A platform without boundaries. It’s focussed on pure expression & connection, with a deep narrative. More about this will be revealed soon ;)
Describe your recent favourite brain-melting experience as a DJ, your connection with the crowd and the surrounding energy.
I just got back from the Mostra Festival in Barcelona; a brain-melting experience. I played the opening of a new stage, surrounded by music enthusiasts. Pretty exciting moment to be honest, Mostra was top notch from the start until end.
Each set was mind-tickling and super inspiring; with personal highlights to name a few from Konduku, Forest Drive West, Rrose LIVE and Tobias. & Atom TM LIVE. It was all I needed, a deep and intricate journey through different sound-spheres. Definitely recommendable for those who are looking for a solid sonic offering from a festival, plus the people organising are proper legends.
You have a couple of ambient releases up your sleeve issued through local labels Arch Berlin and Futurepast. What’s your dream as a producer? What’s the state of mind when you produce?
I have many dreams to be honest, almost too many haha. As a producer I want to evolve constantly and play the modular system like Beethoven.
When I produce, especially ambient, it’s one of the purest forms of me. All my emotions come out through the music and I lose track of the construct of time and space. I have moment’s when it all feels like magic, I really love these moments.
Besides ambient productions, I usually go with an idea in the studio and see if I can translate the idea into sound; my ideas are very momentary as I get my influence from my surroundings, especially in nature, or what I’ve been listening to recently.
"I find Berlin reflects pretty well on the climate in the world. It's pretty intense. You have to have a thick skin. I don't think in our modern times you can have such a cluster of people without the intensity"
How long have you lived in Berlin? What brought you to the city and where are your favourite spots in the city to buy or experience the best music?
I came to Berlin when I was 18 years old, straight out of school. My sister lived in Berlin, so I visited Berlin a couple times before already. It was the place where I could finally be myself and express myself freely. In small cities, like my hometown of Göttingen, it is definitely harder.
I packed the car with all my stuff and left to discover and fulfil my dreams. In Berlin there are many spots to find and dig good music. Hard Wax, Audio-In, Bikini Waxx and Spacehall to name a few are some of my favourites.
Eventually, some people feel beaten down by Berlin. How about you? Are you still a strong raver? What do you do to keep focussed?
Tell me about it! My journey was quite radical as I came alone to Berlin when I was 18 and got hooked into electronic music. I mean Berlin is a beautiful city and a little bubble in Germany. But it is still a big city full of different cultures and people. I find Berlin reflects pretty well on the climate in the world. It’s pretty intense. You have to have a thick skin. I don’t think in our modern times you can have such a cluster of people without the intensity.
Music was the medium to keep me sane most of the time. Sometimes it also drove me “insane” haha. But overall there are plenty of little spots in Berlin where you can find peace. I am an even bigger music enthusiast I would say, but not the strongest raver anymore haha. I am too busy in the studio, or currently with coding, so I do not have the capacity or time to go out that much. This definitely helps to stay grounded.
Since the pandemic ended, do you feel that the state of electronic music and club culture has changed? What do you think is the root of this and how have you adopted this change?
Yes, most definitely it changed. I was hoping for it to calm down after the pandemic. But things have got more intense and the fast and radical music was/is hyped. I definitely understand the urge for fast music and the radical output, as people need to let their everyday life and struggles out somehow.
The fast trend makes sense, as it reflects on the current state in the world yet again. I also love the faster BPM ranges, but personally I did not adapt in this fashion, I can’t. The music which shapes me and influences me most is hypnotic, deep intricate music which in current times is not hyped. So even when I play fast, the essence of my being is always represented.
What’s next for Toxido Mask?
I’m finishing up an ambient release, with my first ambient EP coming out and I am working on my own imprint, to release my music and other peoples music, varying from ambient, techno drum’n’bass and more.
Also next up on the agenda is my techno analog live-set, with my friend and studio partner Vergil. Pretty excited about that, as another little dream comes true. I am also planning events for this year, one ambient focussed and the other techno focussed. More shall be revealed very soon.
Another festival I am very excited about is MoDem (Momento Demento). I play on the alternative stage, the “Seed Stage”, super excited to show yet another side of me.
Final question. Name a track that’s been on repeat recently.
I am currently diving through the whole catalog of SHXCHCHCXSH, especially their releases on one of my all time favourite labels: Rösten. On repeat is: ‘HHHHHHHGGKS‘, the opening track of my podcast for you guys :)
TRACKLIST
1. SHXCXCHCXSH – HHHHHHHGGKS [Rösten]
2. Ones. & Rasval – Tau [TMN TRAX]
3. Mike Parker – Reduction [Geophone]
4. Judas – ID 9 [Arts]
5. Linear System – Accurate [Planet Rhythm]
6. Translate – Rhinë [Edit-Select]
7. Positive Centre + Dino Sabatini – Supramarginal [ISSXII]
8. Unbalance – Evil Is A Judge [Overbalance]
9. Talissmann – Solyr [PERCUSSION]
10. Dasha Rush – Time Coil [Fullpanda Records]
11. Refracted – Triggered [Scopavik]
12. Erika – Wandering Mountain (Mike Parker Remix. [Interdimensional Transmission]
13. Judas – J_EX4 [Arts]
14. Desroi – Lines of Sight [Avian]
15. Ruhig – Eddying [Midgar Records]
16. Amotik – Chappan [Amotik]
17. Kai van Dongen – Down the Middle [Enemy Records]
