Spot on – Madda Chantal – frohfroh – electronic music from leipzig

Pink, pastel, Barbie aesthetics – plus a fast, hard, broken sound and a lot of joy in experimenting without standing out: that’s Eiji alias Madda Chantal. In the interview, he explains how Eiji challenges the all-too-common idea of ​​techno couture with his sound and style and why the Berliner appreciates the Leipzig scene.

__Leipzig and Berlin

Eiji De Luca calls himself Madda Chantal, worked as a DJ and selector at places like Aeden in Berlin and came to Leipzig around three years ago. The reason: He had to move out of his Berlin apartment – a good opportunity “to get out,” he says. He knew Leipzig from party trips and was quickly impressed by the techno scene, the clubs and the possibilities of the city.

Almost anti-cyclical, because the flow to Berlin is unbroken; Hardly a day goes by without a DJ looking for a room in Berlin via Instagram… But Eiji liked Leipzig and the Leipzig way of partying. The excursion town became his main residence.

__Psytrance and Peak Time

Eiji’s fascination with partying and electronic music dates back ten years: “When I was 13, my great love was psytrance and darkpsy,” he says, remembering his first times in Berlin clubs. He got to know them quite young, extensively. Back then, after the first few nights, he said he wanted to see people dancing to his beats.

Because celebrating is one thing. DJing, being active in the nightlife and working there, that’s another thing. For him it was a completely logical next step: becoming a DJ. With a gift of equipment from a friend – to whom he will be forever grateful, he says – and tractor software, he started; and played for the first time in Berlin and later also in Leipzig for friends. At that time it was still “classic and harder” techno.

Leipzig welcomed him very warmly not only as a guest on the dance floor, but also as a DJ. He thinks the scene is rather small, “sweet” and clear. A huge advantage for finding connections and gigs. Things are different in Berlin; the fast pace of life there can quickly become frustrating. He is therefore still happy to live in Leipzig. Even though he has been toying with Vienna as a place to be lately. Leipzig as a stopover on the onward journey? This is not unreasonable either, but only the future will show.

__Pastel and pink

What is striking is not only Eiji’s pumping, vibey, breaky, yet always dark, technoid sound up to 150 BPM, but also his style. Pastel, pink, Crocs with platform heels, handbags and watches on every wrist, often even on his foot, are his trademark:

“First and foremost, I wear it because I find it hot. It suits me as a person – it’s a bit silly, cute and I think it just exudes freshness.”

– his style is funny, but not ironic.

The typical image of masculinity and how men “usually” dress is broken. And men in particular feel provoked by it, he says. Unfortunately, the reactions on the street are usually different than in the club, where his style of clothing is more likely to be recognized rather than devalued. Expressing his personality, whether when DJing or in everyday life, with clothes and colors, is more important to him than the sensibilities of pink-haters.

“I take being a DJ very seriously because I’m passionate about it”

– Eiji aka Madda Chantal

Eiji observes the party scene as a DJ and continues to be a regular guest in almost all Leipzig clubs; And almost everything he does has something to do with club culture, either directly or indirectly: “I take being a DJ very seriously because I’m passionate about it,” he says very firmly at the end of the interview.

This is palpable when he talks about nights where he DJed. Or about going out and dancing with friends: “In the club I can show myself as I am. And here I keep getting to know people who also accept me and support me.”

__Fancy autumn

He has just discovered three new party series in Leipzig that, for him, combine zeitgeist and a modern sound: Saft, Morph and Maniac. They mark the end of a dry spell in which the events in Leipzig seemed too “old-fashioned” and no longer really progressively interesting.

These are good signs for the period after the summer break. We will definitely meet Eiji again in the clubs in Leipzig and Berlin next season – either on the dance floor or as Madda Chantal behind the DJ booth.

Whatever the party, session, pre-hour or after-hour, you can get in the mood with Madda Chantal’s happy mix. Enjoy!

All photos from Iona Dutz. You can find even more pictures on Iona’s website and on Instagram.