This week’s podcast comes from Dana Ruh and Julie Marghilano, two friends based in Berlin. Ruh, a classy DJ-producer who is obsessed by the complexities of sound, was one of the first artists that Marghilano signed to her Sol Asylum label, a “safe shelter where your mind and body can go crazy.”

Ruh’s label, Broquade, has since released a stream of records characterised by their subtle, minimal tropes and, in 2020, she put out her Time Out Of Mind album on her other label, Cave Recordings. Marghilano, a classically trained violinist and analog gear nerd, meanwhile, has evolved into an impassioned DJ-producer who has hosted Sol Asylum parties at the cherished Club der Visionäre. She’s also signed and curated records from the likes of Miss Jools and Anton Zap.

During their respective north American tours, after reconnecting through the pandemic, they decided to meet up for a couple of back-to-back gigs, including one memorable night at The Block in Salt Lake City in early April. Beyond their friendship, it’s a means of pushing each other beyond their musical boundaries, creating a musical adventure that is greater than the sum of its parts. Across its nearly-three-hour run-time, this particular set champions up-tempo house but also tougher, peak-time techno and UK garage. “We loved the openness and flamboyant vibe,” Ruh and Marghilano told XLR8R, and we think you will too.

01. What have you both been up to recently? 
Ruh: I’m getting back to touring. I have been traveling extensively and finally I’m getting inspired to be in the studio again. 
Marghilano: I have been changing up my studio to make it more live-friendly, organising Sol Asylum in Barcelona, and starting my other party, Gravity, in collaboration with Isabelle Bees.

02. What have you both been listening to? 
We are big R&B, new jazz, and hip-hop fans so we have been listening to RINI, Kendrick Lamar, and Robert Gasper.

03. This is obviously a B2B mix. How did you guys connect, and why do you like playing together? 
Marghilano: Dana and I first connected through music and, after a couple of years, especially during the pandemic, we became each other’s ride or die. We had played together at Club der Visionäre in the past and the flow was so good that we decided to try some dates together. We both had played in New York and for The Block solo, and we loved their vibe so we pitched our b2b and it all came to fruition.

04. Tell me about this set: what made it so memorable for you? 
We enjoy pushing each other in different directions when playing together, so that always makes for some unexpected fun. The night was memorable because of a fun, flamboyant, and music-loving crowd but also a top notch sound system. It was so nice to see people dressing up with props and costumes and not taking themselves too seriously. It was quite refreshing compared to the Berlin music scene.

05. Can you tell us some of the tracks inside?
We played some unreleased tracks of both of ours, including a secret alias of of Julie’s. You’ll also hear some of our favourite older records, flowing between house, techno, breaks, and UK garage. Here are some of the artists: Thotful Spot, Brook & Trans, Jason Nevin, RP edits 01, Omega Men, Moodymann, and PengCan. Can you guess the alias?

06. What’s next on your horizon?
Ruh: There will be some more releases with Cave Recordings, plus some more jam sessions.

Marghilano: I am working on a live performance and there will be more releases and parties with Sol Asylum and Gravity in the next months.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to hear the podcast offline you will need to subscribe to our Select channel to listen offline, or subscribe to XLR8R+ to download the file. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

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