FJAAK

Spandau, the other map of Berlin techno

In the far west of Berlin, far from the myth of Kreuzberg, FJAAK turned the Spandau district into a sonic signature: warehouse techno, rave, and breakbeat composed almost entirely with analog hardware. The project was born in 2009 as a quartet—the name is an acronym for Felix, Johannes, Aaron, and Kevin—and grew between private parties, underground raves, and a fifty-square-meter studio in Gewerbe 15. Before releasing music, they were already throwing their own parties because no one would book them; that collective logic would end up being as important as the tracks themselves.

Berghain, 50 Weapons, and live machinery

Their first date at Berghain in 2013 marked their professional breakthrough. The following summer, Modeselektor signed them to 50 Weapons. There, they released dancefloor singles like Don't Leave Me and a split with Rødhåd; when the sub-label dissolved, they moved to Monkeytown Records. In 2017, their self-titled album arrived, a cross between peak-time techno, breakbeat arrangements, and ambient passages. A year later, Havel appeared on their own label. In January 2019, Kevin Kozicki left the group, and FJAAK remained as a duo consisting of Felix Wagner and Aaron Röbig, friends since school and the core that was already improvising together in the booth, with a live show that feels more like a band than a DJ set.

SPANDAU20, SYS, and FJAAK THE SYSTEM

With the SPANDAU20 platform and label, they professionalized their community and consolidated regular nights at OHM. During the pandemic, they launched the charity series Support Your Scene, three editions whose proceeds were returned to clubs that had bet on them before their name filled rooms. In 2024, they released FJAAK THE SYSTEM, their third album: twenty-three tracks and over seventy minutes covering acid, 90s rave, 2-step, jungle, trip-hop, and ambient, with collaborations from Modeselektor, Skee Mask, Red Eye, and J.Manuel. Today, they combine live hardware sets, tours at Awakenings, Time Warp, or DGTL, the parallel label CROWD, and a visual identity of hand-labeled white vinyl that has become their trademark.