All Live Long
Mathew Jonson, Guy Called Gerald, Ion Ludwig, Samuel Rohrer
Sonnenraum, Berlin
This night happened — Fri 29 May
Press play
Who was billed4 artists
In the order the promoter listed them.
- next: Signal in NYC, Fri 30 OctMathew Jonson
- next: Sonnenraum, Fri 4 DecA Guy Called Gerald
- Ion Ludwig
- Samuel Rohrer
Set times were not published.
Who they are
“His music offers a rare fusion of populist intensities and nuanced musicality.”
their own biography
the whole biography
His music offers a rare fusion of populist intensities and nuanced musicality. With a keen understanding for the needs of the dance floor and the universal laws of house and techno, he's thrown out the rule book time and time again, sneaking tricks learned from electro and even drum'n'bass into the clubs, and loading up his B-sides with tracks that do what they damned well please. (No kick drum? No problem.) His standards for sound and presentation are exacting. Both on stage and in the studio, Jonson's fealty to analog equipment and real-time playing; as opposed to mere layback-serves as a standard bearer for a kind of electronic music that goes way beyond the drag 'n' drop world of digital composition. Jonson has always been eager to get his hands dirty, and the music reflects that in gnarled bass sequences and long, intuitive lines. His sounds have serious teeth. Despite his quick ascent through the ranks of the techno elite, Jonson hasn't just stayed personally grounded. He's devoted much of his energy to supporting his own close musical family, in the groups Cobblestone Jazz, Midnight Operator and the Modern Deep Left Quartet, and with his Wagon Repair label. He studied classical piano as a kid, plus jazz drumming, and played drums in a marching band – thus laying both the melodic and the rhythmic cornerstones of his music today. Thanks to his father's work as a musician, he also got his hands on synthesizers at the age of 9. By the time he discovered hip-hop as a young teen, he was recreating its electro-based beats on his own rudimentary setup at home. Jonson gradually began honing in on his own sound, both in his productions and his DJ sets, inspired by a deeper, weirder sound that had begun filtering into the Victoria's techno parties. His first record, in 2001, was the first release on Itiswhatitis (a label Mathew bought from its original owner 11 years later). Another followed in 2002, and in 2003. That year, he also made his first appearance on Perlon, 'Alpine Rocket' – a track he recorded alongside Luciano during his first trip to Europe. And then, suddenly, Jonson was everywhere: Sub Static, Arbutus, Kompakt, M_nus – and every track an anthem. "I had all that music kind of saved up," says Jonson, "and then, just by chance, released it all at the same time. People criticized me for it, said that it wasn't a good idea. But it worked out for me. All the tracks did well. I wasn't saturating the market with bad music." He's right there. In 2005, Jonson co-founded Wagon Repair, and it's been a blur since, a nonstop series of tours and recordings, solo and with his band mates. Crucially, he moved to Berlin. His studio here is jaw-dropping, frankly: a semi-circle full of gear, from old workhorses like the 808 and 909 and SH-101 to unique beasts like their Cwejman and Roland System 100m modular system. Tate's Rhodes piano anchors one corner of the horseshoe, and everything feeds into a massive desk where tracks are mixed and recorded in real-time. His two hands have come up with some remarkable material. Having perfected his brand of earthshaking epic with tracks like 'Marionette' and ‘Decompression’, Jonson has increasingly turned his efforts towards more personal, introspective music. He never left the clubs behind though; his 2010 album, Agents of Time, featured a number of tracks that are as hip-winding wily as anything he's produced yet, full-on tracks like 'Girls Got Rhythm' and 'Thieves in Digital Land'. Equally physical was his 2011 drop on Hawtin's M_nus, 'Learning To Fly', and the well-received 'Automaton' on Crosstown Rebels. His 2013 album, On Her Blurry Pictures, too; here Jonson took advantage of the long player format to stretch out and indulge darker moods and slower tempos, but the core of the record remained rooted in a dancefloor context. In 2015, Mathew fulfilled his long-standing ambition of contributing to Fabric's esteemed mix series. Fabric84 is a recording of his set at the club's 15th birthday, during which he played a number of his classic tracks and unreleased edits. The energy of the occasion and the particular way Mathew performs his material blend perfectly, capturing a singular and very special set on CD. As well as continuing to tour his in-demand solo live show, which is consistently ranked amongst Resident Advisor's top 20, Mathew has recently remixed Paul St. Hilaire + Rhauder, The Martinez Brothers, Seth Troxler, and VCMG (to add to his past work including Moby, Cybotron, The Chemical Brothers, and Nelly Furtado). He released an album with Units and Measurements in 2016, and another as his new alias Freedom Engine entitled “A Box Full Of Magic” in 2019. Eighteen years on from his debut release, 'New Identity', Mathew's sound and reputation as an artist have developed, as you would expect for someone so richly and widely talented.Their RA profile lists Global Underground, Ministry Of Sound, fabric Records, Mute Records and 6 more.Recently at Berghain, Kater, Club der Visionaere · often with Berghain, PARAMIDA, J. Richards, none of them here that night
“Where do you start with A Guy Called Gerald?”
their own biography
the whole biography
Where do you start with A Guy Called Gerald? A hidden gem, the gateway between Chicago house / Detroit Techno and the UK dance music explosion in the late 80s. He is one of a few special producers who entered dance music in the jacking zone. He is the first UK acid house producer and probably the first producer to have two instrumental dance tracks in the UK charts at the same. He formed 808 State with a drum machine, a 303, 2 Roland SH101s and 2 other humans. His collaborations stem from Frankie Knuckles, Goldie, Finley Quaye and Derrick May through to Herbie Hancock, remixed for David Bowie, Lamb, Stone Roses, Black Uhuru, Can, Tricky, Roman Fluegel and The Orb and toured with New Order, Tricky and Bebel Gilberto. When the history of postmodern dance music is written he is ubiquitous: his visions, his stylistic versatility and open mindedness had a huge influence on the development of global dance culture. Very early on, he experimented with acid house and helped pioneer the style that was later called jungle and drum'n'bass. Fiercely independent he's preparing himself for a string of new releases, the launch of his online shop and touring worldwide. The Manchester scene in the late 80s radiated from the Hacienda. It was a place which grew to be a breeding ground for the likes of Laurent Garnier and Chemical Brothers and in the Summer of Love the Hacienda had a theme tune called Voodoo Ray. It was A Guy Called Gerald's first release in 1988 and became a seminal classic that put British house music firmly on the map. As part of 808 State’s first incarnation he co-produced another Hacienda classic, Pacific State. He soon decided to concentrate on his solo project and toured worldwide (and with a quarter of a ton of equipment!) performing live. In the early 90s he launched his own label Juice Box and released a series of 12"s that were the blueprint to what would become jungle. In 1992 he compiled these releases into the proto jungle classic "28 Gun Bad Boy" album. In 1995 he followed up with the definitive "Black Secret Technology" to critical acclaim. Black Secret Technology featured Finley's Rainbow with vocals by Finley Quaye and a collaboration with Goldie. Finley's Rainbow featured Finley Quaye who later re-released the tune on his debut album. In 2005 Knowledge Magazine ranked "28 Gun Bad Boy" EP was as the No. 1 jungle single of all time. His sound was an inspiration to many - Goldie, LTJ Bukem and DJ Krust have all stated his influence. But never wanting to be stereotyped into any particular style of music his sound continued to develop. In 2000 he signed with !K7 Records and released "Essence" with guest vocals from singer/songwriter Wendy Page, Lady Kier and Finley Quaye. In 2005 the down tempo "To All Things What They Need". In 2005 he launched his Sugoi and Protechson labels. His latest album "Proto Acid / The Berlin Sessions", released on Berlin's Laboratory Instinct, is an infectious 71 minute continuous mix recorded live. 2008 marks 20 years of A Guy Called Gerald in dance music and to celebrate a definitive collection of A Guy Called Gerald’s back catalogue is planned for release featuring rare and unreleased tracks and remixes. In July a remaster of 1995’s jungle classic “Black Secret Technology” was reissued. And in August “In Ya Head feat. Mia” came out on Berlin’s favourite Perlon Records. He continues to tour bringing his studio into the clubs worldwide playing anywhere from 2 to now legendary 14 hour LIVE sets – no DJ software, no gimmicks, just raw, pure, undiluted AGCG riddums strictly for the dancefloor.Their RA profile lists !K7, Sender Records, Perlon, Beatstreet and 5 more.Recently at Sonnenraum, ZENNER · often with Sammy Dee, Zip, Shawn Dub, none of them here that night
- Their RA profile lists Resopal Red, Alphahouse, Resopal Schallware, GS Zurich and 6 more.
Recently at Haus der Visionäre, Hoppetosse, Tresor / Globus · often with Janina, Rhadoo, Franky Greiner, none of them here that night
Recently at Club der Visionaere · often with Ayo Schønherr, Carmen Rizzo, Delta Rain, none of them here that night
names these artists often play with — not that night
- Berghain2 with Mathew Jonson
- CARISTA2 with A Guy Called Gerald
- J. Richards2 with Mathew Jonson
- Juana2 with A Guy Called Gerald
- Nkisi2 with A Guy Called Gerald
- PARAMIDA2 with Mathew Jonson
- Sammy Dee2 with A Guy Called Gerald
- Shawn Dub2 with A Guy Called Gerald
The room
Sonnenraum — 47 events and 261 distinct artists since Aug 2025.
Who put it on
CDV — 232 events and 843 artists since Aug 2025.
Haus der Visionaere — 7 events and 49 artists since May 2026.

