SUBSTRATE 04 X Upstairs Basement
TBA - Neukölln, Berlin
This night happened — Fri 14 Aug · 10pm → 10am Sat
Press play
Who was billed6 artists
In the order they were set to play.
- 22:00 – 01:00Dress
- 01:00 – 04:00IZZYA
- 04:00 – 07:00Calcium Channel
- 07:00 – 10:00Dorothy Counts
- next: KitKatClub, Fri 6 NovLights
- Vector Light Guild
the pairs that have met
14 of the 15 pairings on this bill were first meetings.
- Calcium Channel and Dorothy Counts — 7 shared bills before that night, first on Fri 22 Aug 2025.
At the height of summer, we gather for the fourth edition of SUBSTRATE, this time in collaboration with our longtime friends Upstairs Basement.
As the season reaches its zenith, we come together to celebrate a year of shared dedication, friendship, and the quiet work that unfolds behind every gathering. August is a time of abundance. A time to cherish the rewards of what has been carefully cultivated, to acknowledge the paths that have crossed, and to create space for new ones.
United by a shared vision of underground culture, SUBSTRATE and Upstairs Basement invite you into our favourite secret location in Neukölln for a night shaped by hypnotic techno, patient storytelling, and deep immersion. Through carefully curated extended sets, the music is given room to breathe, allowing each artist to unfold a narrative with intention, allowing the dancefloor to surrender to the gradual evolution of the night.
Coherence through sound remains one of our fundamental values. Every element of the evening, from the musical curation to the acoustics of the room, is considered part of a single ecosystem, designed to cultivate presence, connection, and collective release. A finely tuned sound system delivers warmth, precision, and physicality without ever sacrificing the subtle details that define the music.
At SUBSTRATE, light is never an accessory. It is a living instrument, existing in constant dialogue with sound. The light operator is as vital to the experience as the artist behind the decks, shaping perception, revealing and concealing space, guiding moments of tension and release. Rather than illuminating the room, light is used sparingly and with intention, giving form to the music while preserving the mystery of darkness. It is within this delicate balance that the atmosphere emerges.
Our artists are carefully sourced from the underground, chosen not for spectacle but for their ability to guide a room with patience, sensitivity, and depth. Together with the light operators, they create a singular experience where sound and light dissolve into one continuous narrative.
The founders of Upstairs Basement and prime selectors Dorothy Counts and Calcium Channel will be carrying the night musically together with IZZYA, a young underground talent from the heart of the scene and Dress who will be playing his first gig in Berlin. He recently released his first EP on Diffused Reality.
The exact location in Neukölln will be revealed on Telegram shortly before the event.
See you in the dark
from the promoter’s listing on Resident Advisor
Who they are
“2021 saw his debut release 'Picture of Us’ keep dance music at a safe distance by breaking down rhythm while stretching and twisting sound.”
their own biography
the whole biography
2021 saw his debut release 'Picture of Us’ keep dance music at a safe distance by breaking down rhythm while stretching and twisting sound. It’s in his DJ sets that things tend to get heavier percussively with a bold club sound. Navigating between an array of genres including techno, UK Bass, and IDM, it’s in dry transitions and precise sound design that he finds comfort behind the decks. In selection or production, the result is immersive, exact, and moody. A true member of the Belgian scene, Dress has played in places such as Fuse, C12, Reset, Funke, Kiosk Radio, and Onder Stroom as well as holding down a residency at GIMIC Radio.- Their RA profile lists Percora.
Recently at Sensorium, RSO.BERLIN · often with Gunilla Elis Miller, Martin K, TECHNO MITTWOCH RESIDENTS, none of them here that night
“After leaving his hometown of Sydney, Australia (the traditional lands of the Eora Nation) at the age of 18, his young adult life has been spent entirely in Berlin, where his love for techno and devotion to the local scene has consistently grown deeper.”
their own biography
the whole biography
After leaving his hometown of Sydney, Australia (the traditional lands of the Eora Nation) at the age of 18, his young adult life has been spent entirely in Berlin, where his love for techno and devotion to the local scene has consistently grown deeper. Since its inception 2021 he has been a resident DJ and co-manager of Upstairs Basement, a Detroit techno and Chicago house party born in the underground of Berlin. Calcium Channel's taste and layering oriented technical style are heavily informed by Berlin techno dance floors and then cultivated over the years playing sets at Upstairs Basement parties. The occasional pop, hyper pop or club music DJ edit is a loving and thankful result of his decade old love for the label PC music, as well as SOPHIE and an array of independent SoundCloud based artists.Last at Monarch in Jul · often with Mister Willis, Distal_, La Fille, none of them here that night
often with Mister Willis, Distal, NeZoomie, none of them here that night
Recently at KitKatClub, Festsaal Kreuzberg, Schwuz · often with ◢ Concept, ◢ Awareness, execution, none of them here that night
names these artists often play with — not that night
- Mister Willis2 with Calcium Channel and 2 with Dorothy Counts
- Da Dada1 with Calcium Channel and 1 with Dorothy Counts
- Distal1 with Calcium Channel and 1 with Dorothy Counts
- NeZoomie1 with Calcium Channel and 1 with Dorothy Counts
- ▆ Performances8 with Lights
- ◢ Awareness8 with Lights
- ◢ Concept8 with Lights
- ◢◤ DRAGON (House, Melodic)8 with Lights
The room
TBA - Neukölln — 15 events and 65 distinct artists since Aug 2025.
Who put it on
SUBSTRATE — 5 events and 29 artists since Feb 2026.
Upstairs Basement Berlin — 8 events and 18 artists since Aug 2025.
Also that night
- OBSIDIA pres. HANÀ [HALF NIGHT LONG]Lokschuppen Berlin — also tagged techno, with trance too.
- SHØCC pres. Plea5urepul5eM-BIA — also tagged techno, with trance too.
- Chimaera Festival 2026Also tagged techno, with trance too.
how these 3 are connected
- OBSIDIA pres. HANÀ [HALF NIGHT LONG] — RA tags both listings techno — and that one also trance.
- SHØCC pres. Plea5urepul5e — RA tags both listings techno — and that one also trance.
- Chimaera Festival 2026 — RA tags both listings techno — and that one also trance.