Moving between electro, psychedelic textures and left-field club sounds, Gem Wallow builds her sets around deep basslines, fluid grooves and unexpected turns. Her music has taken her across Asia, Europe and the US since 2023, with each scene bringing a different perspective to her sound.
On 26 September, Gem Wallow joins Louisahhh live, Berlin Bunny b2b Facets, Mr Funghi and Shanda at Phantom Bar Berlin for the second edition of KEYI Magazine’s fundraiser series.
We spoke with Gem Wallow about the role of bass and movement in her sets, her international experiences, STORYTHM, and what she hopes to bring to the Phantom Bar dance floor on 26 September.
Your sets move between electro, psychedelic textures and left-field club sounds. How do you create a coherent journey while moving so freely across genres?
Regardless of tempo or mood, I weave together music that carries a sense of elevation.
Within that flow, I’m also conscious of creating unexpected moments of surprise.
Deep basslines and fluid grooves are central to your sound. What qualities make a track feel physically powerful and essential for the dance floor to you?
Bass is really at the core of my sound. It’s not just about heaviness.
I’m drawn to the movement and groove of a bassline, something that makes the body respond naturally.
Touring across Japan, Asia, the United States and, since 2023, Europe has exposed
you to very different club cultures. How have those experiences reshaped the way
you DJ and produce?
The same music can resonate and be received completely differently depending on where you are.
Experiencing those differences keeps shifting my own perspective and naturally opens up new possibilities for what I want to explore in both my DJ sets and productions.
Your 2025 EPs, ROLLING AMITY and SPONTANEOUS, arrived through labels in Berlin and Spain. What ideas or creative developments connect these two releases?
ROLLING AMITY is an EP created as a prayer for peace. With wars continuing around the world, I wanted to do what I could through music and create something that might offer a sense of healing or awareness. It was also released on cassette, and for the B-side I challenged myself to create a track of about 19 minutes that unfolds like a story.
SPONTANEOUS came about after I was approached by a label in Barcelona. I translated what I absorbed there, including the music, the atmosphere of the city, and the energy of people dancing at parties, into the tracks. I also used my own voice in Spanish, as I wanted to leave a trace of my connection to the place within the music.
Through STORYTHM, you connect Japan’s club scene with artists and sounds from abroad. What exchanges do you hope the series creates, and what deserves more attention in Tokyo right now?
I started STORYTHM after my first European tour, when artists I had connected with there began coming to Tokyo.
I wanted to create a space where those connections could develop further, where international and Tokyo-based artists respect each other and both can be the main act, rather than one simply supporting the other.
I see STORYTHM as a bridge between different countries and scenes. In Tokyo, I’d also love to see more indie dance parties and more individual interpretations and new movements grow around that sound.
As you prepare for our event on 26 September at Phantom Bar, what kind of atmosphere do you want to build and where would you like the audience to find themselves by the end of your set?
I want to feel the atmosphere that can only exist on that particular dance floor and move somewhere unexpected together with the crowd.
By the end, I hope everyone is so immersed in the music that, for a moment, they almost forget where they are!
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Photos by KEYI STUDIO
KEYI Magazine Fundraiser Vol.002 x Phantom Bar Berlin, 26th September 2026 Support and Get Your Tix on RA
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