dj henk


DJ HENK Built from the underground


Something about DJ Henk feels steady and deeply anchored. No façade, no branding talk, no digital noise, just a pure sense of purpose. He doesn’t separate the person from the artist because, in his world, there is no difference. Born and raised in Berlin, shaped by its raw energy and relentless rhythm, DJ Henk embodies a generation rediscovering what authentici- ty means in an industry built on speed.


His story isn’t about chasing trends or algorithms. It’s about preservation, protecting the essence of a culture that gave him purpose. Through vinyl, com- munity, and sheer devotion, DJ Henk has become one of the new faces of Berlin’s hard dance underground. What sets him apart isn’t volume or hype. It’s conviction.


THE ARTIST


“For me, there’s no difference between the person and the artist. DJ Henk is who I am. It’s one and the same.”


The Berlin underground didn’t just shape his sound. It shaped his philosophy.


“It taught me that this culture only survives through community work, by giving some- thing back and by protecting what makes it special. Being a DJ isn’t just about creating music for a fleeting weekend experience. It’s about keeping the culture alive, supporting it, shaping it, and preserving it from disappearing.”


That sense of duty defines everything he does.


“It’s a lifestyle. To me, it’s not just about going out on the weekend. The real work happens during the week, preparing, connecting with others in the community, whether they’re ravers, technicians, promoters, or


people building turntables. It’s about going to record stores, digging for music, producing tracks, not for casual listening on Spotify or SoundCloud, but for DJs, for clubs, for dance floors, for massive sound systems, for the weekends.”


Berlin’s energy runs through him like a current.


“Electronic music culture was born in Berlin, and me too. That’s why it’s so important to me to preserve this culture. It’s shaped who I am as a person as much as it shapes me as an artist.”


even


FROM BASEMENT RAVES TO EU- ROPEAN FLOORS


“There were many defining people and moments along the way,” he says. “One of the first turning points for me happened on the dance floor at Herrensauna. That’s when I realized, this is what I want to do. I want to DJ.”


From that moment, his life became a study in vinyl.


“A close friend told me to start with vinyl to learn the basics first. He said I could always move on later, but vinyl would teach me to really understand music. I listened, and I loved it so much that I never stopped.”


The timing was fateful.


“This was around the start of the pandemic. During that time, I met Get No, and we spent countless hours in his studio, sometimes mixing records for


Later, we started playing every Tuesday at an open-decks night here in Berlin for one or two years. It was like a little secret, one of those insider Tuesday spots everyone in the underground knew about.”


What began as an experiment became a movement.


“After about six months, we were filling the place every week, and that’s where I really started building my community. Eventually, some things with the organizers didn’t go so smoothly anymore. But one of them told us, ‘You should just go and start your own party.’ And that’s exactly what we did.”


That party became 16pitch, an only-vinyl night born from frustration and love.


“It was the next natural step, taking the community I had built and creating something that was truly ours.”


“I shared a lineup with Sabu, she was on the main floor, I was on the smaller one. After my set, she came up to me and said I’d apparently played half her floor empty be- cause people came over to check out my set. She was impressed and asked if she could take over my bookings. That made me incredibly happy. Not just because I’d wished for that for a long time, but because it re- minded me that there’s still a strong sense of community and mutual support between artists.”


twelve hours straight.


015


AUTHOR: SERGIO NIÑO PHOTOGRAPHY: HENNY LEBEN


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46