Exclusive Jonty Skrufff interview

Next Saturday 11th July will see us joining forces with two Berlin clubbing icons - Watergate and Sisyphos, for a night of debauchery, glamour and joy in the spirit of the German capital. Ahead of that momentous occasion - we caught up with our man at Sisyphos, and longtime friend Jonty Skrufff. As a blogger, journalist, DJ, producer and much, much more, who is London born but currently lives in Berlin, we can't think of anyone who better embodies the spirit of club land than Jonty... 

Hi Jonty, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. Where are you and what are you up to? 

Jonty Skrufff: “I’m at Skrufff headquarters in Treptow, toiling away listening to promos, and putting hot cues in the best ones on Rekordbox .”

11th July will see you representing Sisyphos at Egg's Berlin Berlin party - for those who are unfamiliar with Sisyphos, just explain a little bit about the club and what the vibe is like over there. 

Jonty Skrufff: “Sisyphos is a huge semi-derelict former dog biscuit factory on the edge of town that throws massive 72 hour nonstop parties every weekend.

There’s a huge warehouse main floor (called Hammahalle), a smaller indoor uber-dark space (Dampfer) and a classic semi-outdoor small wooden hut room called Wintergarten, oh and a beach area with sound system outside: something for everyone. 

Parties run non-stop from Friday to Monday and the vibe is wild, free, friendly and really fantastic. As well as having great sound systems (Funktion One in Hammahalle), what makes the club so special is its crowd made of super alternative types of all sorts, sexualities and ages, freaks, creatives and loads of girls. 

Sisyphos also doesn't list DJ line-ups until the night of each party and doesn’t do Facebook or Resident Advisor event pages, instead relying on word-of-mouth and regulars, so it’s full of Berliners rather than club tourists.”

How did you come to be involved with Sisyphos? 

Jonty Skrufff: “I’ve been a resident for three years and before that I was going to the club sometimes to party. One night I was there to see Max Cooper and a friend who happened to live at the club (some people live in trailers on site) introduced me to the booker. He gave me a slot and after a few gigs I became a resident. 

How long have you been living in Berlin more generally and why did you decide to make the move over there in the first place? 

Jonty Skrufff: “Over six years now, I moved after visiting there to DJ, making friends and going back more and more. Before that I’d been living in London and getting fed up with high rents, the weather, all the usual expat complaints and was starting to think about leaving London generally when I discovered Berlin and that was it.”

Nightlife aside, what is it about Berlin that is most alluring to you? 

Jonty Skrufff: “The whole vibe of the city- it’s a totally punk, alternative city with an anti-consumerist, anti-VIP ethos that I love. All the best clubs (including Sisyphos) have super-tough door policies but they’re based on people’s vibe as opposed to looking wealthy or flash and this attitude permeates the whole city. 

It’s also super-tolerant, super-cheap (still, compared to London) and an interesting place- the sense of history permeates the stones.”

Is there anything in particular that you miss about your old home of London? 

Jonty Skrufff: “Friends, ermmm, English sausages (way better than German ones, though all Germans would disagree), Sainsburys Red label tea, that’s about it.”

What memories have you got of Egg LDN from your previous visits? 

Jonty Skrufff: “I’ve had some wild nights at Egg over the years, starting with the opening weekend, with Nag Nag Nag (everybody dressed to the nines, running up and down stairs between floors). Then there’s far too many blurry nights that kind of merge into one. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve been back.”

Why do you think Egg LDN and Sisyphos make good partners? 

Jonty Skrufff: “I’ve got to start with Laurence Malice who I’ve known from way back - a visionary with total alternative attitude and a love of life - all traits that match the Sisyphos gang. 

Laurence also brought his team to Sisyphos a few months back on a random Saturday afternoon and they fitted in seamlessly. I’m looking forward to partying with them all again next weekend”

As a busy DJ and someone who's always got their ear to the ground, what tunes can we expect to kill it this summer? 

Jonty Skrufff: “Far too many to mention, so all I’ll say is that I believe we’re in the middle of another golden age of house and techno, ranging from 110bpm outdoor beach stuff to 130bpm hard as nails jacking techno.” 

As a DJ, Blogger, Promoter, Journalist and all round cat on the scene, how do you find time to unwind away from music? 

Jonty Skrufff: “I don’t unwind.”

...And finally: What's your favourite German phrase you've picked up since living over there? 

Jonty Skrufff: “I really like ‘entschuldigen Sie’; which means ‘excuse me’. It’s a phrase Germans use when we Brits might say ‘sorry’ – vital for rolling round town. And of course, works even better combined, with ‘Ich lerne Deutsch jetzt aber ich verstelle nur einbissen’: I’m learning German now but I only understand a little’.