Hi from the editor’s desk!
For a while now, we’ve been working behind the scenes on something new: Fuse, The SHEER’s brand-new monthly newsletter dedicated entirely to electronic music.
The idea came from wanting to create more space for a world that moves quickly but deserves more than hurried coverage. Electronic music is shaped not only by new releases, but by clubs, communities, technology, politics, and the people keeping its scenes alive. Fuse will bring those threads together through news, recommendations, and personal observations from inside and around the culture.
The newsletter will be curated by our brilliant friend Naz, whose three-part series Branding Killed the Beat explored how branding, gentrification, and real estate development have reshaped Berlin’s electronic music scene. As a thesis student living in Berlin, her curiosity, knowledge, and deeply personal relationship with electronic music made her the natural person to lead it.
We’re very excited to finally share the first edition with you. Welcome to Fuse.
Written by Naz Eraslan
Edited by Sinem Elif Akgün
Over to Naz:
Welcome to Fuse — The SHEER’s electronic music roundup, named after Belgium’s longest-running electronic music institution, which opened in 1994. It was the first techno club I ever set foot in. If I were a mixture in a test tube, Fuse would be a crucial element in the blend that made up my early twenties — and it has stayed written on my ankle ever since, reminding me how lucky those years were. Today, it all comes full circle.
The dance floor is a place where you dissolve and fuse with everyone around you: their anxieties, their energy, and all the collective euphoria waiting to be embraced. For me, electronic music has always been the spark behind that fusion, whether experienced through headphones or while lost in a crowd. Fuse is here to blow the fuses alongside anyone who shares these joys and tastes.
Each month, you’ll find a recap backspinning through the previous few weeks, a selection of notable new releases, and a more personal column covering whatever has stayed on my mind — from the events I couldn’t make it to, to the sounds I couldn’t shake.
This month, we move from the Community Radio Index to updates from Berlin’s clubs; from Kelela’s essential new album to Moktar’s latest banger; and from Dekmantel FOMO to Alex Wilcox’s wild performance.
Let’s recap July.
Rewind the Month
Tax cuts for England’s clubs, pubs, and live music venues
England’s pubs, clubs, and live music venues are set to receive a 20% discount on business rates from April 2027 under a new plan announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The government estimates that nearly 32,000 venues will benefit, with the average pub expected to save around £1,100 over the next financial year. Burnham framed the move as an effort to protect venues that have disappeared from high streets across the country. Critics, however, have questioned how the cuts will be funded, pointing out that rising energy costs and stagnant wages continue to threaten the sector. Nevertheless, this reduction was commented on as a small step in the right direction.
A new world map of community radio
The Community Radio Index (CRI), an interactive online tool that maps community radios across the globe, has launched. The project was made possible by a small team of volunteers led by Michail, also known as Opium Hum, a DJ and co-curator of the CTM Festival, and Robbie Makes Radio, a developer and caretaker of a Hong Kong community radio station. According to the team, this is the first centralized effort to document the majority of the world’s operating online community radio stations in a single resource. Coupled with their deep love, the team emphasizes the significance of community radios, such as their independence, local focus, and refusal to be organized by commercial logic, and believes that such organizations deserve to be visible. CRI gives listeners access to nearly 300 community radio stations from around the world.
Meanwhile…
Berlin club Kater has introduced a €15 “Next-Gen Ticket” for clubbers aged 18–24 in an effort to make nightlife more accessible to younger audiences.
Two beloved institutions in Neukölln, Berlin — the ambient listening venue Kwia and the neighborhood gem Das Gift — have closed their doors due to rent hikes. As Kwia put it, “ambient is officially ruined.”
Resident Advisor turns 25. To celebrate, the platform is launching a global event series alongside new merchandise and a limited-edition book, Front Left: 25 Years of Electronic Music From the Future.
Stone Techno Festival earned praise after publicly sharing attendee feedback, including criticism over oversold tickets — a refreshing example of a festival openly acknowledging where it fell short.
The Tresor Garten began to offer a different connection in daylight. The iconic Berlin venue’s outdoor garden and bar now welcomes visitors Tuesday through Sunday, from 3–8 pm, whether you’re heading to Kraftwerk, stopping by Hard Wax, or simply passing through.
The Drops
1- new avatar by Kelela
Sending signals that she shares the same galaxy as Yves Tumor, R&B and progressive electronic talent Kelela’s essential album of the month, new avatar, will be in my ears all summer — just like it will be for many of us. (Warp Records)
2- ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌ ҉ ͡ ͞ ͞ ͞ ҉● ࿀ ● ࿀ ● by ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ
I have no idea why Four Tet is putting us through the pain of an alias like ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ, but his first full-length under the moniker has hit streaming services. I’d listen to this exclusively underwater, dancing with the fish. (Text Records)
3- The beautiful ambient album The Italian Chronicles Volume 1 by D York, featuring field recordings from a trip to Italy, is a balm for the soul. (Neotantra)
4- Foodman, once again, delivers a very distinctive take on modern music with his new LP, HIKARIGASASHIKOMU (which translates to “Light Shines In,” a Japanese phrase conveying a sense of hope in a difficult place). It leaves you feeling like you’re trying to close fifty open tabs in your brain. (Hyperdub)
5- Netam’s feel-good album BURNOUT has landed, ready to take over rooftops. (Kanto Records)
6- Berlin-based collaborative project Dina Summer — the distant cousin of Boy Harsher, who also joined us this month with their new track Hard Beat — has released a new single, Bats in Paris, from an upcoming mini-album. (Iptamenos Discos)
7- Bang is a new banger from Moktar, an Egyptian-Australian DJ and talented producer who combines club and techno with traditional Arabic instrumentation. I just love him. (Steel City Dance Discs)
On My Radar
As an unemployed thesis student, I didn’t hit any festivals this summer, but my mind was undeniably at Dekmantel. Aside from its FOMO-inducing lineup, trickpony, an act I’ve been dying to catch live but somehow keep missing, was there too. I would’ve loved to see them at Solstice’26, which was actually their very first festival appearance, but Dekmantel — with its legendary status and incredible lineup — remained the festival that haunted me this summer.
Over the last year, I’ve been on a multi-lane trip-hop journey. At one point, I even found myself putting together a Turkish trip-hop playlist while simultaneously tracking down contemporary names. I didn’t discover trickpony through a random search, though — it happened thanks to my massive crush on the band’s member Katie Campbell, better known as Roza Terenzi, the Berlin-based Australian DJ, producer, prog-house mama, and head of the Step Ball Chain label. When Campbell announced this trip-hop revival supergroup in 2024, I was instantly hooked. Ever since, Room to Breathe has been in heavy rotation.
The other day, I was listening to NTS’s Next Generation of Trip Hop mix and wasn’t particularly impressed by the selection. Then I scrolled down to the comments and found my people.
Thankfully, there was another name on the Dekmantel lineup that I didn’t miss out on: Alex Wilcox. I was introduced to his world by my besties, who caught him live and were completely blown away. When I saw him announce his ACT!ON: New Home for Live Punk Electronic Music night at Supamolly — a venue I’d never been to but had always adored because of the banner outside — my friends insisted I go. Since I was in full discovery mode, I was more than happy to go solo. AND THANK GOD I DID.
On that tiny stage, he looked like he was giving a presentation from his laptop — except the presentation was on how to throw a real fucking party. His energy, stage presence, and interaction with the crowd were off the charts. By the end of the set, it all clicked: this is just who he is. A true showman with a massive heart, great production skills, and leopard-print boxers.
ACT!ON builds on Wilcox’s recent efforts to fuse techno with a live punk attitude, giving the scene a dedicated platform right in the heart of Berlin. Sharing the stage with him, the like-minded Seoul-based artist HYPNOSIS THERAPY was the perfect match for the debut edition. The second edition of ACT!ON lands at Panke this November — the very same venue where I saw Kneecap earlier this summer.
The Closer
We’ll leave you with Ben Klock’s take on the iconic outside-Berghain photos. Thanks for joining us for the first edition of Fuse. We’ll be back at the end of summer with another roundup from the world of electronic music.
love this, great roundup!