Pushing the boundaries of techno, house and bass elements, ASA 808 has made a name for themself by combining classical instruments with analogue synths and drum machines. On new single Love No Matter What they have teamed up with fellow Berlin artist DAEDE for a soaring, melodic club cut that combines elements of house, electronica and indie dance.

‘Love No Matter What’ is ASA 808 and DAEDE’s first collaborative release since they were teenagers. Taken from ASA 808’s upcoming solo album Boy, crush the song feels like a warm outburst of unconditional queer love, inspired by the two musicians’ long history of making music throughout their youth.

WWD: Thanks for talking to us at When We Dip. Where are you at the moment, how are you spending the day?

Thank you!! I just came back to Berlin from Sardinia where I was supposed to play a DJ set and host a workshop at Sa Terza Metari festival, but they canceled at the last minute, so I had an unplanned workation. I don’t want to go into any details, but I can recommend everyone who wants to go/play there reading my insta post about it first.

WWD: What are your earliest memories of music?

I remember that I was crazy about music from an early age. I was fascinated that music can touch me and others in ways that words can’t. Luckily, my mum had a nice record collection and I had three older siblings who introduced me to Tom Waits as well as to some indie, funk and hip hop music.

WWD: What were the first records you can remember being into, the ones that really made an impression on you?

I really loved my mom’s vinyl of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul and remember listening to „Michelle“ over and over again. Also, I became a huge Michael Jackson fan at the age of 7 or 8 when I discovered his album „Dangerous“ and learned all his dance moves. In my teenage years, I discovered funk, disco and (psychedelic) rock music of the 70s-00s, jazz, ambient, brazilian and eventually classical and electronic music.

WWD: How does your classical music studies inform your current music, which on the surface at least is far more modern in its composition?

I learned classical piano, but as a teenager I became much more interested in all kinds of music theory, composition, improvisation and songwriting. Luckily I had a teacher who could teach me all of that (German cellist and composer Torsten Harder). That still helps me a lot when working on tracks and ideas, because I don’t need a midi plugin for creating a melodic or harmonic suspense curve.

WWD: Tell us about the genesis of ‘Love No Matter What’… what does the record mean to you, and what do you hope people take away from it?

When I first wrote it, I wanted it to be a hymn of unconditional love and loving kindness, the openness of heart that simply wishes well, as Buddhism describes it. A generous love that never says “you owe me”. As I started working on it with DAEDE, we ping-ponged musical and lyrical ideas, and we wanted the song to also portray the diversity of love that we see in our lives: queer and poly and open but close, regardless of gender and sexual orientation.

WWD: You’ve known DAEDE for many years now… what do you value about her most as a collaborator?

It’s true, we’ve literally known each other since kindergarten. She’s a legend. Her musical ideas and knowledge, her voice, her humor and character are unsurpassed. I was so thrilled when she started to produce dance music. She’s also working on a solo album, which is shaping up nicely. There’s a lot to come from her.

WWD: Your TOYS parties have built up a cult following in Germany, what is it about these events that makes them so special?

Yeah, we’ve done these parties in many venues in Berlin, as well as in Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Cologne. For the last five years, we’ve focussed on doing fundraiser events for NGOs like Sea-Watch, Women In Exile, MSF or ProAsyl. I think it’s the mixture of a cute collective, an engaged queer crowd who likes to dance for a good cause and great artists… I mean we’ve had Avalon Emerson, Breach, Christian Löffler, Dark Sky, Elkka, Glenn Astro, Medlar, Moomin, Redshape, Session Victim, The Golden Filter, The Maghreban, Will Saul and so many more in the past. The next one on Nov 26th 2022 will be our 10th anniversary – a fundraiser for the Tubman Network.

WWD: When you’re not working on your music, how do you like to spend your time?

With friends and loved ones, in nature or in the club. To combine all of these things, I’ve actually also founded a small festival in a castle in Brandenburg with friends and the TOYS collective four years ago. But I’ve also been working with refugees for more than five years at a treatment center for survivors of torture. Last year, I also started hosting different workshops about critical masculinity and music production on festivals and with Open Music Lab at Refuge Worldwide, where I’ll also be hosting a show very soon.

WWD: What can you tell us about your upcoming album?

It’s a mixture of electronica, ambient, breakbeat and house that talks about a very personal inner journey, my quest for gender identity and the fight against toxic masculinity. I’m hoping that I can leave people with a calm energy, a feeling of openness, peacefulness, love and a sense of clarity and belonging after listening to the album. That it can describe landscapes and soundscapes of inner and outer worlds, feelings and atmospheres that you didn’t know existed before. Or that you felt but couldn’t describe.

WWD: Finally, for you, which new artist have you discovered this year that’s really blown you away?

Tom VR (who weirdly wasn’t on my radar before), Waleed and of course DAEDE – who surprised and amazed me with her refreshing take on dance music that reminds me of Perel but is really one of a kind. A lot to come from her I think!