“A fanaticism with offbeats, polyrhythms, and hazy soundscapes — and the intimate gatherings they suit so well”
Crunching numbers in music distribution by day, rhythms around the clock — nugget is a Berlin-based selector, radio host, and co-founder of the DIY tape label/platform for_m. With over a decade of digging and a taste for the unusual, his selections span experimental dance currents and eclectic, borderless soundscapes rooted in hypnotic adventures.
Hi Leon, thanks so much for doing this gorgeous mix for us. Besides crate digging and DJ’ing, you’re working as an accountant within music distribution – I wonder how those two very different activities have taken part in shaping you as a DJ?
That’s right — my professional environment has definitely shaped me as a DJ and influenced my artistic vision. I’ve been digging for music for over a decade, and from early on I felt strongly about supporting independent labels and artists by buying their releases as directly as possible. When I began working within music labels and distribution, that perspective deepened. It opened up my spectrum of global music, especially as I started working with electronic labels from niche scenes all around the world. Through that, I discovered not only new sounds but also more about the cultural contexts and communities they come from.
What surprised me most was how my accounting skills fit into that world. It’s not the romantic part of music, but it’s the part that quietly holds everything together. Taking care of numbers, taxes, and all the invisible admin lifts weight off the shoulders of the people doing the creative work — the label founders, the artists, the small teams keeping these scenes alive. Sometimes it feels like a way of protecting the space where the art can breathe. And somehow, giving others that room gives me a different kind of creative openness as well.
It definitely strengthened my commitment as a DJ to support these artists through buying, playing, and honouring their work. And in my professional role, it motivates me — together with the wider team I’m part of — to support them wherever we can.
You co-founded the collective, tape label and podcast series for_m – What’s the vision with these?
Our project for_m started back in 2019 with a concept for organic but experimental shapes of club and listening music within Leipzig’s nightlife scene. Our shared collective vision sparked in those times and continues to form.
Since ever, we like to explore. We’re currently stretched between Berlin and Portugal, but despite the physical distance, we keep finding ways to reconnect — irregular sessions in shifting places, where we gather, listen, new memories take shape and new ideas evolve.
Our bond comes not only from long friendship but from a fanaticism with offbeats, polyrhythms, and hazy soundscapes — and the intimate gatherings they suit so well. Many of our visions emerged on the dancefloor, in the forest, horizontal on the carpet.
At one point, we realised we wanna create something for our memoir, a physical listening piece that stands against all the fast-pacing streaming cultures and transfers a vibe where the listener gets invited to experience a sonic world. Our tape project formatape is the result. Further editions are already planned — we enjoy taking it slow.
Recently we launched for_m live, an online series that showcases live DJ mixes — raw as they are. Find a platform for shared memories, focusing on the interplay between the artist, the listeners and the space itself. The first episode is out now, and we’re already excited to share some beautiful wintry ambient recordings from beloved friends and gatherings within the next episodes.
I’m curious about your name too, nugget, what’s the story?
Haha, good question! Indeed there’s a story behind it. nugget — that’s how our family dog was named, a golden retriever my family had when I was born. I built a really close relationship with him, and when he died unexpectedly while I was far away, it hit me in this strange, almost telepathic way — like I felt something shift before anyone told me.
That connection never really left. So choosing “nugget” felt like keeping a piece of him with me, but also reminds me of that intuition I’m following as DJ. My friends still joke that I’m spiritually aligned with dogs in a way that’s slightly uncanny — and honestly, they’re not wrong.
You have your Copenhagen debut at Jolene, December 6th, alongside Konduku. What can we expect for the show?
That’s right, and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a pleasure to have been invited by Helen and Amir (amiraku), who are hosting the night at Jolene and trusting Konduku and me with shaping the musical journey. Through exchanging about the concept of the night, I understood their vision of bringing international artists whose distinctive sounds stand out to small intimate venues in CPH. Since Ruben (Konduku) and I are both familiar with the sound and taste of the music we’re playing, I’m certain the night will unfold as a story, characterised by polyrhythms, low-end pressure and transcendental movement.
Tracklist
Lobotomy Version – Ghost Dubs
Apocalypta’s Dream – Perila
Amber_Circle – Carrier
Hinges Creak – Gantz
Usurper (RS Tangent 80308 Dub) – Om Unit
Fire Lily – Emily Jeanne
LBE – Aa Sudd
Ilbiryani (Banishsh Version) – Soreab
Achterbahn (Shackleton – Skull Disco rmx) – Pole
Cropped – T++
Traversal – Emily Jeanne
No Shape – TONIC
Outernationalism – When Thomas Sankara Met Fela Kuti
Shimmer – CAIV
132 Trek – Beatrice M.
Burn – LFL
Slowly Drifting – Beatrice M. & Sub Basics
Bristle – Agonis
Coldsweats – LFL
Kongruenz – Agonis
Transit – ARtroniks
Tamraght Dub – Ila Brugal
Close Encounter – MJK
Vitamin – ARtroniks
Neurotikum – wzshakhta
Beetje Brak – Kamoun
Sonar (Pinch Remix) – Trois-Quarts Taxi System
Not Affraid – Jah Beer & Oddkut
Spectre (Herbalistek Remix) – Trois-Quarts Taxi System
Octopus Funk – comm
Pseudospiritual – Herbalistek
Abysmal Yearning – x3butterfly
There’s Fire Inside You (Ophélie remix) – Soa420
Clicked – Carré
Split – Count
Trust Me – Phrex x Cutkachi
Boss Bish – Monibi
Ephemerides – Plebeian
Vibrations (dj tool version) – Sabla
Running Like That ft Eden Samara – Loraine James
After8 – Pugilist
For more news and mixtapes, stay up to date with nugget on Instagram and Soundcloud
Listen to the previous Strøm Mixx with Ekaliff- or browse the full archive here.