MDNGT @ Veneno
Not many acts are able to climb the stage with such confidence and deliver a set to remember in their first year. mdngt has done just that in Belgrade’s Drugstore, Karmakoma, and Para nightclubs. Hailed as their debutante a couple of years ago, this former model traded first row dancing for a slot in the booth. She has already played alongside Clarisa Kimskii, Helena Hauff, Luigi Tozzi, Luke Slater, Rene Wise, Marco Shuttle, MARRØN, Priori, SPFDJ, Stef Mendesidis, Sol Ortega, and EXIT festival on their No Sleep stage. The aforementioned clubs have a techno buff with an ear for the hypnotic, tribal, and otherworldly side of the genre on their side.
Now, with a good deal of gigs under her belt, mdngt is bringing all the cards she was dealt during her shift on the booming Belgrade scene to the table. This is her giving back to the community.
Ahead of her broadcast, mdngt sat down with us to talk about how it all started, the Belgrade scene that raised her, and what’s coming.
What was your first real entry point into electronic music — was it through Belgrade’s scene, or did it come from somewhere else entirely?
Who shaped your sound early on — and how has that list changed for you now?
The list is quite long but some artists I’m still very keen on are Rrose, Polar Inertia, Silent Servant, Abdulla Rashim (aka Anthony Linell) and Planetary Assault Systems (aka Luke Slater).
Is there one night behind the decks that stays with you? Take us there — where were you, and what made it special?
That was definitely a night with Joseph Tagliabue last month in Karmakoma club in Belgrade. I played a 3 hour intro set where I had a chance to go with more of an experimental and leftfield downtempo, progressive and psychedelic techno and trance. Afterwards, Tagliabue blessed us with almost 5 hours of his hypnotic journey.
His mix is up on SoundCloud, so you can hear for yourself what made the night so special
What’s the Belgrade scene like right now, and is there something about it outsiders don’t understand?
Ever evolving and thriving. Every time I think it can’t get any better with guest artists we have from abroad, I get surprised. And what I really love seeing, particularly among younger generations, is how invested they are not just in curating a great lineup but in every aspect of event production, while staying true to their core values and vision.
If mdngt’s night had one track that had to close it, what would you reach for right now?
It always depends on the atmosphere of the venue I’m playing at and the rest of the lineup, but first thing that comes to mind at the moment is Safe by Eletun Selona.
What does a day look like for you when you’re not making or playing music
Never the same and it’s something that excites me about everyday life. I work part time, mostly remote, both in fashion and marketing. But in my spare time I try to stick to the same routines; digging for new music, catching up on recent releases, reading, cooking and travelling whenever I get a chance.
What’s next for mdngt — anything you’re working on that you can share?
A couple of festival dates abroad are coming up later this summer plus a few more exciting things that I can’t talk about just yet. More details on all will be announced soon. :)
How would you describe the mdngt sound to someone who’s never heard you play?
Hypnotic, pulsating, driving.
