Monika Kruse

Monika Kruse’s commitment and innate musical connection is the key to her status as one of techno’s most beloved and enduring artists for more than 25 years. From trailblazing the dawn of the German dance culture in the early ‘90s, organizing raves in abandoned Munich WWII bomb shelters, to launching her revered Terminal M label in 2000, right through to her DJing schedule this year that will see her play across Awakenings, Time Warp, Sonus and beyond – Monika’s history in techno reads like an engrossing novel that captures an iconic quarter century of rave.

Monika’s Terminal M label plays no small part in this legacy, and remains one of the most consistently outstanding labels in its class. Over a 17-year period it has charted the cultural movement of techno, hosting music from everyone from veterans like DJ Rush, to future stars Stimming and andhim who released their earliest records on the legendary label. Today it remains a hallmark for quality, home to the likes of ANNA, Pig&Dan, Paride Saraceni, Noir, Victor Ruiz as well as emerging talent such as Skober, Metodi Hristov, Kydus, Drunken Kong, Ilija Djokovic and more.

Classically trained in piano, Monika’s love of music is broad and deep, accumulating a record collection throughout her youth that spanned funk, soul, hip-hop and house. Alongside her early role in the nascent ‘90’s Munich rave scene, her iconic residency at the legendary Ultraschall is the stuff of legends, where she played alongside the likes of DJ Hell and Tobi Neumann. She was among the first wave of German techno artists to tour internationally, DJing alongside Carl Cox at Global Gathering in the UK, Limelight alongside DJ Pierre in NYC, as well as her residency at Belgium’s iconic Fuse nightclub in the late ‘90s.