This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)
My favorite spot in town during Amsterdam Dance Event is always In Deep’n’Dance Records. That’s where I met techno-queens Daniela Haverbeck and Paula Cazenave. Daniela and I often saw each other again at my other favorite place in town, the artist village Ruigoord. She's such a radiant woman! In 2016 Chilian DJ/producer Daniela Haverbeck a.k.a. Rapunzel told me the story of her first gig(s). One in Chili and one in The Netherlands, where she’s been living for quite a few years now. “It was a 30-minute set, so I simply played both sides of every vinyl."
“My first gig was in 2002, in Santiago de Chile. The event was an underground party called Encuentro de DJs (Meeting of DJs). In those days I played hardcore. Because I went to this party before, I knew everybody. The scene was pretty small back then, so all faces were familiar. Ik was 23 at that point.”

Underground
“I was extremely nervous that night! It was that bad that I had a hard time placing the needle on the vinyl. The crowd on the dance floor existed mostly of young urbans. In those days, electronic music was still underground in Chile, so the audience it was a special mix of all kinds of alternative people, mostly ravers.”
Only four records
“For sure, I prepared my set. I owned only four hardcore records though. It was a 30-minute set, so I simply played both sides of every vinyl. Every vinyl contained three or four tracks, so I made it.” (laughs)” I had just learned how to mix, so I had to prepare the set to feel confident. Also, because every track differed a lot in BPM and I wasn’t able to mix that fast yet.”

Mother
“I’m grateful that I got lots of support. Really from everybody! I must admit that my mom had to suffer quite a lot under all the practicing in mixing at home. Sometimes she said: ‘Your music sounds like a neighbor is hammering the wall’.” (laughs) “I think she would have preferred house or minimal, but I was simply crazy about hardcore. My love for hardcore led to me deciding to become a DJ.”
Patience
“I was dating a guy who was drum&bass DJ. Hij was like a mentor to me and taught me how to mix. Obviously, he had a lot of patience!” (laughs) “In addition I knew this hardcore DJ named Hans Noise. He kept inviting me to parties. In those days, he was the only hardcore dj. I found an ally in hem.”

Thunderdome
“One day another friend came up to me and insisted: ‘You have to listen to this CD! This is truly horrible!’ It appeared to be a Thunderdome-compilation and I loved it! The enormous energy in the tracks – I couldn’t believe it! That’s when I knew for sure that becoming a DJ is what I wanted! Because I needed to let the Chileans get acquainted with this style.”
Impress
“My family weren’t into this kind of music, so none of them were present at my debut. Nor was a special boy present who I wanted to impress. I wanted to make a good impression on everyone. It was my first time, so I was mostly super excited!”

Crossfacer
“Looking back on it, my debut went well. Admittedly, at that point my mixing skill were a little basic. I only moved the crossfader from one channel to the other.” (laughs) “Overall, the beatmatching went fine. So yeah, I was quite happy. I couldn’t really enjoy my set myself, because I was too nervous and concentrated, but I could read from the faces around me that everyone was having a blast.”
Completely stopped
“I didn’t make any terrible mistakes that night. On my unofficial debut though, at someone’s birthday party, I did. I had learned to mix on two Sony turntables, both with a different pitch. At that party, for the first time I had to work with Technics. It was so different…! When I was making my first mix, I touched the vinyl to speed it up a bit and the music stopped completely…”

The real deal
“After this experience, I borrowed two Technics turntables to lear the real deal as fast as I could. As soon as I could, I bought my own set. I practiced for hours every day. Needless to say, that a mistake like this one that birthday never happened again.”
Crap
“In 2004, my next logical step was to start producing music with Reason-software. In no time I finishes a few tracks that sounded like crap.” (laughs) “In the end, I liked producing that much that I couldn’t stop and kept on making new music.”

Schranz
“In 2006 I released my first schranz vinyl on a sublabel of SCHUBfaktor. I remember sending demo CDs to many labels. In the end, I contacted DJ Promo. He actually replied with a lot of music production tips. He’s super cool!”
Third Movement
“This is the reason why I was able to play at one of the Third Movement’s famous events, named after DJ Promo’s label Club r_AW. This was in 2006 (picture above). One year before, in 2005, I came to Holland for the first time and played at some parties. My first gig in The Netherlands was at the party of nowadays good friend and colleague Mike Drama, called Industry of Techno.”

Rapunzel
“Besides harcore and schranz I also play techno, trance and drum&bass. In 2009 I started to produce techno as well, but for that I created a new alias: Rapunzel. I released tracks on Naked Lunch Records, Adult Records, Gobsmacked, Sub Cult and a few others. I also released one track on a ‘Various Artist’s’ vinyl of the Mastertraxx label.”
“Today I’m still active with all of the above. The past two years, together with Candy Cox I’m also in a project called No Dolls. On top of that, there’s another techno project in which I operate under a secret name. With this one I already released 2 EPs on renownded labels.”
This interview with Daniela Haverbeck is originally published in November 2016 on DJMag.nl.
Who is Daniela Haverbeck?
Chile, 1997. The electronic scene is growing with underground parties and raves. In this atmosphere is where Daniela Haverbeck got seduced by the “music from the machines” and develops as a DJ. Follower of electronic sounds since she was a child, listening musicians like Jean Michel Jarre and Kitaro and to Dance/Pop artists like Corona, Technotronic and Björk, she was inmediately captured by raves and parties that were going on in Santiago at the end of the 90s. It was at these encounters where she fell identified with techno and hardcore.
From Chilean’s underground techno scene emerges Daniela Haverbeck a.k.a. Rapunzel. Nowadays, she’s one of the most versatile and active Latin-American DJ/producers in the international scene. A few years after her interest in cold and potent rhythms drove her into hard techno and schranz, which was a rising style during that time. In her vinyl-case you could find records from the best producers of the genre: Frank Kvitta, OBI, Amok, Sven Wittekind, Arkus P, Waldhaus,Weichentechnikk, Seema, Boris S.
Daniela Haverbeck made a name for herself after ten years behind the decks, five European tours, and consecutives gigs spreading techno music throughout Latin-America.
Daniela Haverbeck played at Defqon1, Mysteryland Festival, Decibel Outdoor, Thunderdome, Free your Mind Festival, Footworx, Love Parade Chile and many more. She mostly concentrates on hard techno.
People who had the chance to watch Daniela Haverbeck performing, already know that during her sessions, they will enjoy massive tracks, high skills, and dark beats. Daniela Haverbeck stands with talent and perseverance, always keeping it real and following her music instincts.
Daniela Haverbeck’s work has been released (digital and 12”) on recognized labels as Mastertraxx, Gobsmacked, Tech Head, Subsequent, A.Paul‘s Naked Lunch, Sub Cult, Adults, and many more. She is part of Subsequent Records, right now one of the most important underground techno labels from South-America.
In 2010 Daniela Haverbeck chose Amsterdam as her home, so she moved definitely to The Netherlands. Her hard techno sessions distinguished themselves by its dynamics, with brakes and tricks that make her mixes always something new and fresh. When Daniela Haverbeck plays techno, she likes to build up a deep journey of hypnotic sounds, mixing with 3 decks.
More Daniela Haverbeck?
More First Gigs? Check them all here!