Elninodiablo: The Downey Groove as Womb, Slap, and Queer Resurrection

Berlin nightlife has its saints and sinners, its cult parties and its cautionary tales. But very few figures straddle all of those roles at once with the unashamed intensity of Elninodiablo — the queer Berlin icon, Lunchbox Candy co-founder, and newly reborn producer about to drop his most fearless offering yet: The Downey Groove (out September 19 on El Niño Diablo Music).

Elninodiablo shot by Matthias Leton

The record feels less like a debut and more like a full-body exorcism — conceived alone in the mountains of Cyprus with nothing but a laptop, headphones and a field recorder, then road-tested in Berlin’s queer basements and festival headline slots. It’s a dub-drenched, body-driven trip through rhythm, psychedelia and raw sensuality.

Elninodiablo describes the record as “a womb-like slap in the face and a warm, gentle cuddle” — and the duality runs through everything he does: his music, his parties, his politics, even his vision of freedom in a Berlin that still clings to the myth of it.

"My ego traps need the womb-like slap and my inner child needs the warm cuddle."

We had a conversation that goes beyond nightlife mythology — into grief, ego, rhythm as therapy, queer futurism, and why Berlin might not be as “free” as its branding claims.

Elninodiablo shot by Adam Munnings

Q&A with Elninodiablo

You’ve described The Downey Groove as “a womb-like slap in the face and a warm, gentle cuddle.” What part of you needs the slap — and what part needs the cuddle (the most)?

My ego traps need the womb-like slap and my inner child needs the warm cuddle.

The record was conceived alone in the Cyprus mountains with just a laptop, headphones and a field recorder. No clubs, no crowds, no loveroom. How did isolation/ silence drive this sound?

Pure play, stillness, openness, the wonders of being in nature and experimentation with bare basic ingredients without pressure and no expectations.

Queer spaces come with a desire for freedom, self expression, creativity, sensuality, connection...

You’ve said the process started in the body, not the mind. How does that differ to you?

When a process starts in the mental realm — analytical, conditioned, compartmentalised and limited — for me, the result usually comes out contrived, inauthentic, distorted and not in alignment.

When a spark of inspiration that leads to wanting to encapsulate a creative expression is led by feeling then that becomes the guiding principle and my body is the tuning fork that decides.

Berlin has the delusion of being free by doing whatever the hell it wants as long as it doesn’t have to take accountability

You’ve been part of queer underground culture in London, Berlin and around the globe in various ways. How have queer spaces shaped your music? And what has inspired you the most in producing the album?

Genuine underground (or authentic) queer spaces come with a desire for freedom, self expression, creativity, sensuality, connection, otherness and thinking outside the box — all these are some of the elements that are inherent to my musical creative output and my artistic expression.

The biggest inspiration for the album was my state of being at the time of recording. The music became the conduit (or you could say the medicine) I needed to immerse myself in at the time to feel into and expand. From a musical perspective I’m always drawn to multidimensional and expansive sound that becomes a universe to explore, and considers the space it resides in as much as it does the music itself.

People are looking to escape, dissociate, chase peaks, shut down and then package it in a disembodied ‘culture of cool’ 

Berlin has always fetishised the idea of “freedom” in nightlife. Do you think Berlin is free?

I think Berlin has the delusion of being free by giving itself license to do whatever the hell it wants as long as it doesn’t have to truly face itself, take accountability and responsibility, acknowledge its wounds and do the inner work — and that is reflected in nightlife as well.

Elninodiablo shot by Arnaud Ele

Freedom is actually inverted here — as freedom to escape yourself — which takes you into a deeper hole and keeps perpetuating pain, trauma and self-harm. So yeah it’s controversial and this will trigger many people but after living here for 10 years this is what I’ve observed and experienced first hand.

People are looking to escape, dissociate, chase peak experiences, soothe, shut down and then package everything in a disembodied ‘culture of cool’ whilst being validated or looked up to by everyone else that operates in the same ‘scene’ around them.

Lunchbox Candy is much more than just a party for its community. How has the vision come together from the birth to what you see today? And what’s the future vision?

The original vision was to bring joy, playfulness, colour and community with a sense of self-care and safety at its core — a kindergarten for adults if you like — a healing space for our queer inner children with music, movement and radical self-expression at the forefront. An intention to check in instead of checking out. To bring lightness, heart and feeling back into the dance floor.

The vision constantly evolves through our own and the community’s personal evolution and creative inspiration.

Personally I would love to explore the concept of sobriety much deeper, re-evaluate the impact substances have on the choices people make

Lunchbox Candy has become a mini festival where we get to experiment and try out different ideas — from the profound to the profane and everything in-between. It’s a collaborative effort and it really does take a village to pull it off.

The Sugar Free (sober) editions have been a revelation to discover how much need, demand and curiosity there is to sober clubbing and leading a sober lifestyle. And also how explosively joyous it has been.

Personally I would love to explore the concept of sobriety much deeper, re-evaluate the impact substances have on the choices people make through abuse/misuse and discover what’s possible in these queer spaces when we collectively co-create incredible and engaging experiences that don’t require further enhancement.

 It’s an energetic transmission and it will attract the same within that frequency bandwidth. 

Elninodiablo shot by Eva Zanettin

Queer spaces in Berlin are constantly under threat. How do you keep Lunchbox Candy connected and hopeful?

This year has seen a big effort to bring our internal team closer together with heart circles, team building gatherings, get togethers, one on one check-ins and countless meetings to address issues, improve things, gather feedback from the community and implement as much as we can.

The thing that keeps us driven is a sense of fun, lightness, collaboration, mutual respect, sharing common values and a thirst to keep coming up with inspirational ideas that we want to experience for ourselves and others.

I really stand by, that frequency — as in one’s essence, the predominant feeling you project out into the world — is our most precious super power. It’s an energetic transmission and it will attract the same within that frequency bandwidth. So rather than focusing on what we don’t want to see, or how badly the world is unravelling, we strive to embody what we do want to experience, do that to the max and send an energetic ripple out into the world.

I was too scared and insecure in my earlier years to step into my own creativity and artistry until I did enough work on myself to not care about what anyone else thinks anymore.

You’ve worked PR for others. Now you’re centre stage with your own music. Was making The Downey Groove a way of reclaiming your own story? If so, what’s that story boiled down to one sentence?

To be brutally honest I was too scared and insecure in my earlier years to step into my own creativity and artistry until I did enough work on myself to not care about what anyone else thinks anymore.

I really loved the years working in PR for other artists — I learned a lot about performance, the creative process, diversity, counter cultures, publishing, media, the music industry, the struggles, the highs and lows… all these experiences offered such a rich tapestry that enriches my own creative output.

Choose your frequencies wisely and with discernment.

Do you see rhythm and bass as a form of therapy?

Absolutely — we’re made out of trillions of cells that constantly vibrate in a certain frequency and directly influenced by our environment. Rhythm and bass coupled together with movement can be a hugely powerful form of therapy — with the right intentions and selections sound can elevate, activate and heal as much as it can drain, attract dense energies, dark entities and cause harm. Choose your frequencies wisely and with discernment.