A former boxer from northern Germany turned Berlin techno producer, Afem Syko brought his trance-led turn from hard techno to the ALIVE night at E1 in Wapping.
Afem Syko, a Berlin techno producer first released on Kobosil’s R Label Group, headlined ALIVE, E1’s hard techno night in Wapping, on Friday 9 October 2026. HU played in support.
Born Matthias and raised in a small city in northern Germany, he came to music from boxing, training towards a professional career with hip hop as his soundtrack. His first techno event was the last official Love Parade, in 2010, and it changed his course.
He took the Afem Syko alias after producing under other names, shaped by Paul Kalkbrenner and by The Advent and Industrialyzer. His debut EP, RAS1, came out on R Label Group, and releases on EXHALE and Carouse followed.
He then stepped back from hard techno’s rising tempos towards trance and groove. That sound, led by vocals and off-beat basslines, earned him the nickname Bouncy Syko. His acid single “Break” followed in August 2026 on Speedmaster Records, a sub-label of Funk Tribu’s TRIBE collective.
E1 was already on his record, and he returned at the head of the ALIVE bill. The club opened on Pennington Street in 2017 and is independently owned, with room for 1,600.