Dvs1
DVS1, born Zak Khutoretsky in Minneapolis, spent decades throwing and playing raves before becoming one of Berghain's most closely associated residents, a position that has made him a fixture of the Berlin club's techno programming. He built a reputation not only for his DJ sets but for speaking critically about the structural challenges facing the electronic music community, writing publicly about the tension between art and entertainment within club culture. In 2020 he launched ASlice, a revenue-sharing platform designed to address pay disparities between DJs and the producers whose tracks fill their sets, asking DJs to submit playlists and redirect a small percentage of gig fees back to the artists behind the music.
He discussed the platform's origins during an RA Exchange interview recorded live from Amsterdam Dance Event. Musically, DVS1 has released on Klockworks, Derrick May's Transmat, Ostgut Ton and his own label, HUSH, alongside sister imprint Mistress Recordings, output that has helped define a deep, versatile strain of Minneapolis-rooted techno. His approach emphasizes learning from failure and the importance of sound-system quality, themes he has returned to across interviews discussing his residency and production philosophy.
Decades into his career, DVS1 remains defined by the combination of his Berghain residency, his own label infrastructure and his advocacy work reshaping how DJs and producers share revenue.