Berlin is a fickle friend, a city that throws up unlimited scope and unseen perils in equal measures. A muse to some - spurring them on to new heights of creativity, a vampire’s kiss to others - intoxicating at first, it eventually sucks them dry, leaving a hollow shell with nothing left but dreams of what might have been. Luckily, Magda already had something of the night about her when she arrived in 2003 and, liberated from the clutches of New York’s draconian attitude to club culture, she took to the Berlin underground like a fish to water. The notorious Beatstreet afterhour parties got the energy coursing through her veins once more and she immediately set about reevaluating and redefining her relationship to the music. An intense flurry of activity followed. Together with Troy Pierce and Marc Houle, Magda began exploring new software based production possibilities, honing her turntable skills and extending her dj sets in order to satisfy the insatiable appetites of Berlin’s club kids. The transition was by no means straight forward, taking both time and dedication but the hybrib sound that emerged, drawing inspiration from the twin towers of Berlin and Detroit, has gone on to capture the imagination of clubbers the world over. In this sense, last year’s mix compilation She’s a Dancing Machine represents the first volume of her audio-biography and sums up the ambition that drives this diminutive figure behind the decks. Somehow finding the time to throw down an epic 70 track, multi-layered excursion between the 130 shows she clocked up in 2006 (never mind the afterhours) really cemented her reputation, topping off a year that also saw her hold successful residencies at Robert Johnson (Offenbach), Technique (Leeds) and Fuse (Brussels) plus numerous appearances at festivals around the globe such as Lowlands, Sonar, The Detroit Music Festival and Mutek. Yet despite reaching the enviable position of being able to choose her gigs, there is no room for complacency. Shouldering the increasing weight of expectation she has come to expect the unexpected, in fact adversity has often propelled her on to greater things. There’s also a sense of duty to keep pushing the envelope and this year she’ll be expanding her set-up to incorporate an additional computer running Ableton next to the efx, delay peddles and sample loops that already give her sets their distinctive flavour. It’s a move that should blur the boundaries between studio production and live performance even further and will no doubt help formulate ideas for her upcoming album which promises to be another continuous exploration into deep, dark, minimal disco. However before that there’s a string of remixes to enjoy for 2007 including Heartthrob’s Baby Kate (Minus), Gotham Road by Ryan Crossen (Trapez) and Louderbach (Underline). Someone once said‚ the only place success come before work is in the dictionary. Well, Magda has definitely put in the work although she’s happier leaving the definition of success to others. The arrival is superfluous. Just like her late night musical excursions, it’s the journey that’s important and with it the desire to maintain the high standards she sets and feed the creative hunger within - if that’s also good enough for us, then so be it.