Magdalena Celebrates The Magic of The Golden Hour With Shadows Miami

Long before becoming a celebrated producer, DJ, and event producer, she honed her skills as a pivotal part of Solomun’s Diynamic family. Behind the scenes, she was a powerhouse running the label’s famous EGO club in her hometown, Hamburg. By the time she started her weekly party at the German hotspot, she was already well on her way to stardom. She’d spent years learning every aspect of the industry and thus understood how to read the room as a DJ and properly build a vibe as a host.

Her infectiously positive spirit, brilliant understanding of what moves the room, and gorgeously produced music put her in prime position to dominate clubland. And after residencies in Ibiza, appearances on festival stages, and releases on Diynamic, John Digweed’s Bedrock, Mobilee, Anjunadeep, and Nicole Moudaber’s Mood, she decided to curate her party concept, Shadows.

Firmly focussed on vibey emotive melodic house and techno, Magdalena had curated a brand that excels at uplifting new artists and showcasing well-established ones in beautiful settings that heighten the music and allow dancers to go inward, just a bit. 

Shadows takes its name from the ineffable transition from day to night. When you can observe your silhouette lengthen and shimmer in the daylight as it slowly disappears with the setting sun. 

The next stop for Shadows is Miami Music Week at The National Hotel on Sunday, March 27. We caught up with Magdalena to chat about the lauded party brand re-emerging from the pandemic, what she loves about Miami, and the magic that the golden hour holds for her.

Tickets are available now.

You just did a Shadows event in Tulum and at SXM. And the concept is widely known around the world. So what’s unique about bringing the vibe to the US.

With the SHADOWS vibe, we try to capture the Ibiza feeling as it was back in the days and bring it to places around the world like Tulum, the Caribbean for SXM Festival, or Miami in a few weeks. I’d say what’s unique is the way we curate the days and nights musically and our approach to the overall concept.

You had a pretty long history in the industry before starting Shadows. What was the motivation behind starting something of your own?

My motivation behind SHADOWS is that I wanted to build a platform where I can showcase talent, which inspires me in my sets. There are so many super talented newcomer producers out there who are missing a platform for exposure. With SHADOWS, I am creating a platform where we can highlight such talent.

In club culture, we are so trained to treasure sunrises. Yet, there’s something magical about the change from day tonight. So why did you decide to focus on that as part of Shadows? 

I love the golden hour. That’s the time when you naturally start to slow down and find your inner self. Also, with music, this is a very interesting time for transition. The vibe goes from laid back-relaxed over to uplifting, energetic. Perfect to showcase different electronic music styles in one party while still hitting the right vibe for every set.

What magic does that space hold for you?

Going on a night out is like turning the page in my book of life to a blank and unwritten sheet. New stories are to be told. The transition from day to night is when this page gets turned, and a new small story starts to be written.

Miami holds its own as a party city alongside Tulum, Ibiza, and any other city in the world. But the vibe is different. What do you treasure about Miami?

I love the energy in Miami. I’ve had amazing morning sets that turned into extended daytime sessions. I feel like the party crowd in Miami is full of energy and manages to stay on the dancefloor for a very long time. Maybe that’s because, in Tulum and Ibiza, the party crowd kinda runs from one party to the next without taking the time to really immerse themselves in the party they’re in at the moment. In Miami, that’s different.

Can you talk about the new design concept for Shadows? What inspired the change, and is it a reflection of any personal changes?

Of course, the forced Covid break was also a time to think about all of the details. Me and my team felt like the SHADOWS brand needed a visual uplift, and we were lucky to have found a very talented visual artist called Tommy Onraed, who does an amazing job. The new design already looks amazing, but we’re still tweaking the last few details with every event we put on until I have the feeling that the design is perfect for the years to come.

You took some time off last year to work on music. Will we be hearing any of this music in Miami?

This you can be sure of! Loads of new music coming…

You also told Mixmag Brazil that breakbeats and a new synth had inspired you. Breaks have always been a massively underrepresented genre. What about the genre has inspired you more recently, and do you see the genre being more prominent on bigger stages?

When I listen to music, I don’t think so much about what I listen to. It’s more my tummy that takes the decisions. I need to feel good when defining the style of music that I play. Kind of like falling in love, where you don’t use your brain to fall in love; it’s your heart that makes decisions. My tummy tells me that breakbeats and new synths are a way to spice up things at the moment, so if you’re asking me if these genres will become more prominent on bigger stages, I’d give you a yes :)

Breakbeat also has a pretty legendary connection to Miami and Florida. How do your sets in each city reflect the musical DNA of the community there?

I put a lot of thinking and preparation into every set I play. I don’t just arrive at the venue, put my USB stick into the player and start playing. Every time I travel to a new city, I check the taste of the local scene, combine this with my own taste in music and create something unique for every city.

Finish this sentence. House music is… 

…one of the reasons I get out of bed every morning.

Words by: Alex Dias