The cupids of clubland: DJ HEARTSTRING will make you fall in love on the dancefloor

Not only are they a creative yin and yang, but it’s increasingly apparent during our conversation that Jonas and Leo complement each other on a personal level, too. Leo’s cool, laidback nature eases Jonas when he needs it, while the uninhibited energy his friend radiates can lift Leo when a pick-me-up might be in order. Being friends before becoming colleagues has helped them realise the importance of nurturing their relationship, so amidst their jam-packed schedule – which will take them to South America for the first time this year – the boys make it a priority to carve out time to check in. “We’re very honest and open… It’s almost like we’re in a relationship,” they joke.

With so many references and inspirations feeding in, a musical moodboard is hard to pin down, but names like Jennifer Cardini, DJ Koze, Palms Trax and Mall Grab pop up along with the German hip hop and alt-rock that soundtracked their youth. There’s another, unignorable influence that makes itself known as you scroll through their SoundCloud: pop music. An appreciation of it threads together their colourful tracks and sets, with Madonna, Beyoncé and Gwen Stefani all receiving the DJ HEARTSTRING treatment over the years. “There’s an element of fun production which resonates with us. You just have to look at all the pop Jonas listens to,” Leo, a self-confessed Nelly Furatado fan, says, before prompting his friend to proudly reveal that two Kelly Clarkson staples were in his most replayed last year.

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An affinity for pop legends, combined with their vibrant musical and visual identity (they have a love of baby blue and pink, a stark contrast from the all-black, all-leather Berlin techno archetype) has, unsurprisingly, won the pair a devout LGBTIQA+ following. It’s no better encapsulated better than the location of their first-ever gig, the wonderfully debaucherous queer party Mala Junta. “I remember at dinner beforehand, Nayme, one of the co-founders, told us that we make really gay music,” Leo recalls with a smile appearing on his face. “It’s not something we sat down and planned – it just happened the way it did.”

The duo – who are both straight and cisgender – take the community’s embrace of them as a “huge” compliment. “It’s really rewarding, because we are very mindful that the music we make comes from a queer, POC background,” Jonas says. It hasn’t always been a smooth ride though, with accusations of queerbaiting being flung around in the early days, leading them to seek advice and guidance from their queer friends in the industry. “Coming from a place like Berlin, we’re very hyperaware of queerbaiting… We’ve been doing this for long enough now that over time, it kind of transcends. People understand it’s not a thing we play into to be successful.”