DJ & Label Co-founder · Berlin, Germany
Dixon
Dixon (Steffen Berkhahn) is the Berlin DJ who co-founded Innervisions with Âme and topped Resident Advisor's poll four years running, 2013 to 2016.
quick facts
- Real name
- Steffen Berkhahn
- Born
- 21 December 1975
- Birthplace
- Anklam, Germany
- Nationality
- German
- Based in
- Berlin, Germany
- Labels
- Innervisions
- Genres
- House, Deep House, Techno
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, de.wikipedia.org, api.discogs.com
Dixon is the DJ most closely identified with the idea that house music in Berlin could be emotional, melodic and still serious. Working from the city where minimal techno once dominated, he built a reputation on long, deep sets and, with the Âme duo, a record label that grew into one of the most influential imprints in house.
Early Life and Path Into Music
Dixon was born Steffen Berkhahn in Anklam, according to English Wikipedia, which gives his date of birth as 21 December 1975 and says he grew up in East Berlin. German Wikipedia confirms the 1975 birth year and the Anklam birthplace. Both pages say he played football as a teenager and had hoped for a professional career, which injury ended.
He began DJing under the name Dixon in the early 1990s in Berlin clubs including Turbine, Tresor, E-Werk and WMF. For several years he held a weekly residency at WMF with Mitja Prinz, which English Wikipedia says he calls a key experience in his formative years, and his residencies at Tresor, WMF and later the Weekend Club all involved long sets. Tresor is still part of the city's scene today, as our guide to the best Berlin clubs shows.
Sound and Style
In a city known for techno, Wikipedia says Dixon established a reputation as a deep house DJ. The German daily Die Welt, as cited there, credits him with bringing vocals, drama and grand emotions back to the dancefloor after years in which minimal techno dominated the scene, and Die Tageszeitung is quoted saying that Dixon and Innervisions changed the sound of Berlin. That sums up the appeal: sets that are patient and warm.
He often makes his own edits of other artists' tracks for use in his DJ sets. English Wikipedia lists his 2017 edit of Depeche Mode's "Cover Me" and a 2018 edit of LCD Soundsystem's "I Used To", both released on Columbia Records, among the most notable.
The Label Story
Dixon first did label and A&R work at Recreation Recordings, the sublabel of Sonar Kollektiv, where he mixed the Off Limits DJ series, according to German Wikipedia. In 2005 he founded Innervisions with Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann of Âme. The label began as a Sonar Kollektiv sublabel and went independent in 2006, as RTS.FM notes in its independent labels study. English Wikipedia quotes Mixmag saying the label has had "an astounding influence on the global house scene."
Dixon's own releases on the label include the 2009 mix "Temporary Secretary" and the 2010 compilation "Five Years of Innervisions", which he mixed with Air, according to the discography. He has also worked closely with Âme and the Swiss producer Henrik Schwarz: the trio released the EPs "Where We At" (2006), "D.P.O.M.B." (2008) and "A Critical Mass Live" (2010), and the mix album "The Grandfather Paradox" in 2009. Other collaborators named on Wikipedia include Georg Levin and Derrick Carter. The label marked its 20th anniversary in 2025 with a Los Angeles show promoted by Framework on 13 September 2025, which Electronic Groove reported, with Dixon and Âme as co-founders on the bill.
Career Highlights
Wikipedia says Dixon was voted number one in Resident Advisor's Top 100 DJ poll in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, the last annual poll of the series. The same page lists a club-wear brand he co-owns, Together We Dance Alone, which he started in 2017, and an Ibiza residency and digital platform called Transmoderna that launched in the summer of 2019 at Pacha, running for 20 Fridays, with a move to DC10 announced for 2020.
His profile reached beyond clubs when he was added to GTA Online in 2018 as a nightclub DJ in the After Hours update, alongside Solomun, Tale Of Us and The Black Madonna. RTS.FM covered that precedent in our GTA VI soundtrack piece.
FAQ
Who is Dixon?
Dixon is the DJ name of Steffen Berkhahn, a German house and techno DJ and producer based in Berlin. He co-founded the label Innervisions in 2005 with Âme, and was voted number one in Resident Advisor's Top 100 DJ poll from 2013 to 2016.
How old is Dixon?
Dixon was born on 21 December 1975, which makes him 50 (age 50 as of October 2026).
Where is Dixon from?
Dixon was born in Anklam in northeast Germany and grew up in East Berlin. He is now based in Berlin.
What genre does Dixon play?
Dixon plays house and techno and is best known as a deep house DJ, with a style built on long sets, vocals and emotional builds.
What is Dixon's real name?
His real name is Steffen Berkhahn. He started DJing as Dixon in the early 1990s.
What is Innervisions?
Innervisions is a Berlin record label founded in 2005 by Dixon with Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann of Âme. It started as a Sonar Kollektiv sublabel and became independent in 2006.
Which video game features Dixon?
Dixon was added to Grand Theft Auto Online in 2018 as a nightclub DJ in the After Hours update.
What is Transmoderna?
Transmoderna is the Ibiza residency and digital platform that Dixon launched in summer 2019, first hosted at Pacha every Friday for 20 weeks.
festivals
- NachtdigitalLeipzig, 30 JUL 2027 - 01 AUG 2027→
- Love InternationalTisno, 7-13 JUL 2027→
- Nuits SonoresLyon, 5-9 MAY 2027→
Past appearances and announced lineups only, each checked against the festival's own records.