Len Faki

Len Faki is one of the few techno DJs whose name is attached to a room as much as to a sound. A resident at Berlin's Berghain, he plays a hard, driving but groove-conscious strain of techno that has made him a fixture of the genre's biggest stages, and through his own Figure label he has spent more than two decades shaping what that sound looks like on vinyl. This profile covers where he comes from, what he has built, and what the record shows.

Early Life and Path Into Music

Len Faki's real name is Levent Faki. According to German Wikipedia he was born in 1975 in Stuttgart, is of Turkish descent and grew up in the Esslingen district of southern Germany. The German entry gives only the year of birth, and we found no source that publishes a full date.

He began in the Stuttgart techno scene in the mid-1990s under the pseudonym DJ La Monde, with a project called Lexicon on the house label Plastic City, as English Wikipedia summarises it. His first label came early: Monoid, founded in Stuttgart in 1997, followed by Feis in 1999. Both put out records by artists such as Uroš Umek, Samuel L. Session, John Selway, The Hacker and Bolz Bolz. In 2001 he released a debut album, Music for Some Place Other Than This, which a biography on the Hungarian venue A38's site says appeared under the pseudonym lamonde on Feis. A mix compilation, Lamonde at the Wheels of Steel, followed in August 2002.

Moving to Berlin

Faki moved from Stuttgart to Berlin in 2002 according to both Wikipedia editions, though Discogs and the A38 biography place his arrival at the start of 2003, so the exact timing is loose. The move matters because it put him inside the city's club scene just as Berghain was replacing Ostgut. In a January 2024 interview with 909originals, Faki said he has been a Berghain resident since the club opened and played its opening night, and that he has spent more hours there than at any other club. Both Wikipedia pages list him as a resident DJ of the venue who also plays internationally.

Sound and Style

Faki's records sit in the harder, more percussive end of techno, built for large rooms but rarely reduced to speed. In the 909originals interview he said he prefers tracks with groove and soul over very fast tempos, which he feels lose their appeal as BPM rises. His catalogue is also wider than the club image suggests: the same interview describes a taste for electro, downtempo, synth pop and ambient work, and he has spoken in favour of chill-out and electronica rooms in clubs.

Charlotte de Witte, who has named a Len Faki festival set as the origin of her own move toward harder techno according to her Wikipedia entry, is one of the clearest examples of his influence on a younger generation. Her RTS.FM artist profile covers that shift in detail.

Labels and Releases

Faki's label work is the backbone of his career. Figure, which both English Wikipedia and MusicBrainz date to 2003, began as a home for his own productions and later grew sub-labels, including Figure Jams, Figure SPC and Figure Open Space, which the 909originals interview describes as an outlet for electronica and ambient. German Wikipedia frames Figure as a sublabel of Len Series, an independent parent label also founded in 2003. MusicBrainz lists Figure, Podium and LF RMX as labels he founded. In 2006 he launched Podium, conceived as an EP imprint for himself and friends. The 909originals interview marks Figure's 20th anniversary in 2024 and says it now releases fewer records per year, with no fixed schedule.

His alias Hardspace is both an artist name and a remix label. In the same interview Faki described it as the successor to the LF RMX series, built around six-track EPs designed for DJs, with a first volume in November 2023 featuring Viers, Helena Hauff, Perry and Rhodan, Resist 101 and Ectomorph.

Career Highlights

The breakthrough came in 2007 with "Mekong Delta" and "My Black Sheep". According to German Wikipedia, readers of Groove magazine voted him Best Newcomer and Best Producer in the magazine's 2007 poll, with "Mekong Delta" placing first and "My Black Sheep" fourth among tracks. The "Rainbow Delta" and "Mekong Delta" 12-inch appeared on Ostgut Ton in 2007, and Ostgut Ton also released his Berghain 03 mix CD in 2009. Later records include Basement Trax Vol. 01 on Ostgut Ton in 2013, the LF & JH twelve-inches on Figure in 2013, and the Skulls EP with Markus Suckut on Figure in 2014. English Wikipedia lists a 2017 remix of Radio Slave's "Grindhouse" as well.

In July 2023 he released Fusion, a double-CD set largely made during the pandemic. In the 909originals interview he presented it as a full-length album that mixes electro, downtempo, synth pop, drum and bass and techno (the A38 biography above credits his 2001 debut to the lamonde alias). His own Bandcamp page lists the Fusion EPs and remixes alongside collaborations such as "Superstition" with Juxta Position and "Hidden Objects" with Slam, Scuba and Philippe Petit.

Faki also turns up on compilation history outside his own labels. Cocoon's eighth compilation in 2008 included him alongside Cassy, Joris Voorn, Dubfire and others, as our timeline of Cocoon Recordings notes.

FAQ

Who is Len Faki?

Len Faki is a German techno DJ and producer, born in Stuttgart and based in Berlin. He is a resident DJ at Berghain and the founder of the Figure and Podium labels.

How old is Len Faki?

Len Faki was born in 1975, according to German Wikipedia, which makes him 50 or 51 as of October 2026. He has not published a full birth date in any source we found.

Where is Len Faki from?

Len Faki is German and was born in Stuttgart. He grew up in the Esslingen district of southern Germany and has lived in Berlin since the early 2000s.

What genre does Len Faki play?

Len Faki plays techno, in a driving, groove-led style that sits toward the harder and more minimal end of the genre. His wider catalogue also touches electro, downtempo and ambient.

What is Len Faki's real name?

His real name is Levent Faki. He began his career under the pseudonym DJ La Monde and also uses the alias Hardspace.

Which labels does Len Faki run?

He founded Monoid in 1997, Feis in 1999, Figure in 2003 and Podium in 2006. Figure also has sub-labels including Figure Jams, Figure SPC and Figure Open Space.

Is Len Faki a Berghain resident?

Yes. Both Wikipedia editions list him as a resident DJ at Berghain, and he told 909originals in 2024 that he has been a resident since the club opened.

What was Len Faki's breakthrough track?

His breakthrough came in 2007 with "Mekong Delta" and "My Black Sheep". The "Rainbow Delta" and "Mekong Delta" 12-inch was released on Ostgut Ton that year.

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