Michael Ellis

Michael Ellis started with small, self-organized events in the forests surrounding his hometown of Freiburg. Soon, the German-American immersed himself in the world of underground disco and house tracks from past decades and became addicted to these pumping sounds. For more than a decade, he has been traveling as a DJ, spinning his records on other people's turntables in the region and abroad. Since he spends most of his time outside of Freiburg in the New York area and around Amsterdam, his luggage constantly exceeds several kilos of vinyl. Ellis's DJ sets are therefore always enriched with surprising finds from record stores near and far, always in keeping with his love for tracks that are both uplifting and spiritual, percussive and pumping, mostly vocal and always slamming.

His pure house music series Ready or Not and its monthly offshoots, the Sunday House Dance Jams and Roller Disco, foster the connection between dance and club culture in the region. In 2023, he teamed up with his longtime collaborator Klingberg, co-founder of the label Reach Another System. Together, they conceived the idea for their new venture, Brighter Days. Each DJ sets their own focus and vision for mostly underground, niche dance music, and Brighter Days allows them to explore their passion and host international artists such as Kléo, Charlie, Loradeniz, Djoy, and Sinamin.