Kindergarten Records

Kindergarten Records is a New York–based label, radio show, and party series started in 2017 by DJ and producer Ma Sha. The record label officially launched in 2020, growing out of those early parties into one of New York’s most distinctive platforms for contemporary club music. Known for “forward-thinking dance music” and “cosmic club workouts with wigged-out rhythmic structures,” Kindergarten blends techno, club, bass, and experimental rhythms into music that is unpredictable, physical, and easy to dance to.

Alongside its releases, Kindergarten has fostered a vibrant community through events and a long-running residency on The Lot Radio, where extended “massive B2B sessions, joyous vibes bubbling even through a screen” [DJ Mag] have become central to its identity.

In 2022, Kindergarten Records received Best Breakthrough Label at the DJ Mag North America Awards. Today, Kindergarten continues to be a playground for artists, full of collaboration, experimentation, and high-energy fun — living up to its reputation as “a Queens-based label responsible for some of the most dynamic and creative club music coming out of the five boroughs” [Resident Advisor].

Ma Sha:

Ma Sha is a New York-based producer and DJ who has been active in the scene since 2017 when she co-founded event series - now a NYC staple - Kindergarten. Since then, she established a radio show which holds a monthly residency on The Lot Radio, as well as a record label that has won “Best Breakthrough Label” at the 2022 DJ Mag North America Awards. Focusing on cosmic club workouts with wigged-out rhythmic structures, the label “has become an essential outpost for hard-to-define, easy-to-dance-to club music in just two short years” [DJ Mag]; presenting “twisty, rowdy and unpredictable club music rooted in techno from both sides of the Atlantic” [Resident Advisor].

Apart from running Kindergarten Records, Ma Sha is currently focusing on her solo productions to present her take on experimental high-voltage dance music. “The Kindergarten Records founder does what she knows best: producing brain-melting club music with metallic drums that bounce with the force of a ricocheting pinball.” [Resident Advisor]. She has released four EPs on Steel City Dance Discs, Nervous Horizon, Kindergarten Records and has made appearances on TraTraTrax, Nerve Collect, and Rhythm Section International.

However, Ma Sha is not a novice within the realm of production; as she has been active as half of the band Sha Ru who have been on the radar since their debut EP in 2019.