Before techno became a sea of screens and commercialised shirtless crowds, it was a sanctuary for the misfits and the escapists, a place of radical refuge where identity was fluid, and acceptance was the only law. In the aftermath of the pandemic, that essence has thinned, stretched by visibility and scale. Still, some clubs hold the line: cameras sealed with stickers, doors that filter intention. It is in this spirit of radical inclusion that the duo of Miss Bashful and Luca Eck share the stage today, casting a safety net over everybody in the room. Both emerged into the spotlight during the global stillness of the pandemic. Since then, the duo has injected a dose of experimental „hot girl shit“ into the traditionally dark and hard landscape of the techno scene. Tracking a shift in what the scene can hold, and who it makes space for. From Berlin to global stages.
For those searching for themselves on a night out, witnessing Miss Bashful and Luca Eck is a transformative experience. There is a certain power in seeing two people so unapologetically themselves. Miss Bashful reclaims stigmas like „small titties“, “short kings”, and „fake designer items“ and voices them into the microphone as aspirations. With Luca on the decks, the message is clear: non-conformity is a prerequisite, a good time is pre-determined. The night is already decided, you will let go.
The pair are a fascinating study in contradictions. On one hand, you have the „Slut Gospel“, a playful, deliberate reclamation of hyper-feminine aesthetics and bad bitch energy. On the other hand, you have two artists navigating shyness, heteronormativity, and the intimacy of their own names. Miss Bashful (ironically named for her shy real-life persona) and Luca Eck (named after themself) found a shared language in cunty outfits, experimental pop techno, and the humid intimacy of the dance floor. Editor Fiona Frommelt catches up with the besties to talk about faking it ‚til you make it, dressing cunty, and why life is better when you just match each other’s freak. Brace yourselves; it’s time for some hot girl shit.
TUSH: I love the term Slut Gospel because it’s so beautifully contradictory. It feels like a reclamation and an act against shame…
Miss Bashful: Yeah! I needed to make music that makes girlies feel like the baddies that they are. Every song I’ve made is a new chapter of the Slut Gospel.
Luca, if you were to establish your own church or sonic doctrine to sit alongside Slut Gospel, what would you call it, and what would its primary message be?
Luca Eck: My doctrine would be called Holy Multiplicity. It would be about embracing the clashes and contradictions within you instead of trying to smooth them out. It’s very much rooted in my non-binary identity. Instead of polishing everything into a single coherent yet simplified identity, you allow the tension to persist.
How did your shared desire to challenge the status quo shape the new, experimental direction of your music?
Miss Bashful: We both have that Berlin swag; the Berlin techno scene and clubbing really influenced me, but I think Luca and I are both moving in a more dance-pop direction. Experimenting together with music has been really fun.
Luca Eck: I’ve very consciously moved away from my days as a techno artist, mainly because I couldn’t really identify with the scene or the music anymore. It became more mainstream, and it started to feel too hetero and normative for me, which goes against my experimental spirit.
What makes you feel powerful on stage?
Miss Bashful: Faking it till you make it, honey. Life is just one big act! I’m actually super shy, that’s why my name is Miss Bashful (laughs).
Luca Eck: 100% agree with that. Always dare to try something even if it feels impossible to you. You miss all the shots you don’t take.
What role do make-up, hair and fashion play in that?
Luca Eck: I feel my absolute best when my hair and make-up are done, and I’m wearing a really cunty outfit. There’s a kind of confidence that comes with a look that feels completely on point and true to who you are. You move differently, you carry yourself differently, and you step into the room with a different kind of energy.
Miss Bashful: Yes! Aesthetics are everything. I’ve always been an aesthetics girly. My mama is my beauty diva icon. She gets glammed up every day and looks fabulous even if she ain’t doing nothing but going to the grocery store. I love getting all dolled up, experimenting with my outfits, and working with up-and-coming designers.
Being a performer is an act of intimacy, even as you both move within highly curated personas…
Luca Eck: Totally! Sometimes I regret using my real name for my artist persona. It makes everything that much more intimate. Like this, everything I release and post needs to be 100% aligned with who I am personally. Having a more detached artist project under an alias would make it simpler.
Miss Bashful: Miss B is very curated, but it’s also an extension and amplification of myself. I’m actually a very chill, silly and kinda lazy bitch in real life (laughs). I want to show that side to the fans one day…
What is your escapism?
Miss Bashful: 3-MMC and chain smoking – sex, drugs and rock n roll baby, or in this case techno (laughs)
Luca Eck: Agreed; Sex, Movies and Cocktails!
So: Sex, drugs and techno, but how do you both navigate emotion in your music?
Miss Bashful: I’m actually a super emotional shawty. That’s why I like to make bad bitch music: I know how powerful a bad bitch track can make you feel when you’re feeling down.
Luca Eck: I have two moods in music: Either I’m in my feels and produce the saddest club track that you’ve ever heard, or I work with baddies like Miss Bashful to make the horniest slut pop to go crazy to.
You’re currently touring together. How did this collaboration come about?
Miss Bashful: We went into the studio without any expectations, and we made a song called Hunka Hunka Meow Meow, and I was like, yessss, Luca matches my freak and sexiness. We kept linking and making hot tracks; it felt so easy, everything just flowed. It was a perfect match, Luca is such a super cutie, nerdy, talented producer, and they know how to make a sexy production!
Luca Eck: Working with Miss B has been the cutest and most spiritually aligned process ever. And we became besties in the process, which I am super grateful for.
