You read it right! ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano performed the first-ever DJ set from Outer Space on the ISS. On August 13th, 2019, in cooperation with the European Space Agency, BigCityBeats founder and pioneer Bernd Breiter turned his visions of curating the first-ever DJ set, live from outer space, into reality.

Stream his performance here:

ESA astronaut and future commander Luca Parmitano played the first beats 400 kilometers high, from the International Space Station to the BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME Cruise Edition. From the ISS to Ibiza, where the cruise liner Norwegian Pearl was anchored in a picturesque setting in the harbor of Europe’s number one party island – unifying science and entertainment, and achieving new and unprecedented dimensions. The incredible partnership between BigCityBeats and the ESA space organizations on the ISS, is a joint venture between ESA (Europe), NASA (USA), Roskosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan) and CSA (Canada).

Around 2,500 passengers and 100 VIPs, including Giulia Siegel, Maren Gilzer (Wheel of Fortune), the former Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfäller, swimming Olympic champion Michael Groß, the Swedish superstar model Marcus Schenkenberg and Jasmin Wagner, as well as superstar DJs such as Robin Schulz, Don Diablo, EDX, Felix Kröcher, dr. Motte and Le Shuuk all bore witness to this ground-breaking event.

One for the history books, this was not just a world premiere but rather an out-of-this-world premiere. At 11 pm CET, live footage of the first DJ performance from space appeared on the screens, as Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano delivered an astounding 15-minute DJ set, impressively demonstrating his recently acquired skills while throwing in some gravity-defying moves that made for one of the most entertaining sets ever played. Due to logistical restrictions on board the ISS, it was not possible to bring full DJ equipment, so Parmitano played on an iPad and digital mixer but this certainly did not limit the skilled astronaut as he was still able to take the concept of spinning the decks to his own unique level. 

“It was an incredible opportunity for all of us to make a dream come true. This opportunity to combine science and music was a great experience. I hope that everyone now sees the world a little bit differently and enjoys life – just as we do this up here on the ISS.”

 

The journey continues, not just for the passengers and VIPs onboard the Cruise Edition, but with the further expansion of the BigCityBeats brand. Next, on the agenda, the Winter Edition will kick off on January 2020 in Düsseldorf. Aside from this, following the success of its debut one-day event in Malta earlier this month, organizers have just announced its return to Malta for a fully-fledged 3-day edition in 2020. The largest club in the world is also set to return to Asia next year for three days and will celebrate the third flight into weightlessness before returning to Frankfurt for its flagship event in June 2020.