Often described as “the new dance-music thing from Berlin,” Toy Tonics stands out as the technicolour antidote – a warm, inclusive energy bringing good-vibes house and a colourful Y2K spirit to dancefloors around the world. Their fresh sound, vibrant visual identity, and welcoming attitude have emerged as a natural response to the darker, harder techno wave often associated with the city. Their Jams are known for their openness and naturally phone-free atmosphere (no rules or stickers needed!). People come to move, express themselves, and connect.
The 20-minute documentary captures the collective at a moment of creative momentum. Toy Tonics has hosted more than 440 Jam events in 20 countries, bringing together nearly 350,000 party people – a curious, creative audience drawn to music, art, and fashion.
Directed by award winning German filmmaker Manuel Werner, the film traces four years of the crew’s journey, from small 300-person underground parties to regular nights at Panorama Bar, REX in Paris, and Phonox and The Jazz Cafe in London, with over 160 Jams in 2025 alone.
The story begins on the dancefloor, plunging the viewer into the heart of Toy Tonics’ community – one filled with art students, designers, young creatives, and DIY fashion kids – the kind of crowd that mirrors the brand’s aesthetic. With its playful artwork and streetwear, Toy Tonics has naturally become a magnet for the creative world beyond club culture, hosting pop-up art events in Barcelona, Milan, and Berlin; collaborating with LN-CC during London Fashion Week; exhibiting at Villa Stuck (Munich) and Palais de Tokyo (Paris); and, since 2023, hosting the official Design Week Milano party – drawing thousands of attendees.
Werner also takes viewers inside the Toy Tonics studios in Berlin, highlighting the DJs, musicians, designers, and photographers shaping the label’s sound and visual world. Their music blends organic live-band elements with electronic production, weaving italo disco, afro-funk, new wave, and neo-soul into a joyful, modern strain of house music.
Having seen four generations of cultural shifts – from his early work as Munk and running Gomma Records (a key Y2K indie-dance label alongside DFA and Output) to producing with artists such as James Murphy, Peaches, Nancy Whang, and WhoMadeWho – Toy Tonics founder Mathias Modica is well-placed to sense when the cycle is turning, and the film captures a turning point that Toy Tonics is helping shape.
“It feels a bit like the early 2000s again. Back then the first wave of techno and trance was replaced by indie dance and the comeback of bands. And now in 2025 we are in another moment of cultural change. Dark, black-dressed electronic dance music was at its peak the last few years, but that is starting to fade. A new generation is looking for new moods – more positive vibes, organic energy, kindness, and cultural variety. Simply more soul and open-mindedness,” says Mathias when reflecting on the film and Toy Tonics.
As he says in the film’s opening moments: “People always talk about that vibe – and it’s this human touch that we bring to it. We try to make electronic music with a very human feel.” That human element runs through everything Toy Tonics does.
and then