TWIRL032 - Edgewater EP

Dance Like Nobody's Watching EP - Gudu Records

Moving Bodies EP - Gudu

DGTL EP

Mixes

Alinka - Griessmuehle - One Last Time - March 20 2021
Mix mastered by Tim Xavier Man Made Mastering

Alinka - Griessmuehle - One Last Time

Alinka - And The Beat Goes On

Tracklist + Q&A: https://bit.ly/3OEEdvw

Kyiv-born, Chicago-raised DJ @aalinkaa delivers an hour of energising house

"This mix is dedicated to my first love, house music. I wanted it to fit the vibe of my new EP with Robert Owens, so it's a lot of tracks I like dancing to at the club and in my living room."

Tracklist + Q&A

In Session: Alinka

Please continue to donate to help Ukraine 
https://donorbox.org/power_life_in_ukraine

Live at Power Life Stream 2023

Day Dreamer

Learning To Fly

Pre-order on Beatport + Stream: https://Alinka.lnk.to/TWIRL028

Alinka and Shaun J. Wright present the re-launch of their brainchild Twirl. The label is a homage to the classic Chicago house sound with a fresh, forward-thinking attitude.
Alinka has house music in her marrow, immersing herself in the sounds of Cajmere and DJ Funk not long after arriving in Chicago as a Jewish refugee from Kyiv, Ukraine. Later she’d spend almost a decade as a resident at the city’s legendary Smart Bar, before meeting former Hercules & Love Affair vocalist Wright in 2012. The pair would become muses, inspiring one another both musically and spiritually, they’d launch the Twirl parties and label in 2014, a home for their own creations, alongside music from Spencer Parker, Virginia, LA-4A and Kim Ann Foxman.
July 2023 marks the launch of Twirl 2.0 with Alinka’s transcendent ‘Day Dreamer’ EP. The three-track work was written in the aftermath of the death of her grandmother, who helped to raised her, while also coming to terms with the escalation of the war in Ukraine. In creating the EP, she found a sense of comfort and healing from the grief that was engulfing her:
“I wanted to write tracks for the dancefloor that are timeless and channel all the classics I fell in love with in my youth that still hit me the same way today. I wanted to create music that sounds timeless because that’s what Chicago House is to me, my favourite tracks still sound as fresh as they did when I first heard them. That music always brought me a lot of joy and I have so many happy memories surrounding it and Chicago, so when I sat down and started writing that’s what came out, because I think that’s what I needed to channel to feel better.” – Alinka
The trio of jams are immersive celebrations of dancefloor joy. The title track is a crisp roller that hits with an addictive synth riff and a delicious groove. ‘Learning to Fly’ is a nostalgia rich, classic-in-the-making, soaked in euphoria and punchy drums. ‘Just A Feeling’ is equal parts vibe-heavy and fun, as a big bouncy bassline, pairs masterfully with a timeless chord sequence.
Tracklist:
1. Alinka – Day Dreamer 2. Alinka – Learning to Fly 3. Alinka – Just a Feeling
https://twirlchicago.bandcamp.com/ https://soundcloud.com/aalinkaa https://www.instagram.com/alinkatwirl

For more press info contact: clare@claredickinspr.com

Day Dreamer - TWIRL028

Sorry For Not Trending

Neon Fantasy

Deep Into The Vibe

Night Tales

The successful re-launch of Alinka and Shaun J. Wright’s musical baby Twirl continues. Following her critically acclaimed ‘Day Dreamer’ EP and a supreme label debut from friend Serge G., ‘Spanish Cassette’ (feat. remixes from Wright and DJ Holographic), Alinka returns with a classy three-tracker ‘Sorry for Not Trending’.

The EP was created during a fertile writing period in late 2022 that birthed her recent ‘Day Dreamer’ work, with the Kyiv-born Alinka finding solace in music creation following the loss of her grandmother, while processing the escalation of the war in Ukraine.

‘Sorry for Not Trending’, is a tongue-in-cheek nod to influencer culture, led by the glorious first single ‘Deep Into The Vibe’. Imbued with the spirit of Chicago, where Alinka was a resident at Justin Long's .Dotbleep party at Smartbar for almost a decade, the cut is a masterclass in fun, as catchy riffs, bouncy drumlines and an infectious old skool energy propel it forward. ‘Neon Fantasy’ is a cosmic trip; crisp and driving, it’s made for late-night moments when the dancefloor demands a thematic shift to keep bodies moving. ‘Night Tales’ brings forth proggy melodic flourishes and chugging b-lines, for a singular yet satisfying closer. 

“'Sorry For Not Trending' is a playful reference to today's culture of clicks, likes, and follows, and the concept of equating online popularity and trends to artistic value. It’s a reminder to look beyond what the algorithms tell us is worthy and to form your own path. It’s music for the dance floor. I want to create the sort of energy that makes people close their eyes and dance like no one’s watching instead of staring at the DJ. That’s the message of these tracks for me.” – Alinka

Streaming from October 6th on Spotify & Apple Music
Beatport Pre-Order from October 13th
Out October 27th exclusively on Beatport / November 4th All other platforms

Deep Into The Vibe - TWIRL030 (Radio Edit)

https://www.beatport.com/release/sorry-for-not-trending/4243340

Night Tales - TWIRL030

5 DAYS TILL ∄ 4TH ANNIVERSARY

We are starting our fourth-anniversary countdown with a special set played by Alinka on the 17th of September at the Back Yard closing party. Enjoy one hour of coloreful house disco from the Ukrainian-born artist.

∄ ANNIVERSARY COUNTDOWN ⑤ ALINKA

Released 9.2.2013 on Classic Music Company

Purchase on 

Beatport:
http://www.beatport.com/release/shaun-j-wright-and-alinka-present-twirl-volume-i/1147143

Traxsource:
http://www.traxsource.com/title/241352/shaun-j-wright-and-alinka-present-twirl-volume-i

Shaun J. Wright & Alinka - Love Inspired - Classic Music Company

The GuduMix series struts into 2023 with a screamer of a session from Twirl head honcho Alinka! 🍓

Tracklist:
Moses - We Just (Ben Liebrand Rebellion Remix) [High Fashion Music]
Walter Jones – A Night in Newark [Permanent Vacation]
Tracer - Love Fantasy (Dirty Channels Edit) [Nu Groove Records]
Alinka - Lake Shore Drive [Twirl Recordings, February 2024 Release]
SM ONE - Bang To The Beat (Harry Romero Remix) [Under No Illusion]
Jordan Nocturne – Acyd (Extended Version) [Permanent Vacation]
E-Talking, Paramida – Read My Lips [Phonica Recordings]
Theus Mago - Eclipse [Correspondant]
Hiver - Lodash [Gudu]
Belaria - Burning Inside (Zombies In Miami Remix) [Friendsome Records]
Javi Redondo - Looking For Shapes [Correspondant]
Tiger & Woods - 16 Red [T&W Records]
Alinka – Red Line [Twirl Recordings, February 2024 Release]

GuduMixes

GuduMix 026: Alinka

Edgewater

Lake Shore Drive

Weather The Storm

Red Line

Pre-Order on Beatport!
https://www.beatport.com/release/edgewater/4405086

Lake Shore Drive (Radio Edit) - TWIRL032

“The ‘Edgewater’ EP is an ode to Chicago and the music that changed my life forever. Edgewater is the neighbourhood I grew up in, and the last place I lived in Chicago. We used to ride the Red Line train and drive down Lake Shore Drive at night listening to music and soaking in the city lights. Those experiences shaped me. I want to create that timeless energy on the dancefloor that Chicago House is to me.” – Alinka

Pre Order:
Alinka.lnk.to/TWIRL032

PREMIERE: Alinka - Red Line [TWIRL]

Ukraine-born, Berlin-based producer @aalinkaa returns to her resurgent @twirlchicago imprint with three cuts of star-gazing acid house 

The ‘Edgewater’ EP is out in full on 8th March – have an exclusive first listen to ‘Weather The Storm’

More info: https://djmag.com/listen/premiere-alinka-weather-storm

Edgewater EP

Premiere: Alinka ‘Weather The Storm’

Part of the NTS family since day dot, Moxie has held her Wednesday show since the stations first broadcasts. Inviting esteemed guests for interviews & mixes and breaking new, unreleased music, she’s got your Wednesday afternoons covered... Tune in to hear anything from Soulful House, Garage, Afro beats and all the way through to rolling techno. 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/moxie/episodes/moxie-13th-march-2024

Moxie w/ Alinka 130324

Buy full EP: https://orcd.co/alinka

Following her killer contribution to Gudu & Friends Vol. 2, Gudu Records formally welcomes Alinka to the label.

A real DJ’s DJ, Alinka was born and brought up in Kyiv, but spent her formative years in the house heartlands of Chicago, so you know the dance music heritage runs deep here. She spent the 2000s as a resident at Justin Long’s .Dotbleep party at the city’s legendary Smartbar club, and in 2012 launched Twirl - her party series and label with Shaun J. Wright which has housed music by Spencer Parker, Kim Ann Foxman and more in the past.

Now based in Berlin, Alinka is on a rich form when it comes to her own productions. Her first full EP for Gudu showcases the sort of lean production that you only really get from killer DJs: each of the tracks on Dance Like Nobody’s Watching are precision-tooled for maximum impact, with the smart, economical touch of someone who’s been studying dancefloors and how to make them move for years.

In Alinka’s words: "Peggy Gou and I met years ago at Panorama Bar in Berlin and had the best time, and I’ve been a fan of her music since the start. We share a common love for house music, so when she asked me to make music for Gudu, I was really honored and excited. I wrote these tracks just for her and the label, so it’s a very special project for me, and the music means a lot to me. It’s music for the dance floor. I grew up in Chicago, so I make tracks to close your eyes and dance to like no one's watching. It's an ode to the timeless sound that shaped my life." 

Tracklist:
01. Pure Ecstasy 
02. Freedom Dance 
03. Ultraviolet
04. Blue Dream

Alinka - Ultraviolet

Alinka - Pure Ecstasy

Alinka - Freedom Dance

Alinka - Blue Dream

New Nothing Special mix alert! Immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of Chicago’s iconic house sound of @aalinkaa, seamlessly interwoven with deep grooves of Detroit beats

Nothing Special 005: Alinka

“Moving bodies is a celebration of dancing and human connection through sound. The tracks were made for the dance floor with the intent to invoke emotions and bring people together.” - ALINKA

Alinka returns to Gudu with her second full EP for the label, Moving Bodies. Originally from Kyiv but now based in Berlin — via a formative spell in Chicago, where she was a resident of Justin Long’s .Dotbleep party at the city’s legendary Smartbar club and co-founded her label and party series Twirl — Alinka is one of those artists that just gets it. She’s a pillar in this whole foundation that this whole thing is built on and she knows exactly how to make dancefloors move. Moving Bodies is another masterclass in just that: music that innately understands the transcendent power of a dancefloor when everything lands just right. 

As with Alinka’s work, there’s not a shred of fat on these tracks: nothing ever feels flamboyant or unnecessary. It’s music purely designed to, well, move bodies. EP opener ‘Give Your Love’ swings between floaty pads and pumping organs, while ‘Future Funk’ takes things deep and aquatic - The Jacking Zone by way of Atlantis. ‘Body to Body’ might be the most outright peak-time moment on the record, the sort of track that would be primed for a Daft Punk Essential Mix inclusion in an alternate timeline, before EP closer ‘Set You Free’ rides out on the sort of rave pianos that just always hit.

Previous support for Alinka: Peggy Gou, TEED, Horse Meat Disco, Pan Pot, Skream, Nadia Ksaiba, Honey Soundsystem, Anja Schneider, Matrefakt, Gina Breeze, Jordan Nocturne, Crosstown Rebels

Give Your Love

“Moving bodies is a celebration of dancing and human connection through sound. The tracks were made for the dance floor with the intent to invoke emotions and bring people together.” - ALINKA
Alinka returns to Gudu with her second full EP for the label, Moving Bodies. Originally from Kyiv but now based in Berlin — via a formative spell in Chicago, where she was a resident of Justin Long’s .Dotbleep party at the city’s legendary Smartbar club and co-founded her label and party series Twirl — Alinka is one of those artists that just gets it. She’s a pillar in this whole foundation that this whole thing is built on and she knows exactly how to make dancefloors move. Moving Bodies is another masterclass in just that: music that innately understands the transcendent power of a dancefloor when everything lands just right. 
As with Alinka’s work, there’s not a shred of fat on these tracks: nothing ever feels flamboyant or unnecessary. It’s music purely designed to, well, move bodies. EP opener ‘Give Your Love’ swings between floaty pads and pumping organs, while ‘Future Funk’ takes things deep and aquatic - The Jacking Zone by way of Atlantis. ‘Body to Body’ might be the most outright peak-time moment on the record, the sort of track that would be primed for a Daft Punk Essential Mix inclusion in an alternate timeline, before EP closer ‘Set You Free’ rides out on the sort of rave pianos that just always hit.
Previous support for Alinka: Peggy Gou, TEED, Horse Meat Disco, Pan Pot, Skream, Nadia Ksaiba, Honey Soundsystem, Anja Schneider, Matrefakt, Gina Breeze, Jordan Nocturne, Crosstown Rebels

Moving Bodies

Future Funk

Set U Free

Body 2 Body

Dance Like Nobody's Watching

Freedom Dance

Blue Dream

Heaven Knows is dedicated to Alinka’s favourite club in the world ∄ (K41) in Kyiv where she was just made a resident. In traveling to play for the club’s fundraiser nights throughout the war, the Kyiv-born producer has found a home within the walls of the legendary club, while providing a welcome escape for the Ukrainian clubbing community. Heaven Knows sets the scene for this escape, with its groovy, deep synths juxtaposed with vocal cuts of “angel” and “heaven is a dance floor”. It’s an invitation to get lost.

Heaven Knows was inspired by my favorite club ∄ in Kyiv (aka K41), where I’m now a resident. Specifically the Backyard, which I always said is like our utopia, and for me the perfect dance floor. I always joked that for me hell is an airport and heaven is a dance floor. It’s where I feel the happiest, and it’s a spiritual experience when it all connects at the right moment, like a piece of heaven on earth.

DGTL049: Alinka - 'Heaven Knows' (Radio Edit)

Pre-order: https://ffm.to/dgtl050

With a pair of deeply personal, emotionally charged tracks, Kyiv-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer @aalinkaa makes a powerful debut on @dgtl-festival with 'Heaven Knows / Always On Time'.

Built around a rolling bassline and hypnotic, oscillating vocal loops, 'Always On Time' is a late-night heater designed to reconnect you with the present. “The title means you’re exactly where you’re meant to be at this moment, you’re always on time,” she says. “It’s a reminder to be present, to enjoy the moment, and to always be grateful for where you’re at.”

More exclusive music

Premiere: Alinka 'Always On Time'

Touch The Flame

Shaun J. Wright & Alinka - I Wanna Go (Derrick Carter Remix) - Classic Music Company

Shaun J. Wright & Alinka - Love Inspired (Chris E Pants Remix) - Classic Music Company

Recorded live at Reworks Festival 2018 for Red Bull Radio 
https://www.redbullradio.com/shows/main-stage/episodes/alinka-reworks

Live At Reworks Festival - Red Bull Radio

Out now!
https://www.beatport.com/track/give-me-the-taste-alinka-remix/12361492
https://www.deejay.de/Joyce_Muniz_Give_Me_The_Taste_Remixes_AAP019_Vinyl__935337
https://www.juno.co.uk/products/joyce-muniz-give-me-the-taste-remixes/738352-01/

DJ Pierre’s seminal Afro Acid welcomes a host of contemporary talents to remix Joyce Muniz including Oliver Dollar & Stefan Braatz, Alinka, Lauren Flax and Hannah Holland. The original single landed earlier this year and did plenty of damage around the world.

It is the German pairing of Oliver Dollar & Stefan Braatz who go first. The former is a master of sample heavy house with real heart, and often collaborates with Braatz. Here they offer a prickly version with chattery Chicago claps and bouncing drums and bass that will energise any set in style. Chicago native Alinka is next and is known for her weird and idiosyncratic take on house on labels like Crosstown, Classic and her own Twirl. She imbues her music with the spirit and history of the Windy City and here layers in acid flashes and machine gun like lasers that make
for a brilliantly dark and involving groove.

Lauren Flax comes from Detroit by way of Brooklyn and has worked with the likes of Little Boots and Tricky, DJed at Panorama Bar and released her jack tracks on cult labels like Unknown to the Unknown. Here she fantastically builds the pressure with gliding hi hats that get under your skin as the fat bass props up the libidinous and seductive vocals and acid twitches. Last of all, UK sensation Hannah Holland is a queen of bass heavy sounds and brings that to her remix, which is a slick and kinetic track of prickly drums, acid stabs and freaky synth work.

This is a powerful package of fresh and forward looking house music.

Joyce Muniz - Give Me The Taste Ft. Kim Anh (Alinka Remix) - Afro Acid

https://www.soundwall.it/soundwall-podcast-457-alinka/

"Alinka ha da poco annunciato la release 001 per la sua nuova label Fantasy Life, quale occasione migliore per ospitarla nella nostra serie di podcast? Dj e producer ucraina con un passato a stelle e strisce e attuale residenza artistica a Berlino, ha vissuto periodi storici opposti fra loro: la rigidità del sistema URSS e l’obbligo di formarsi come pianista classico, l’esplosione pop durante la sua adolescenza a Chicago e l’affermarsi della house come musica del popolo. Ha da sempre dedicato una fetta consistente del suo tempo libero alla musica fino alla creazione della sua prima label, Twirl, gestita con Shaun J. Wright voce del progetto Hercules and Love Affair. Da li in poi la musica è diventata il suo unico impegno, collaborazioni con Panorama, Circoloco e moltissime realtà della capitale tedesca gli hanno dato la visibilità meritata. La nascita della Fantasy Life rec è stata ispirata da una delle frasi più celebri di Andy Warhol: “Fantasy love is much better than reality love”, potete ascoltare qui un estratto dal primo EP “Do What U Want”."

Soundwall Podcast #457: Alinka

An ode to dancefloor escapism. Alinka once again navigates her way around making house music weird, catchy and jumpy for the first release on her new label Fantasy Life.

A Ukraine born, American raised and Berlin based artist and DJ, Alinka has tipped around the most interesting cores of sound creation over her career. Absorbing the many influences of her musical passions, she has created her own version of emotional catharsis, revealed and reborn on the dancefloor. From censorship to flourish, Chicago born house and sparks of Detroit techno; the omnipresent struggle of finding ways to consume and create dance music has made her thrive in creating tracks from a broad palette of sources.

Do What U Want is a five-track long love-letter to dance music and unity to open her new label. Working with classic sounds, Alinka keeps it fresh and interesting, with addictive vocal and squelchy acid stabs. Reshaping house music patterns, collaging 4x4 beats with more complex layers of sound that don’t just fall in a box that’s labelled ''100% classic house''. The intention was to make strong, powerful and timeless music designed to evoke pure joy.

Fantasy Life is inspired by Andy Warhol's piece ''Fantasy love is better than reality love''. The concept was driven by the honesty and emotions that it accompanies. It couldn't have been a better time for the thought process to materialize into this project. Alinka explains - ''A dancefloor can essentially be an escape from reality. Music can take us to another place and serve as a safe space and an escape from our everyday lives and problems. On a perfect day, you see people of all walks of life dancing in unity and it feels like a fantasy. ''

Do What U Want EP

Running To You  - PREVIEW

Rhythm Sister - EP

Look Up At The Sky

“There are at least a few people in this thing determined to keep House Music weird. Chicago’s Alinka is one of them.” – Terry Matthew, 5Magazine

Alinka is the kind of DJ other DJ’s will tell you about. She has a unique power on the decks that comes from lifelong passion and time served, with a focused devotion to her first love – house music. Raised on Chicago’s vibrant house sound with toes dipped into Detroit techno, Europe’s more robust approaches to bass music and the myriad of genre’s coming from cities like Berlin, London and Paris.

Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, her early childhood included reluctantly learning the piano, her mother is a pianist, while trying to convince her parents to let her play guitar. Her exposure to Western music was limited, living in a communist country where censorship was common practice. Her family eventually immigrated to Chicago as Jewish refugees in the late ‘80s as the USSR crumbled. This was her first experience of pop music and she fell head over heels for the chart sounds of Madonna and Janet Jackson. Then came house music from local radio shows where you could frequently hear tracks by Chicago legends like Cajmere and DJ Funk, and shows like Sonic Boom helped expose underground music to the masses.

By the late ‘90s, music had taken over her life. Teenage Alinka immersed herself in the dance music scene spending her summer pulling double shifts at a local pool and moonlighting for rave promoters to build up enough cash to buy decks. After a year of skipping class to relentlessly practice her mixing skills, she began her full-time musical pursuit. Working for various club promoters, doing odd jobs passing out flyers and helping with party logistics - anything just to get into clubs underage to see her favourite DJs - all while spending hours digging for tracks at Chicago’s legendary record shop Gramaphone. In 2001 Justin Long recruited her to be the opening resident for his .Dotbleep party at Smartbar where she honed her skills for the best part of a decade.

In 2012, an impromptu meeting with former Hercules and Love Affair vocalist, Shaun J. Wright, changed her life forever. Their evolving friendship resulted in what would be the first of many musical collaborations. The pair launched their Twirl parties and label, continually strived to inspire each other both musically and spiritually, the result has been an impressive catalogue of material for both of them collaboratively and individually on the likes of The Classic Music Company, Jackathon Jams, Crosstown Rebels, Leftroom, and of course Twirl, where as well as their own material the duo have welcomed renowned artists like Spencer Parker, Virginia, LA-4A, Kim Ann Foxman, and Jason Kendig onto the label.

Recent years have seen Alinka really hit her stride as a producer with successful releases on world renown labels like Rekids, Crosstown Rebels, Need Want, Permanent Vacation, and Peggy Gou’s Gudu Records. She also turned out a standout collection of remixes for labels Me Me Me, Live At Robert Johnson, Correspondant, and Get Physical.

Now living in Berlin, Alinka has well and truly found her feet and inspiration. Alinka has used this base to throw down at parties across Europe from Berghain/Panorama Bar to Circoloco, with regular visits back to the US to play standout clubs like Smart Bar and Ukraine's famous ∄ club in Kyiv, where she stands as club’s first international resident, playing a minimum of six shows per year including a curated show.

Her evolution continues with the recent re-launch of her Twirl imprint, highlighted by the ‘Day Dreamer’, ‘Sorry For Not Trending’ and ‘Edgewater’ EPs that finely balance Alinka’s future-focused ethos, with a unmistakable, proud passion for her Chicago heritage.

ALINKA

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