@sefkombo and @djkittyamor are two of the key protagonists in London’s flourishing Afro House scene; working tirelessly over the last 13 years both individually and collectively to build a name and exposure for the sounds they are passionate about. 

Sef created his highly popular brand Til Two in 2009, establishing a firm foothold in London and surrounding areas as the place to absorb the best and more forward thinking music electronic music from Africa, whilst Kitty in 2016 alongside Jonny Miller & D-Malice started Motherland in Grow, Hackney where it still takes place until this day: a intimate night that unearths the more underground and new House sounds coming from the continent. 

Now Sef & Kitty head up Motherland as well as Sessions as their residencies, which Mixmag recognises as “inspiring representation of the diversity of the city’s black community… with its jubilant and celebratory atmosphere.”

Sef and Kitty on the mix:

"The mix is a reflection of our time in Africa, we absorbed all different types of energies and expressions of sounds from the day to day life in the Motherland, from the different parts of Jozi, to Durban to Nairobi to Accra and hitting Cape Town the different flavours taught us new and different ways to approach the sounds we are really passionate about and to continuously keep an open mind and ear to what is coming out of the continent in the House space. The amazing consistency keeps us very excited about the future of music from Africa."

Tracklist:

Mr. ID feat. Rita MDN - Emotion Of The Moment (Balata, Tom A.P Remix) - @mr-id-2 @ritamdn @balatamusic
Hypaphonik feat. Kali Mija & Offkey - Lutar (TekniQ Remix) - @tekniq-sa
Buddynice - Akasia - @redemialsounds
Citizen Deep feat. Jessica LM - Dtjoh - @itscitizendeep
Mpho.Wav - 016 Road - @mphowav
Angelique Kidjo - Agolo (Shimza Remix) - @shimza
DJ Merlon & Enoo Napa - Two Zulu Men In Ibiza - @dj-merlon @enoo-napa
TechTonic Tay & Ed-Ward - Ke Bokae - @jabulaniedward
Emmanuel Jal feat. Check B - Hey Mama (Caiiro Remix) - @caiiro
Hypaphonik - Boogie - @user-462860476
Double Drop feat. Navaa & Arisis - Nothing To Say (Sky White Remix)
Drega feat. Maline Aura - Vela - @drega

--
MIX SERIES ARCHIVE > aiaiai.dk/pages/mix-series

MIX SERIES ARCHIVE

AIAIAI Mix 054 - SEF KOMBO & KITTY AMOR

More info and transcript from the conversation: 
https://aiaiai.audio/ep01-kmru
https://aiaiai.audio/freedomtocreate

Freedom To Create is our new six-part talk show series, broadcasting live from Refuge Worldwide (@refugeworldwide) in Berlin.

The bi-monthly episodes will explore themes of identity, migration, and creation through hour-long live interviews curated and moderated by Refuge Worldwide’s Editor, Chloe Lula (@chlo-lula).

The series kicks off with Joseph Kamaru, AKA KMRU (@kamarujoseph), the Nairobi sound artist who has garnered attention for innovative ambient works that utilize elements of field recording, improvisation, noise, and drone. 

In addition to his work as a musician, KMRU is a core member of the Black Artists Database, a graduate student in sound studies at Universität der Künste Berlin, and the lead organizer of music production workshops around Nairobi. He discusses his work and his move from Kenya to Germany, and play selections of the music that has shaped his creative career.

Listen to the first episode in the SoundCloud player above, or read the entire interview here: https://aiaiai.audio/freedomtocreate

READ INTERVIEW

Freedom To Create 01 - KMRU

Call-to-action vocals, hi-NRG synth riffs and ten-ton gabber kicks meet rave rinsers, scything electro, booming techno and even the odd rewind. @anastasiakristensen is a poster-child for techno’s lean out of its associated black hole, and into a spectrum of colours, textures and light. After years of sharpening her reputation as a resident at Culture Box, and in particular Mainstream, one of the city’s few LGBTQ nights, her international tour diary has exploded, taking in small parties and major festivals the world over, making her a magazine cover star who remains driven by connecting communities and elevating fellow music geeks. 

Remixes for artists like Special Request and Daniel Avery laid the path for deals to Warp offshoot Arcola and renowned label Houndstooth, extending the range of what Kristensen brings to the dancefloor, both as a DJ, and a producer putting records in DJ’s hands. By taking that vital first flash of energy and making it relatable, accessible and utterly infectious, Anastasia Kristensen has rapidly clicked with a great deal of people across all walks of dance music – and why she is set to keep doing so for years and years to come.

Anastasia on the mix:
“This is my first mix of the year and it reflects the sounds that I’ve been digging recently and playing at my shows. Tracks full of textures, wonky rhythms and pure dance floor energy.”

Tracklist:
Issabassi - Screw Disclocation
MÔHNE - ret In (Amour Noir remix) - @amournoirmusic
Unreleased - Unreleased
Paul Laurens - Klatsch - @paul-laurens
Tomash Gee - Bug
Alt8 - Mind Control - @alt8official
Marcal - Moritsune - @laertemarcal
Fish, Sherry S - You Get Bun - @fishbassmusic 
Roes - I think You’re Lost
Stelmakh - Misha - @stelmakh
Voicedrone - Darkness - @voicedrone
Vertical67 - Dry Land - @vertical67
Amby Iguous - Freqy - @amby_iguous
u.r.trax - Atom Heart - @urtrax
Der Dritte Raum - Alienoid - @derdritteraum
Selec - Brickwork
Kashpitzky - Midrange - @kashpitzky
Unknown Artist
Militia - Self Affiction
Vsadniki ZHKH - Mery

--
MIX SERIES ARCHIVE > aiaiai.dk/pages/mix-series

AIAIAI Mix 055 - ANASTASIA KRISTENSEN

More info and transcript from the conversation:
aiaiai.audio/ep02-nour
aiaiai.audio/freedomtocreate

Freedom To Create is our new six-part talk show series, broadcasting live from Refuge Worldwide (@refugeworldwide) in Berlin.

The bi-monthly episodes will explore themes of identity, migration, and creation through hour-long live interviews curated and moderated by Refuge Worldwide’s Editor, Chloe Lula (@chlo-lula).

On the second episode of Freedom to Create, Chloe Lula interviews Palestinian artist Nour (@nourpalestina). Since 2012, the DJ, producer, and documentarian has been living in Tulum, Mexico and DJing as a resident of Papaya Playa, followed by regular appearances at clubs in The Netherlands, Greece, and Ibiza. 

She has also released on Talavera Records and Sol Selectas, and is a core contributing member of Future Female Sounds—a femme collective dedicated to teaching women and gender minorities how to DJ and navigate a male-led industry. Recently, Nour began an oral history documentary project in which she is visiting Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan and interviewing the last surviving members of the 1948 Nakba. Thus far, she has collected 90 interviews, all of which she is planning to archive in an ongoing exploration of how displacement and migration has affected the lives of millions of refugees across the Middle East.  

Chloe and Nour will talk about identity and citizenship, DJing, and being a woman in nightlife in this next episode of Freedom to Create. 

Listen to the first episode in the SoundCloud player above, or read the entire interview here: aiaiai.audio/freedomtocreate

Freedom To Create 02 - Nour

Videos and more info: https://aiaiai.audio/hoerberlin

Streaming live from the notorious HÖR studios in Berlin, we invite the most exciting DJs and producers from within our community to showcase their sound in a series of livestreams throughout the year.

Born and raised in the South-West of France, @opheliek is a Berlin-based DJ with a strong taste for bass-heavy music in all its forms, pop-infused emotional bangers, and jungle. Her Refuge Worldwide residency, Therapy Dog, is the perfect opportunity for her to explore the different genres she’s into and share the decks with friends and artists she admires. As part of the Open Music Lab, a Berlin-based non-profit collective offering free music workshops and courses for people from marginalised communities to connect and create together, she's interested in ways to support young artists outside the mainstream, in the hope to build a more equitable music scene.

@oscar_ona, a Refuge Worldwide resident, is a dynamic artist whose DJ mixes vary from blues to breaks, ambient and beyond. Born and raised in Manchester, U.K, O.N.A’s monthly radio show on Refuge Worldwide reflects the quality of diasporic underground music communities around the world as well as the rich musical heritage of his Cameroonian background. 

Since the relaxing of pandemic restrictions, O.N.A has played gigs in London and Berlin, including opening for electronic music pioneers and legends A Guy Called Gerald and DJ Flight. O.N.A will next be closing Berlin’s CTM festival 2022 with an explorative and experimental all night set as part of a collective of Refuge Worldwide artists and DJs. O.N.A also works as a creative strategist, music producer and sound designer from his East Berlin studio. 

As a creative strategist, O.N.A’s work has focussed on projects supporting marginalised groups. O.N.A is currently the lead Creative Strategist for Black Artist Database (B.A.D.), an international community based platform centred around a database of Black owned record labels, artists, producers, bands and creative professionals. B.A.D. undertakes various projects and initiatives to uplift Black voices within the electronic music community and industry.

Follow ophélie: instagram.com/ophekauf
Follow O.N.A: instagram.com/oscar.wav

VIDEO ON AIAIAI.AUDIO

HÖR x AIAIAI: Ophélie B2B O.N.A

Videos and more info: https://aiaiai.audio/hoerberlin

Streaming live from the notorious HÖR studios in Berlin, we invite the most exciting DJs and producers from within our community to showcase their sound in a series of livestreams throughout the year.

@saintludo is a DJ and radio presenter from California via Italy, now based in London. A main staple at both foundation fm and Keep Hush. Raised on hip-hop and rap - now grime is the predominant element in her mixes, which are tied together by bounce, funky, bass and club beats - making her mixing a unique blend of vocal samples placed over unexpected beats and instrumentals.

Amongst many gigs, she was on the Princess Nokia Euro tour '20, played Alexandra Palace, Wireless festival, Boiler Room festival, and having appeared on BBC 1xtra, Kiss FM, NTS Radio, Reprezent, Dublab in LA, Balamii & more - you can catch her djing all over the UK and Europe.

Follow Saint Ludo: instagram.com/saintludocris

HÖR x AIAIAI: Saint Ludo

Videos and more info: https://aiaiai.audio/hoerberlin

Streaming live from the notorious HÖR studios in Berlin, we invite the most exciting DJs and producers from within our community to showcase their sound in a series of livestreams throughout the year.

@berlin-bunny is an artist, photographer, graphic designer and co-runner of @keyimagazine, born in Poland, but based in Berlin over the past decade, and partly living in Shenzhen, China. In 2012 she started out as a vinyl collector, and in 2017 she started to mix music in public, combing her strong alternative electro punk music background with techno, strongly inspired by Berlin's underground scene. Since then you can catch her gigs in Asia and around Europe - mostly in Germany, Poland and China.

Follow Berlin Bunny: instagram.com/berlin_bunny_

HÖR x AIAIAI: Berlin Bunny

Videos and more info: https://aiaiai.audio/hoerberlin

Streaming live from the notorious HÖR studios in Berlin, we invite the most exciting DJs and producers from within our community to showcase their sound in a series of livestreams throughout the year.

Pushing robotic body music to its kinetic and cathartic limits as both DJ and producer, @solid_blake's precision is remarkable. With productions described by Mixmag as "percussion palpitating below wild synth bursts," this is an artist rightfully earning her praises developing a reputation for impacting crowds with her gritty cross-pollinated strains of electronic club music.

Eclecticism is the keyword when it comes to the musical taste of @l-v-z-1-e. Based on her love of harsh drums, weird bleeps and bouncy basslines, she interweaves dark Electro with complex Breaks, Techno and the occasional dreamy bop.

Born and raised in Frankfurt she quickly developed a keen interest in electronic music when her brother introduced her to early House music. Inspired by the dance sound of Detroit, Chicago, New York and the UK she translates the diverse sonic influences into her sets and productions, which build a bridge between classic tunes and new sounds combining them into a notion of futuretroism.

Follow Solid Blake: instagram.com/solidblake
Follow Luz1e: instagram.com/l_u_z_1_e

HÖR x AIAIAI: Luz1e b2b Solid Blake

Videos and more info: https://aiaiai.audio/hoerberlin

Streaming live from the notorious HÖR studios in Berlin, we invite the most exciting DJs and producers from within our community to showcase their sound in a series of livestreams throughout the year.

Chloé Lula (@chlo-lula) is a Berlin-based DJ producer and journalist. She is the Managing Editor of Resident Advisor the Editorial Director of Refuge Worldwide Radio and the Critical Beats columnist at The Wire magazine.

She received her master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2020 and is a fellow with the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.

Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post the New York Times Politico and Esquire among other major publications where she covers gender justice human rights and their touch points with music and activism.

She put out her debut EP, ‘Errant Bodies,’ on aufnahme + wiedergabe this spring, and will release with Berlin's Instruments of Discipline and Ciarra Black’s Pendulum imprints in early 2022.

Follow Chloe Lula: instagram.com/chloe.lula

HÖR x AIAIAI: Chloe Lula

Over the course of June, we brought together the scene's leading trailblazers to share their unique vision of progression. From the communities pathing the way to a more inclusive ecosystem to those breaking new ground in tech.

For those looking to hone in on their skills as an entrepreneur, Freddy Masters from Keep Hush and Sandy Hagenback AKA Dr Banana talk about everything you need to know in order to start your own brand in music, and what role our community plays in the future of music. 

NFTs and WEB3 are currently the hot topics across all platforms, however, are these really the gold rush or game changer? In this event, renowned DJ and label owner Plastician dives in to discuss alongside the team from IOM and SODAA.

Rounding the series off, Deforrest Brown Jr and Niks Delancy explore the interaction between America’s Black Techno scene and the UK’s white-dominated scene.

More info here:
https://aiaiai.audio/pages/for-the-record

For The Record – Creating Your Own Music Brand w/ Freddy Masters (Keep Hush) & Dr Banana

Live at Terra Obscura -- 
18th March 2022

ORMSIDE

⌇Samson A.K [Live at Terra Obscura]

TMA-2 Studio Wireless+, the world’s first wireless headphones for music creation with lossless audio and ultra-low latency: aiaiai.dk/wireless-plus

AIAIAI is an audio design company, founded in 2006, dedicated to developing premium audio products for music makers.

AIAIAI boasts a world-renowned network of professional music makers, industrial designers, audio technicians as part of its unique and highly collaborative development process. 

Driven by a sustainable design philosophy, and informed by a heritage of Scandinavian design, AIAIAI incorporates precise engineering and product design far beyond trend-driven aesthetics.

TMA-2 is the world’s most extensive modular headphone system, enhanced and refined over the last 10 years. Modularity is the ability to upgrade headphones as technology evolves, extending the longevity of every product and creating less waste for the planet. The quick and easy changes to individual parts allow for more than 1,000 possible headphone configurations, empowering users to create truly individualized headphones that fit lifestyle preferences, music taste and other use case requirements. 

The foundational belief of AIAIAI is that life is rarely static; therefore, headphones should be able to adapt whether a listener is at home, in the office or on the go—over time. Music professionals can also tailor the system to any creative context, from studio production and audio editing, to DJing or listening on the go

For The Record – Creating Your Own Music Brand w/ Freddy Masters (Keep Hush) & Dr Banana

AIAIAI.Audio

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