@richard-akingbehin

www.wakinglife.pt
19 - 24 June 2024

📸 kieran behan

Richard Akingbehin at Praia - Waking Life '23

an excerpt from the middle of a four hour opening set. enjoy.

photo by willem mevis

Richard Akingbehin @ Draaimolen x Sustain Release, Tilburg - May '24

Nao, the resident at rural, has been touring Europe, the U.S., and Latin America with us this year. In this year at rural, She was in charge of the late night time slot. Her shimmering set was transforming with the floor, organically harmonized with the space lit up in extreme colors with beautiful flowers, leading people into a deep hypnotic state. Lose yourself in her techno-based set, a blend of diverse sounds that overflows with her unique style.

ruralのレジデントとして欧州や米国・中南米でのツアーにも同行するNaoが、今年のruralでは前夜祭の夜更けの時間スロットを担当。フロアに合わせて変幻自在に煌めく彼女のセットは、美しい花々と共に極彩色にライトアップされた空間と有機的に調和して、人々を深い催眠状態へと導きました。テクノを基調としながらも、多様なサウンドがブレンドされた彼女のスタイルが溢れ出るセットに身を委ねてみてください。

Nao at rural 2024

Kaleidoscopic psychedelia from one of Australia's finest.

While it might feel early to call bets on DJs of the decade, Kia Sydney, best known as Kia, is undoubtedly one of them. The Animalia founder began in Naarm's (Melbourne) underground scene in the mid-2010s, crediting a trip to the influential deep techno Japanese festival, Labyrinth, as the inspiration behind her sound.

Deep techno might not cut it as a descriptor for Sydney's sound, though. Hypnotic ribbons of steely techno mix with atmospherics and nimble grooves, drawing from IDM, dub and tech house, sharing as much with DJ Nobu and Donato Dozzy (try to find the track that overlaps with Dozzy's own RA Podcast) as well as modern practitioners like Priori and Beatrice M.

This distinctly Australian scuttling psychedelia has made Kia one of the most sought-after underground DJs globally. Her brainchild, Animalia, showcases a plurality of sounds and scenes, serving as living proof of the fruitful shift of the 2020s: less serious, perhaps, but with a sense of open-minded worldliness that offers a far more promising vision of what dance music can be and achieve.

Sydney's rare talent lies in forging connections, bringing people, sounds and ideas together with a distinct playfulness. Her RA Podcast showcases this alchemy in abundance, weaving classics like Monolake and Enya with peers such as OK EG, Cousin and Command D.

As she told us in her 2023 Breaking Through profile, "people tell me I have quite a distinctive sound but I can't tell so much because I hear so many different versions of it." RA.973 serves as confirmation that Kia's style is, to say the least, the mark of a generational talent.
 
@kia-sydney @animalia-label  @cirruslabel

Read more at ra.co/podcast/973

RA.973 Kia

@richard-akingbehin: "The second half of my set at NYE 2025 by Diega, Victoria, Australia—a dreamy three hours at sunset on New Year's Eve. Enjoy!"

Image @chawks

Richard Akingbehin Live @NYE 2025

@midgar_records label head @seveja [sɪˈvɪrja] carried us through the afternoon on the final day of 2024.

Severja Live @NYE 2025

At 3AM on January 1st, Dutch Producer, DJ and De Lichting co-founder @humanspacemachine took us on a trippy techno journey.

Human Space Machine Live @NYE 2025

@syberkid

~ we’re back to the essence of Tentacular with this long-awaited mix from one of our dearest—Sybil (@syberkid). A true weaver of sonic worlds, she gifts us a high-energy journey where UK rave meets psychedelic doof, storytelling through sound in the way only she can. Mystical, embodied, and full of heart.

This recording holds a special story, as told by Sybil herself:

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘹 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘐 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 — 𝘢 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤, 𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘜𝘒 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦.

Tentacular 26 ~ Sybil

[PUR031] Collection Of Wishes Vol. I

No Saints

Mortalyf - No Saints [PUR031]

Auren Klyne-Recoil-(Mellon Place Records)

With a penchant for subtle groove and emotive shifts between genres, Kia’s sound centres itself around bass, IDM and the deeper reaches of techno.

As a member of Melbourne’s burgeoning electronic music community, she showcases the talent shown by friends and other figures within the local scene through the careful selections of which her mixes are comprised.

With Patterns of Perception 48, Kia weaves a smooth, coherent narrative that effortlessly blends shades of dub and minimal techno, whilst also providing an inspired down-tempo exploration of contemporary bass music. Warmth, nostalgia and sincerity are elements that can be felt keenly throughout the mix, and are indicative of the positivity that permeates through Kia’s musical vision.

Links:
@kia-sydney
https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/kia-2

Patterns of Perception 48 - Kia

Visionary electronic music.

http://patternsofperception.com