Live recording @ Root Festival 2024
Immersion Stage | Saturday Night
00:00 - 02:00 // FTC Stage Takeover

Closing the FTC takeover at Root Festival in the Karoo Desert, I was tasked with bridging the gap from minimal and UKG to psychedelic trance with the Our Minds Collective taking over after me. The set is a mixed bag of breaks, techno, trance and fast-paced progressive heaters. Heavily spiced with some psychedelic groove.

Friend @ Root Festival | FTC Takeover

Friend is the DJ project of Dominic Irla, where he spent his early years as a dedicated promoter and music journalist covering the thriving festival circuit in Cape Town (founder @psymedia).

In 2018 Friend travelled to SE Asia and established himself as a formidable DJ and promoter in Vietnam for 3 years. From the sandy beaches down south to mystical caves up north, Friend played at many reputable clubs, festivals and tropical jungle raves across the country. As co-founder of “This Is”, he threw conceptual events which played a pivotal role in shaping the underground music scene of Hanoi. “This Is” then became @magicboxengine; a humble underground record label that continues to push out eclectic releases, mixes, and hosts conceptual events from SE Asia and beyond.

Since returning to South Africa in 2021, his notable festivals,clubs and promoter gigs include Wolfkop Weekender, Lighthouse Festival, Bazique, Into The Wild, Habitat, Origin Festival, Mantra Festival, Alien Safari x Vortex: Little Forest NYE, Psymedia, WithYou, as well as the Modular Precinct, Destination Saturn, Killer Robot, OnePark, Minimal Bar and Fool's Gold. 

Friend’s taste is vast, with selections traversing various underground subgenres of house, minimal, techno, electro, breakbeat, trance and more. A true digger and a bit of a wild card, he’s never shy to switch up the genre or tempo with a subtle left-field approach. Friend has a mature and well-seasoned audio palette in constant evolution, also influenced by his nomadic travels in South East Asia, Latin America and Europe. By tapping into a sonic world both new and old without borders, he takes dancefloors on unexpected joy rides that are sometimes obscure but always tasteful. Whilst he may be unpredictable, Friend’s sets are often riddled with groovy basslines, acid frequencies, hypnotic atmospheres and broken beats.

DM or email dominicirla@gmail.com for bookings.

New tracks tagged #modular club