ARTISTSAkuaNew York (USA)
Akua is a Ghanian-American DJ, based in New York since 2015. Her practice as a DJ & producer has developed throughout the years to uniquely encompass her passion for music - not only as an apparatus for dance, but one of self discovery, community building, & unrestricted knowledge. Drawing influence from the kinetic freedom of 90s midwest techno, the unifying velocity of dancing, & the frenetic pace of life, she has since helped redefine the techno sounds emerging from NYC through the multitude of her evocative, mindbending sets & exuberant mixing techniques. Akua's tireless dedication to more freakish strains of techno & finesse encapsulates the sublime, chaotic potential of the present, while harkening back to the innovative methods & experimentation of DJs throughout history. Weaving threads of sounds new & old into a signature style of supersonic rhythm shifters, every mix of hers courses with timelessness & the most empowering qualities of rave - time dilation, expanded perspective within the mantra-like repetition of electronic rhythms, & the continuum of black futurity at dance music's core. All this plays out in Akua's blazing sets heard around the world, the Discwoman affiliate has held a residency on London's beloved Rinse FM station, a bombastic closing slot at Berghain for Berlin's CTM Festival, to all across the US at gathering spaces like NYC's Nowadays, Pittsburgh's Hot Mass, & the annual Sustain-Release festival. Further praise for her work has come from publications like DJmag, Crack Magazine, & Resident Advisor, with her Discwoman mix being named one of the "best of 2018" by RA. Original productions of hers have appeared on compilations by the NYC-based all-killer-no-filler connective imprint HAUS OF ALTR, with tracks like "Lucid Dreams" & "Interstellar Prophecy" further giving form to the inner velocity & metaphysical momentum Akua seeks to cultivate. Through her journey in life & music, Akua aims to help others find understanding within themselves by harnessing their personal power & channeling it into the power of dance. Her message through techno represents a deep dedication to bringing forth narratives about the genre's history. It's about original, authentic, and rebellious old school values of the sort that Underground Resistance defined so early on. It's about breaking modern expectations with a fresh sense of attitude. Her recontextualization of techno centers it's long lineage for contemporary audience, transmuting the boundless genesis of rave onwards towards buoyant possibilities for the future.
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