SPOTLIGHT: IKIGAI
Published March 30, 2022
The ever interesting Danish scene for electronic music is thriving because of passion and dedication from all its various actors: DJs, promoters, crews, bookers, audience etc. With this Spotlight series we tell you who to watch. Meet Ikigai, the clever Argentinian crew that already hosted some very memorable nights in Red Box. Thursday 14 April they are back hosting Black Box and invited no other than Swedish Per Hammar for the occasion.
How do the three of you know each other and what brought you together as a crew?
We know each other through a mutual friend (Lucas) who introduced us and not long after we met, we realized that we not only shared the same passion for electronic music but also that we liked the same style and genres. We became close friends and the fact that we also share the same values in life (as artists and persons) made us realize we could work together so we decided to create a new project.
Can you describe the Ikigai project for us, the story behind and why you have chosen the name ‘Ikigai’?
Our main idea when we created this project was working on something we love and to create a fresh and novel concept within the electronic underground scene in Copenhagen, where we could make people know the kind of music we like that includes genres such as minimal house, micro house, house, dub and also make ourselves known as artists. The three of us have been interested in Japanese culture for a long time and Ikigai is a concept which is defined as “a motivation force”, something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or a reason for living. For us, that motivation force is the music, and that is why we decided to name the project Ikigai.
What can you expect from an Ikigai party? from a Ikigai release?
On the parties we host, we ensure line-ups are always well programmed and resonate with the distinctive Ikigai sound. From the beginning, the main attributes of the party have always been a strong focus on sound quality, a warm atmosphere and a unique crowd that brings a special vibe to the experience. What you can expect from our releases section is underground music from emergent artists that have the opportunity to share unknown projects on our platform. We also offer the possibility to download these exclusive tracks for free from our Soundcloud page, for anyone that would like to have our music in their collection.
What motivates you to work with electronic music?
What really motivates us to work with electronic music, apart from the music itself, is the people. We are constantly meeting a lot of people that share the same passion, we feel we belong to a community and our events are the place where we all leave our concerns and worries outside and all get together to share the music, the good vibes and dance.
Can you tell us about your inspirations and influences as musicians and promoters?
As artists, we all have different backgrounds and influences as we are constantly digging and discovering new artists and genres. As promoters, we have been to many clubs, parties and festivals around the world where we got inspiration from. Some of our main influences were S.A.S.H in Sydney, Australia, FUSE London, RIO Electronic Music in Buenos Aires, Brunch in Barcelona. They all had a common factor that was hosting parties on a Sunday and most of them were in the afternoon so we really liked the idea of bringing this concept to Copenhagen.
You have a 1-year anniversary coming up how has the first year as Ikigai been?
If we can define the first year of Ikigai in one word it would definitely be challenging. We had no expectations at all, we had upside-downs as any new business but overall we are beyond happy with all the support we had this time, how as a team we were able to face all the challenges along the way and how everything turned out. This has only been the beginning and we are confident that a lot of new and exciting opportunities are yet to come.
Being from Argentina where the electronic music scene is huge, how is it different to be part of the scene here in Denmark?
To be part of the scene in Denmark is more difficult for us than in Argentina as the scene here is smaller, it is more focused in more popular genres such as Progressive House and Techno so for us, being able to expand with our music, reach more people and collaborate to make the scene bigger is a day by day work but we are putting a lot of effort to make this happen.
What‘s your hopes and dreams for the future of Ikigai?
Our hopes and dreams for the future of Ikigai are the same for all of us, for the business to grow and allow us to work full time on this.
Any exciting new projects in the pipeline for you?
We have our First Anniversary party coming, we will be hosting a 12 hours rave for the first time, we are building a new concept within Ikigai this summer, called “Sadashi” that will be focused on female artists. We are also planning to take our project around different cities in Europe that we will be announcing throughout the year.
Do you have any good advice for Culture Box in regards to the future of electronic music in Denmark?
We believe the work that Culture box has been doing since its opening has been exceptional and has helped the scene to grow a lot, by bringing different artists, hosting quality events, by its professionalism and we want to highlight the way you deal with us artists, always making us feel welcome and making a difference. We have no other advice than to tell you to keep doing things as you do.
You are hosting Black Box Thursday 14 April where you’ve invited Per Hammar. What’s your feelings and expectations?
First of all we want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to host this special event in the Black Box. It is a really important date for Ikigai, we consider it a goal achievement and we are really excited about it, with lots of energy and counting the days to hit the dance floor. We are really happy to share once again this date with Per Hammar as for us he is a huge reference, and he has an outstanding and exceptional sound.
📅 Thursday 14 April: Ikigai: Per Hammar / Ana Lōg / Colo / Tomás Cebrero
🎟 Event info!
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