- New-school old-school techno from a New York star.
- There are DJs, then there are DJs who capture—and live—a moment in dance music's evolution. Born in Los Angeles, but based in New York for the better half of a decade, Akua has established herself as the latter, an important voice in the North American techno scene. Akua's DJing practice is fueled by her research in the '90s techno music archive, with a special interest in the history and roots of techno within America.
Akua's sets are raw extensions of the foundations laid by the pioneers of '90s U.S. techno. Most prominently, the work and influence of DJs like Jeff Mills, Claude Young and Jay Denham can all be heard across her mixes, as well as the spirit of Underground Resistance. Her interest in fast-paced techno comes from these traditions as well as own individualist streak—while there's no shortage of DJs who play high-BPM techno, you won't hear anyone else play it quite like she does.
Her old-school meets new-school sound has catapulted her from the New York underground into the European techno circuit, where recent gigs have seen her perform at dance music institutions like Berghain and Dekmantel. Akua's RA Podcast is her in full-throttle mode, featuring all the stripped-down, hypnotic groove of early techno aside rushes of searing acid, carefully speeding up until closing at a healthy sprint.
What have you been up to recently?
I've had some really great experiences during my travels for gigs as of late. I've enjoyed playing around the States especially in Midwest cities including Minneapolis, Madison and Chicago. I feel like there's so much history when it comes to dance music in those cities and it's always refreshing to meet promoters / venue owners in this region who have a strong vision for how they would like to build community around techno. I also recently went to Brazil to play for the first time last month which was super amazing! This past weekend I just started my first EU tour of the year and played at BLITZ in Munich for the first time which was a lot of fun! It was also just my birthday a few days ago so feels cool to be starting my new year off with touring. :)
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
I feel lucky to have a set up at home in Brooklyn which consists of two XDJ-700s, two Technics 1200MK2s and a Xone 92 mixer. I recorded the mix into my Zoom recorder that I've used for several years now for every single mix I've put out.
In terms of the idea behind it, for some reason, I kept having this idea of wanting to make something that felt a bit more "sinister" in comparison to other mixes I've made before. Just a mood that came to mind maybe because of Aries season? There are a lot of tracks in the mix that I've played out a bunch and some I consider to be my weapons for my club sets, like the iconic Claude Young remix of "Bang The Acid," "Fear Me" by Mike Dearborn, and "Marathon Man" by DJ Rush. Mix is mostly '90s techno as usual, with one entry from 2005 by Punisher, whose music I'm such a huge fan of.
The mix opens with classic X-103 and also features artists I consider to be major influences of mine including Jeff Mills, DJ T-1000, Joey Beltram, Steve Rachmad, Abe Duque, Steve Bicknell and Cari Lekebusch. In true Aries fashion the mix is fast so for all those who have been familiar with my work over the years there's no surprise here! The only contemporary tracks I have in the mix are from three American producers whose work really stands out to me—1morning, Max Watts and NYCO. Major shout out to the three of them as I'm seriously always blown away by their productions and DJing and how well they infuse the raw old school energy into their output!
As much as you are known as a DJ with precise technical skill, you are also known for your selections, which archive and celebrate '90s techno. How has your digging practice evolved over the years?
I've grown to be very particular about what I like within the realm of '90s techno, so I think my approach has become a bit more focused. I'm a bit impatient so I actually don't go to brick and mortar record stores that often, as it's really rare for me to find a lot of what I actually like in stores. Although when I'm able to go and find gems that I really love the trips and hours put in at the shop is really worth it. Last time I had an experience like that was at Jiggy Jamz in Madison, Wisconsin—a shop I've been buying records from for the last six or so years and I got a lot of really good stuff there, like I literally spent the whole day there just going through boxes. IRL sessions like that are my absolute favs! I kind of go crazy when I'm having dig sessions online like on Discogs and I usually will think of an artist I like, read their page again, and literally either start going through their discography (usually up until early 2000s) then check the same for all of their side projects that are listed. I typically go on with a specific artist or track as the intention then if I find other things along the way then that's great! I usually will read everything about a specific artist and if I find an interesting side project on a label that's new to me, I check that labels page and kind of repeat that same process.
I always filter when I'm searching on Discogs, when I'm looking for techno specifically I'm usually looking for between 1994-1999. Not that I have anything against years before but I feel more drawn to records from within that specific range so I try to stick with that. And of course keeping track of my "wantlist" is really useful. There's certain records I've wanted for long time that I'll find myself repeatedly checking to see if there's any updates on new sellers selling them. I also love chatting with sellers and being able to meet in person when possible. One thing that hasn't really changed much for me though is the amount of time I spend digging through random YouTube channels with different collections and listening to a lot of old school techno mixtapes and radio shows online. I also like looking into online forums sometimes to find track IDs or ask for them haha. It's always rewarding when one that's been on my radar for so long finally appears. :)
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
With all that's going on in the world currently I feel that it's important for people to focus on their mental health. It's hard not to feel affected by all the injustices and tragedies that we as people bare witness to on a regular basis but I really am a strong believer in practices such as self-care, digital detoxing, meditation and exploring other healthy routes to maintaining a peace of mind and sense of stability in this ever-changing world.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
Finishing up this first tour of the year in EU + UK throughout the rest of this month! Also have a string of shows across North America next month that I'm super hyped about including Movement Festival in Detroit which I am so incredibly honored to be playing this year! Also have an all-night set coming up in NYC in June that I'm very excited about. Really love all-night sets because I get to deviate a bit and traverse through different genres throughout the night. Also looking forward to more EU touring throughout the rest of the year, continuing to work on production and working towards getting some other music related projects of mine off the ground. Also just looking forward to leaning more into embracing change throughout the rest of this year. :)
Photo: Jae Kim