Digging through November with Westdale

Guess it’s bound to get chilly one of these days so why not turn up the thermostat at your local soap factory? Headed into my third year of Ankali visits, it’s always like Christmas day when that new monthly program hits the Instagram feed. Once a month we all get out our reading glasses and scour through another lineup of excitement. This coming month is no outlier and guests will be able to get involved with an ever thriving local scene + some pretty cool international collaborations. I’ve tried to share some starting points for a few of these nights and their various components. If you make it out to any of these parties, I’d love to hear from you… and I’m sure the Ankali team would too <3 

2023–11–03 No Borders

The first Friday of the month falls under in-house protocol with another strong edition of No Borders being booked into action. While most have had some sort of experience with this party series, two encounters are never alike… 

My first contact with No Borders was about a year ago when Octa Octa and Jasmín came to town. The duality of sounds and energies spread across Ankali and Planeta Za was some sort of a revelation. Just like day to day life the party seemed to ebb and flow in the most natural sort of way. As the same suggests, No Borders lacks some sort of strict sonic definition and resolves for a wider melange of characteristics. This decision however doesn’t come from a lack of attentive booking, but more so a reflection of the artists being booked. Take local legend Psj for example… Not only well versed in breaks/trance/electro, Psj’s catalogue spans wide into the worlds of house, downtempo, and ambient (as shown by this beautiful mix for Nachtdigital)

And when Psj sits beside NCOL, Yan, and Roza Terenzi, you know there’s one heck of a night brewing. For a soundbite of what’s to come check out NCOL and Yan b2b at our <3 home club Vitamin <3 back last year during the second annual Ankali x Vitamin exchange.

As well as a shapeshifter yet to be released by Roza Terenzi on new Aussie label Paper-Cuts.

Now if this array of promising local and international DJs isn’t already catching your eye there’s a double dose in Planeta Za. The first dimension to this second room is brought by Softi. Softi aka Jazz Brown is a British DJ/Producer that’s deeply intertwined with the UK scene… and furthermore the UK radio scene 🙂 Her main project Cozi releases mixes/interviews from some stellar artists while simultaneously keeping up a seperate residency on Rinse FM. Sonic juggling at its finest, just like this single from 2022.

Thinking back to the name of the party I’ve gotta say this lineup just makes sense. “An eclectic world. Deep Sounds for your brain. Weirdness welcomed” champions Softi’s collective Cozi. You can catch a steady rendition of this philosophy in one of Softi’s recent mixes. This mix for Cozi hints at a rather warm feeling with swelling and morphing sounds galore (including my favourite… a huge halftime stepper coming in around the 56 minute mark). There’s an interview available in the mix description that includes a few points helpful in getting to know the artist a little bit better!

Also featured on the PZ lineup is the ever caring/loving/amazing patricccio who I have to shout out for his recent cumbia focused party at Altenburg w/ Pablo Gardú (something I hope will happen again and again). The final and third slot is tenanted by Kobayashi Maru and Vision of 1994, a freshly synchronized duo (at least in my head) that will surely present something special. Whether it’s controlling the booth at Planeta or connecting from joint production, I’m sure this won’t be the last time we hear of this pairing.

2023–11–10 Ankali x Gang of Ducks

On November 10th Gang of Ducks turns 10! The omnipresent collective embarks on an excursion leading them into the booths of Garage Noord, Sameheads, and the ever lovely Lopuchová 58 (just to name a few). It turns out that instead of listening to Wrecking Ball in the bathroom of my elementary school, I could have been witnessing the formation of GOD in Torino :’)

For a brief moment, GOD will bring its ten years of experience into fruition over two stages at Ankali. The first part of the bill comprises Selezione Naturale (live), hadri b2b Sanjin, Gang of Ducks Soundsytem, and Cologne based selector/producer Lena Willikens. Anyone supporting the community radio scene is a friend of mine, and Lena Willikens has really championed involvement in that scene over the years. Between a flourishing residency at Salon des Amateurs and a long list of international gigs, Lena Willikens always makes time to create thoughtfully crafted mixes wherever the adventure may lead. As a perfect liaison to the events about to unfold, check out Lena’s mix for GOD on Brussel’s Kiosk Radio.

But wait… who’s playing in the listening room?

Dans Market, a creatively named duo of Daniel and Marketa (Skalm <3) will have their Ankali debut alongside forlorn joining in from Copenhagen. I’ve been lucky to work closely with Dans Market for quite some time. Not only were they one of the first residency shows on Infame Radio, but very quickly after that Marketa became a regular at our home space Vitamin. Albeit a while back, take a look at their seasonal show Sortiment and its Winter 22’ edition for some background research on Prague’s newly uncovered duo.

Even at a glance, Gang of Ducks takes an innovative (yet somehow more natural) approach to building community and art in general. Sonics take various forms over the expansive 35+ release catalog curated over the past decade. “From rougher and nebulous ones to club-oriented all the way to more dilated, hypnotic, emotional and meditative ones” (Kaltblut Magazine, 2022). But after all, maybe it’s time to decide for yourself. For this anniversary GOD has released a special 22 track VA “in celebration of its first 10 years in the swamp”. As an optional homework assignment feel free to check out the fractured pulse of Sabla’s Vibrations (muddy mix) followed by Slime Dynamics, the intuitive cheek warmer from River Yarra.

And hey… I did pretty good to get through this without making a 🦆 reference.

2023–11–11 Motsion

Cooking up a Saturday definitely worth your attention is Prague-based Ukrainian music collective Motsion. Guided by AXT and Andriy Kostyukov, this ever-creative project has found itself hosting events all over Europe. I was really lucky to virtually sit down with Andriy and Masha to speak about their upcoming PZ excursion.

“Let’s start with why you decided to host the event at Planeta Za?”

Andriy: “The Ankali club has always been nice to us, somehow we feel a connection with this club, which, in principle, is quite rationally explainable”. 

Masha: “Ankali is a venue that places a strong emphasis on culture, its values, meanings, and the importance of being conscious of your actions.”

Andriy: “We have always been looking for a warm small place with quadro sound, especially if these are Function One.” (or turbo sound in the case of Planeta Za)

(Andriy previously worked in the Ukrainian department of the company and is still a fan of this sound)

Andriy: “When we first saw Planeta Za we realized this place is ideal for our formation”. 

Masha: “By hosting the first event in Prague, we want to bridge the gap between the Czech and Ukrainian electronic music scenes, fostering opportunities for collaboration and the exchange of experiences”.

The next question brought up during our conversation aimed to magnify the creative force of Udda (one of the night’s very special guests). Currently based in Berlin, Udda has been creating frequently in both Portugal and Germany after being displaced from Ukraine by the Russian invasion. Her sound is intuitively bass driven and has been heard at the likes of Golden Pudel, RSO.BERLIN, and Bassiani. You can check out her latest mix for Cxema down below, a weighted progression with hints of (for lack of a better set of words) metallic technology. 

Masha: “The Ukrainian music scene began to take shape over a decade ago, facing numerous challenges and sudden police attacks. Despite these hurdles, the scene persevered and has continued to flourish, even amidst the russian terror, extending its reach beyond the borders of Ukraine, thanks to ambassadors of our rave culture. Olha Udda is a shining example of such an individual. I met Olha when I started working on Kultura Zvuku’s social media projects. She was my mentor, guiding me in writing about music, understanding the inner workings of the club, and encouraging me to think deeply about sound culture. I expect her to drag the dance floor into her curly selection and create a highly psychedelic atmosphere”

“And one last question maybe for you both? Is there any information you’d love guests to know/research before joining in on the evening?”

Masha: “This Motsion was built around the metaphor of «putting down roots.» You will be able to see it in communication, visuals, and the lineup. Olha and Andriy moved from Ukraine due to the influence of the war and are currently under the temporary protection of Germany and the Czech Republic. Jonah moved from Kansas to Berlin a few years ago because he felt that Berlin is the city in which he imagines his life. 

Andriy: “The process of moving to a completely new territory, with its own mentality and rules, is very difficult, but it teaches us to be flexible, strong, and to be able to connect organically with the new terrain. The latter is symbolized by Kuba’93, one of our favorite local artists in Prague. His impartiality and open-mindedness is clearly one of his superpowers.”

See you soon in the November smoke! And lemme know what you think (daniel@vitamin.xxx) 🙂

*quack*

Check the full programme for November here.