Foto: Mikołaja Perełkiewicza/VICE (Olivia)
„You can always rely on the residents. They know the club, the crowd, the sound system, and they are a pillar of the musical identity of a club, just as important as the architecture, the acoustics or the interior design,” Nick Höppner once said in Groove. Our monthly Resident Podcast aims to give them the attention and respect they deserve. Starting this month, it will also feature resident DJs and clubs outside the German-speaking countries and will put a special emphasis on Eastern European communities.
Warsaw’s club scene had been brimming with activity for a while, but was also brought to a grinding halt in early 2020. Jasna 1 music director Jędrzej Kowalczyk underlines however that despite its closure for eight months during that time, the club nowadays operates again as it did before the pandemic started. According to him, the club has had the same focus since it opened in 2017: “Diversity of the music programme, a wide spectrum of local artists and promoters as well as a stable and consistent group of resident DJs who treat Jasna 1 as their home club and play an active role in creating our line-ups.”
One of those resident DJs is Olivia. The Krakow-based DJ has been active in her home town for more than a decade, representing the city’s Unsound festival as a resident while also putting on events as part of the We Are Radar collective, which regularly hosts club nights at Jasna 1. In recent years, Olivia has also become more active as a producer. Besides her joint project with Chino, Radiation 30376, she has released a slew of EPs since her debut on K-Hole Trax in 2018, putting out releases on Pinkman and, most recently, Dom Trojga as well as Dalmata Daniel. Her mix for our Resident Podcast showcases her faster side as a Jasna 1 resident.
Jasna 1 opened in 2017 and you started playing there regularly early on. When and how did it come about that you became a full resident?
It came very naturally. As We Are Radar, we started doing our night at Jasna 1, so I played there every second month and after a few months I started playing more often and finally just became a resident DJ. Jędrzej is my good friend, we played many times at the same parties and we just have similar tastes in music.
Through its different channels, Jasna 1 has confidentally referred to itself as “the first real night club in Poland we dreamed of” and “the electronic music venue for all human beings.” What does the club stand for in your eyes, musically and beyond that?
I always dreamed about a club in Poland where everyone could feel safe and be themselves, where you go and you are sure that you will listen to good music. This is Jasna 1. It is the place where I always feel free. There is a great sound and I can play what I really want. I don’t have to limit myself, I just always can go with the flow.
How would you characterise the audience at Jasna 1?
The audience is very diverse, you can meet people who are really into music and stay on the dancefloor for the whole night, but there are also people who just want to spend time with friends in a nice atmosphere who are more talkative and relaxed. What is the most important for me as a DJ is that they are open to different music.
Is there a specifically memorable night that you had at Jasna 1 during your time there?
My favourite night was our We Are Radar night with Maoupa Mazzocchetti and Galas. Everyone played an amazing set and Maoupa’s live set just blew my mind. Everything was perfect that night – the vibe, the audience and the great music.
What is the philosophy behind We Are Radar?
We Are Radar is three people: Chino, Kinzo Chrome and I. Many years ago, Chino and I had a small gallery with a club where we started putting on nights under the We Are Radar name. From the very beginning our philosophy was to invite DJs and producers who we believe are playing and making amazing music – people who are not following trends and fashions in music, but musicians who are true to their own sound. We never look at how many followers someone has or who is popular on Instagram, our guests just have to play good music. We have to see the truth in it.
In recent years, you have become increasingly active as a solo producer. This year has already seen two new releases by you, a split with Rapha for Dalmata Daniel and the solo EP New Life for Dom Trojga. The latter especially had been in the works for a while. How did the release come together and what themes informed it?
My New Life EP should have been out one year ago, but because of the pandemic everything was very delayed so that’s why two of my records came out almost at the same time. That’s probably good though, clubs are finally open again and I can play my tracks more often. I was pregnant during the first year of the pandemic so I already knew that record will be delayed. I decided at that moment that I wanted to add another track which I had made at that time and also put the final touch to all tracks during my pregnancy. So I can tell that my little daughter made this record with me, that’s why I dedicated it to her!
Together with Chino, you debuted as Radiation 30376 on Pinkman last year. What is the concept behind this joint project?
Our friend Mat Schulz, who is also Unsound’s music director, told us many times that we should start a project together. Of course we thought about it many times, but it took some time until we finally started jamming together in the studio. The result of this was the creation of Radiation 30376 and the project’s premiere at Unsound in 2019. Radiation 30376 is our live project and the main concept is how we make music and how we play it. When we play it is a full-on hardware performance, combining the sound of acid, techno, and electro, but we are open for any sound. When we are in the studio, we just go with the flow. We have long jam sessions and record everything before we listen back to it, restructure it and create the tracks out of it. Our live performances are largely improvised, of course you can hear the main motives from the tracks that we have saved on the machines, but they sound different every time.
What was the idea behind your contribution to our Groove Resident Podcast?
I thought that it would be best if I showed you something that will be similar to what I play in a club, especially at Jasna 1. The club has two rooms, a big one and another more cosy one next to the bar. Usually, I play a bit faster, more broken, electro, and techno stuff in the main room. When I play at the bar room I like to play slower with a touch of new wave, EBM, synth stuff. This mix showcases my faster side.
Last but not least: What are your plans for the future?
I have some nice gigs upcoming. I’m part of the project Gravity Network and will play at their first event at Prague’s Ankali soon. I’ve just released two EPs on Dom Trojga and Dalmata Daniel, but there is more music coming from me in the next months, among them a remix which I played in this mix. Chino and I are also working on a new EP.
Stream: Olivia – Groove Resident Podcast 28
01. Sematic4 – Dream Creator (Dalmata Daniel)
02. The Spy – Electric Voide (Discos Atónicos)
03. DJ Godfather – It’s Only Detroit (Avoidant)
04. Wulkan – Lush Name (Olivia Remix) upcoming
05. Ole Mic Odd – Ice So Bright (Zement)
06. Mutant Joe – Ekranoplamn Lur (Tombolo Records)
07. Cressida – Semtex (VOITAX)
08. Héctor Oaks – Forwarded State Of Evidence (Dj Stingray Remix) (Bassiani)
09. Boys Noize – Moonsrad (BNR)
10. Kafkactrl – Genetic Drift (Vortex)
11. Luz1e – Oscillatory Pulse (Jensen Interceptor Remix) (Source Material)
12. Crushed Soul – Gravitational Field (Dark Entries)
13. PRZ – Ok Electronic (Clone)
14. CT Kidobó – Primer (Dalmata Daniel)
15. Olivia – Laser (Dom Trojga)
16. Larionov – Never Forever – Craigie Knowes
17. Prioleau – Never Trust A Mirror (Subject To Restrictions Discs)
