Personable, funky, and a true breath of fresh air, meet Brooklyn-based Australian DJ and producer AKKI. This rising talent has become a staple in NYC’s nightlife over the past few years, hitting the decks of major festivals like Mysteryland and becoming a known face at BangOn!NYC events. After playing a high-energy set that had the entire roller rink grooving and gliding at Elements Lakewood on Sunday, we had a chance to sit down and talk with our new favorite Brooklynite.
Can you tell us a little bit about your musical background and how you got started?
AKKI: While growing up in Australia, I was classically trained in both Western music and Indian music. I also lived in Singapore for some time, where I became friends with a lot of international people and began listening to music from all different countries through them. I started getting into Latin music, African music, and my music taste evolved into this hodgepodge of multicultural influences. When I eventually moved to the US, I was on a Latin dance and got introduced to Caribbean music, something I had never really been exposed to living on the other side of the world. This is around the same time that I slowly started to get into underground house music. I realized how much I loved curating playlists of all the different kinds of music I liked, and loved trying to create a unique vibe that brought people together, so that’s when I started to DJ. Eventually I began making my own music because there were just so many different sounds going on in my head from all that I had been exposed to, and I wanted to put that into original track form.
We heard you’re working on new music. What’s going on with that?
AKKI: Right now I’m working on a really nice track that’s an intersection between tribal and techno, so it’s Caribbean vibes and samples, but has a hard techno/tech-house bassline. I’m going for something that’s got a bit of a cultural twist to it because I feel like my roots are so multicultural that I’d be doing the music I’m creating an injustice if I didn’t try to bring that to the table. So yeah, I would describe my new sound as techno with a cultural twist. The tracks I’m working on now should be released sometime this summer.
Who’s been your biggest inspiration thus far?
AKKI: Defected and Ministry of Sound compilations are two labels that original got me into upbeat house and trance, before I started to get more into Hedkandi (funky disco), and then tech house and techno. As far as artists go, Green Velvet is my biggest inspiration right now. I listen to his podcast constantly and he’s also just a great person. Billy Kenny and Walker & Royce are artists who I’ve really looked up to recently as well, and Eli & Fur, who are huge role models for me.
What was it like playing the inaugural year of Elements Lakewood?
AKKI: BangOn! has been like family to me for some time now. I’ve gotten really close with them ever since they went on SoundCloud and discovered my music. I played the first ever year of Elements in Brooklyn, so to watch it grow into a camping festival like this is super inspirational. They’ve worked so hard and it truly felt symbolic to be a part of it all. They put together a really great showing of both headliners and Brooklyn locals. It’s also just awesome to be part of an inaugural festival because we don’t know what exactly to expect and can discover together, and that’s so exciting.
Who were you most excited to see this weekend?
AKKI: Eli & Fur, Walker and Royce, and Claude (Vonstroke). But in general, I was most excited to see my friends play. I kind of feel like all of us from Brooklyn are on a retreat together. You can roam around the festival and easily find someone from the local Brooklyn scene playing one of the stages. Sometimes it was a scheduled set, other times it wasn’t, which made it even more fun and exciting to see who you’d run into.
What was it like speaking on the BAE panel at Elements about women in the industry?
AKKI: Being invited to speak on the BAE Panel was such an honor and it was one of my most memorable experiences at Elements. It was perfect for an environment like Elements, where people were just constantly looking for new, unique experiences and opportunities to have interesting discussions that really pushed their thought process. The panel was a great reminder of the gender imbalances in the industry that still exist today, and how just showing up (to listen to the panel) and showing support is exactly what we need to continue driving change. I was so touched by all of the attendees at the panel who came to my set the next day, as well as people who tried to continue the conversation during the rest of the festival and discussing more ideas. Kudos to BAE for such an amazing event and turnout.
You’ve been living in Brooklyn for some time now and seem to have really dug your heels deep into the community. So, we thought you could give us some insight on things only a true Brooklynite might know. Here we go…
Starbucks or Dunkin?
AKKI: Neither. I’m a coffee snob and I need to go to a nice café. But If I was truly in a rush and had to choose, then Starbucks.
Favorite bagel?
AKKI: Everything.
Favorite pizza in Brooklyn?
AKKI: Grimaldi’s.
Favorite club in Brooklyn?
AKKI: House of Yes.
Tupac or Biggie?
AKKI: Tupac.
Ah, really…Tupac?
AKKI: (Cue big laugh) I know, I just have always really gravitated towards his music.
Connect with AKKI:
https://www.facebook.com/akkimusicworld
https://www.twitter.com/akkimusicworld
https://www.soundcloud.com/akkimusicworld
https://www.instagram.com/akkimusicworld
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