As its rebellious name suggests, the party collective Dissident embraces nonconformism—in terms of sound, style, and aesthetics, as well as in a social sense. It fosters a community centered around queer and femme figures and their contributions to dance music, past and present. The first installment in the column welcomes Akua, whose sets perfectly fit this ethos: The Ghanaian-American DJ rejects fleeting trends, instead crystallizing the perennial pulse of techno into something both historically rooted and utterly contemporary. Joining the lineup are Dutch DJ and producer Spekki Webu, whose debut album Neural Network was released earlier this year via Beyond the Bridge; Chinese-born, Berlin-based crate digger and Dissident founder Carly Zeng; and Cryptofauna, a Dissident resident also known as one half of the duo Epikur.
+ Akua
+ Carly Zeng
+ Cryptofauna
+ Spekki Webu
Box Office: tba