Happy Sunday Yall! This week we’re stoked to share a bit from the incredible minds of HAVEN ahead of their stage takeover at this year’s Twisted. These party pioneers have made waves across the globe, pushing an importance for harder and weirder sides of electronic music which is all too often missed. Big ups to everything HAVEN have done and are continuing to do for the music scene. Keep reading to hear straight from the folks themselves.

Twisted: What do you think about Twisted and how this festival relates to your kaupapa? HAVEN: From the moment we first started attending Twisted in 2021 we felt right at home with the festival. The vibe, the sound systems, the quality DJ sets, the locally-oriented line-up, the feeling of respect running through the whole thing - it all matches up with a lot of what we like to see at our own events. It's also one of the few festivals in Aotearoa that regularly gives a platform to electronic genres that are often neglected by a lot of big promoters and festivals through the summer season here - which is important work for the health of the music scene.

Twisted: What are you looking forward to most about Twisted 2024? HAVEN: It's one of the highlights of our summer every year and it's an honour to have been involved to some degree the past few years. Playing to an open-minded crowd is always something to look forward to, but on top of that we're simply looking forward to enjoying the festival and coming together in one place with so many of our friends and peers around the country for NYE!

Twisted: So what’s HAVEN all about?

HAVEN: HAVEN started as a small 100 person party in Tāmaki Makaurau in 2015 originally intended to start promoting events that showcased the harder and weirder side of Techno at a time where you couldn't find much music in that vein in Aotearoa. From there we went on to host internationals including Terekke, Ansome, Perc, UVB, Daze, and Headless Horseman, before relocating to Berlin in 2018 where we hosted events at the renowned Griessmuehle club. We also expanded into a vinyl-focused record label that year where we've released leading international artists including VTSS, Tommy Holohan, Ryan James Ford, New Frames, Peder Mannerfelt and more.

These days we are based in Ōtautahi and our main focus right now is on trying to bring a new dimension to nightlife in our city. We do this through hosting diverse and inclusive events outside of the regular late-night clubs and venues in locations including warehouses and a retro games arcade. We really try to fine-tune all parts of the experience and make sure the sound (provided by 03 legends Subtle Sound System), the lighting, and the music are of the highest standard we can get, while also encouraging respectful party-goers that enjoy the dance in the moment and not via their phones. We love to see a pumping dance-floor full of alternative ravers fully absorbed in the music and hope to keep facilitating this for the years to come!

Twisted: Mad respect <3 Diversity is key, how do you go about curating/steering your events this way? HAVEN: We really try to platform the best of local talent in Aotearoa as much as we can with our events - we are internationally-inspired, but locally-minded. A lot of promoters in Aotearoa try to build their entire brands off having as many regular hyped international guests as possible - which is a nice luxury, but doesn't necessarily build the community that's essential for the longevity of the wider dance music scene here. We're of course open to having the right internationals at our events, but we really see our local talent as being the base of everything we do with our events.

Twisted: Do you have any favourite or proudest moments? HAVEN: Getting the chance to work with European clubs such as Griessmuehle in Berlin, Rote Sonne in Munich, and FOLD in London has been an honour and a lot of fun getting to bring our sound to such highly-esteemed venues. Also working alongside a lot of the international talent on the label has been amazing and a big source of pride. Really our favourite memories have been around the events we've been running in Ōtautahi in recent years. Our first warehouse event at TyanHaus and our Arcadia events have felt so special and there's been such a good vibe at all of them that's felt rewarding in a way that nothing else has.

Twisted: What’s HAVEN up to before Twisted? HAVEN: We've got our final HAVEN event for the year happening December 8th! Closing out a year of HI NRG rave pits with another SWEATBOX for our Ōtautahi creatures. Snatch up some tickets here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1506847016794951

Twisted: Any final thoughts? HAVEN: At the risk of repeating ourselves - just have to give big ups to the whole crew for facilitating such a nice event year after year that gives a regular platform to genres that don't always make it to the festival stages in Aotearoa!

BIG UPS TO HAVEN! We love celebrating diversity and watching other crews uphold this important aspect in the music scene. If you’re in Ōtautahi early December, be sure to grab your tickets to their final event of the year, and catch these wonderful people at Twisted! https://havenakl.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/havenakl
https://www.instagram.com/hav3nintl/