For our final mix of the year, we’re joined by AW B, a Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland, New Zealand) based deejay.
A key player in Auckland’s dance fam, alongside the likes of K2K, she’s been responsible for bringing Discwoman out on tour, as well as ripping it up on stage of some of NZ’s best loved festivals like Splore, Beacon, Catacombs and moreee.
Firstly, tell us a little bit about this mix - is there a certain vibe or activity you envision/recommend doing while listening to it? And any artists or tracks you would like to give a shout-out to?
This mix is just a really nice collection of tracks/artists that I’ve been listening to recently. I like to record mixes that are the opposite to my higher energy live sets so I envision this one to be played in a maxo relaxo environment :’) I’m really enjoying Ronan’s tracks and mixes at the moment and also everything Cousin has been putting out is chef’s kiss!
What’s your favourite experience playing out to date? Or what is your favourite genre to play at the moment?
There have been so many moments playing shows here that have cemented my love of music/djing, but I'd have to say I tend to have the best times playing at Friendly Potential parties. I feel like their parties are a safe space to experiment with genres to a crowd that genuinely loves dance music.
I haven’t played a set in a long time due to lock-downs but I’m looking forward to playing lots of breaks, bass and some extremely shameless bangers.
Tell us a little bit about ‘Moments’ that you run with another H&S favourite, Katherine Anderson aka K2K - what is it exactly and what are your future plans, hopes and dreams for it to be?
Moments was something we set up in 2017 after being really inspired by what Discwoman was doing in NYC. I’d only been djing for a year or so but was sick of the extreme gender imbalance presented both on stage and behind the scenes.
It started as a couple of tiny basement shows, and then it grew into a mini festival and tours for local and international acts including Discwoman! Moments has been a bit quiet recently, hopefully we can do more shows in the future but I’m also content knowing we may have peaked with the Discwoman tour lol.
You’ve been busy this year, despite COVID and lock-downs, and now you’ve got a tour lined up for the Summer! Where can we catch you spinning and with who?
It’s been a trash year so I’m extremely excited to be travelling around Aotearoa this summer playing a bunch of parties and festivals. Really looking forward to playing 121 Festival + Splore again… maybe see you there :’)
Who are some other Aotearoa based artists and collectives who we should be keeping an eye on?
The music community here in Aotearoa is amazing, here’s a small list of people who continue to inspire me - k2k, Peach Milk, Mongo Skato, Native Bush, Filth, Friendly Potential, 121, Borrowed CS, Nice Girl + so much more!
What else is on the cards for Aw B in 2022?
I’m about to announce a club residency in Pōneke (Wellington) which has been something I’ve been looking forward to for ages. Other than that, hopefully more shows both in Aotearoa and beyond!
Keep up to date with Aw B and all the cool shit she’s doing here!