VLADIMIR IVKOVIC (SALON DES AMATEURS)
Some of our favourite dancefloor experiences over the years have been when we have experienced true cult underground heroes, and now we get the chance to host one of the best in Aotearoa for the first time, and in his only NZ date here in Tāmaki Makaurau.
VLADIMIR IVKOVIC is a DJ. He's more than that of course, but at his essence, Ivkovic is someone with a particularly unique talent for selecting records and weaving them into a larger and often unusually compelling narrative.
A selector's selector, he has become legendary for his adventurous, slow-burning sets. Industrial chug, heady drift, dubbed-out electronics: no matter what he's playing, he locks you into a deeply compelling trance.
Born and raised in Belgrade, he first dabbled in DJing as a teenager in the mid ’80s, but it was only after leaving Yugoslavia (to study in Germany) and later coming back for a summertime visit that he truly immersed himself in the craft, taking up position behind the decks during a series of impromptu parties at a lakeside restaurant run by his parents.
Eventually, Ivkovic found his musical and spiritual home at the legendary Salon des Amateurs, an unassuming spot in Düsseldorf that’s gradually proven to be wildly influential, giving rise in recent years to otherworldly talents like Lena Willikens, Tolouse Low Trax, Jan Schulte and many others, including Ivkovic himself.
With its small size, Salon des Amateurs provided something of an open platform, a place where true music lovers could experience DJs exploring sounds and genres that strayed far from traditional electronic dance music tropes. That same adventurous spirit has found its way into Ivkovic’s curation of Offen Music, a label he launched in 2015. Experimental Serbian rarities sit alongside ambient excursions and moody synth-pop in the label’s catalogue – the label’s open-minded approach and embrace of off-kilter sounds perfectly encapsulates Ivkovic’s artistic temperament.
In recent years, that temperament has increasingly found devoted followers all around the globe. Ivkovic has become a staple of the European club and festival circuit; despite his many years in the humble confines of Salon des Amateurs, he’s proven to be just as comfortable at celebrated settings like De School, Berghain, Dekmantel, Sub Club, Phonox, Fold, and others too numerous to list.
The much loved and sonically borderless Vladimir joins us in the NOTW basement for an extended 3hr set on the Ghost Soundsystem.
Local support from:
SCARLETT (LOVE LANGUAGE / FRIENDLY POTENTIAL)
SG MARGOT
FERGUS WAVEFORMS (SMALL RAVE)
FRIDAY 24TH OCTOBER
See you on the dancefloor.
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