Spring gasque at Kalmar nation means afterparty until 4am, and this one will be a treat for house music lovers. We invited a whole crew of dj’s from south Sweden, who are quickly making a name for themselves and throwing parties together. They are all excellent dj’s and producers on their own, but they have one thing in common. We had a brief chat to find out more.
Who is part of HHAS and how do you know eachother?
Basically we are five founding members, of whom two live in Berlin, one in Amsterdam and two in Malmö. All of us have our roots in Malmö/Lund though and we are interconnected through meeting at different parties. In our extended family (the Society) there are a lot of friends (DJ’s/producers/music lovers) spread out on different locations, but the five of us are the core. We would also like to stress that HHAS is not an exclusive thing but rather the opposite, a Society open to anyone who share our passion and want to contribute.
Alright, so tell us more about the society – a society which appreciates hi-hats. What is a hi-hat, and why is it so important in house music?
The golden saucers in the drum kit are obviously the hi hats, which are a central part of the percussions in most contemporary music (even if artificial), including house disco and techno. It’s all about making them sound tight, with a sharp attack, and introducing them at the right point in time. It’s our common fascination for this – how adding such a simple instrument could multiply the drive in a song and take it to a whole new level – that lead us to found the Society. A Society of like-minded appreciators and music lovers.
When did you start HHAS? How did it all go down?
We’ve all received so much love, memories and experiences from the music scene that at a certain point it was just time to give something back. Throwing parties, spreading music and supporting talent – it’s something that has come very naturally through the thankfulness we all feel. HHAS was founded last year and was first only a group/forum for a couple of friends to share songs amongst each other. As it progressed we felt we had the energy to do something more and we since threw our first and second parties, founded a Facebook page where we post some nice songs every now and then, a Soundcloud where we upload guest mixes and “one-offs” (releases of single tracks) from various DJ’s and producers, all friends of us in some way.
Oh yeah, the HHAS soundcloud page really is a goldmine. If you had to choose one of the mixes, which one would it be?
They are all very diverse, with the hi-hat as the common denominator, and even if house probably is the most central genre there are hints of both techno and disco. As we are all about the contrast we find it hard to choose only one. They all have their charm and are all worth a listen 🙂
Fair enough. You have thrown numerous parties in the Lund/Malmö area, both underground all nighters and regular club nights. What is a perfect party to you?
A “perfect” party to us is when all most important factors work together to create synergies – the music, the venue, the amount of people and the vibe – thus giving the people there a feeling of a higher state of consciousness and that they together are a part of something beautiful that is bigger than themselves. Something that can only happen then and there. Then again perfection is hard to come by but it in general it’s a more intimate party consisting of friends and their friends, bubbles & hi-hat oriented music. Preferably with no closing time.
Yeah, we sure wish we could go later than 4am… So which record labels should we keep track of in 2015?
Good thing is you don’t have to look beyond the borders of Sweden to find state of the art house and techno labels anymore. We choose to be patriotic and say Per Hammar’s newly-launched Dirty Hands, Karlovak (the label of Mr. Tophat & Art Alfie), Olle Bergkvist’s fine techno imprint Trolldans, Johanna Schneider’s Bossmusik and of course Aniara and Studio Barnhus that need no further introduction.
Some great names in there. One last question for you – what tracks are you looking forward to playing the most at Kalmar nation?
We don’t kiss & tell. But it will be danceable.
The guys from Hi-Hat Appreciation Society will be in charge of the main floor from open until close. Check out their soundcloud page or their facebook page for more great music, and make sure you attend the facebook event. See you April 11!