nacht invites: Lena Willikens, M I M I & Pastige

• Pastige

pastige is co-founder, curator and safe space worker for nacht. You can hear him on his monthly radioshow for Kiosk Radio in Brussels. On Collecting Kernels he traverses a wide spectrum of DIY-inspired music: from ambient meditative spaces to intimate bedroom creations and unhinged dance materials, nothing's off the table. In a club, he enjoys bringing the unexpected with an undeniable dancefloor-sensibility.

• M I M I

With M I M I, it's all about genre bending and mixing. We’ll go in every direction, straight ahead, backwards, left, right, you name it. In the end it will still all make sense. Afro-European-inspired leftfield, classic percussion and futuristic club tracks flow seamlessly together. She searches, creates and shows us very experimental sets, which will give us a small peep into her creative personality.

• Lena Willikens

Lena Willikens doesn’t play the hits. When she’s behind the decks, even her biggest fans often have no idea exactly what she’s playing, and that’s part of the magic. Like all DJs, Willikens of course has a passion for records, but she’s also after something bigger, something that’s truly transportive for those on the dancefloor.

Born and raised in Germany, Willikens first honed her unique approach during a long residency at Düsseldorf’s beloved Salon des Amateurs. These days, however, she’s based in Amsterdam, where her transportative impulses have been plugged into a variety of outlets with a global reach. On the radio, she pilots the monthly Lightning Conductor program on NTS. On record, she recently curated the fifth installment of Dekmantel’s acclaimed Selectors compilation series, and she’s also been tapped to remix the likes of Lena Platonos, S U R V I V E, rRoxymore, Simian Mobile Disco and Ana Helder, amongst others. On stage, Willikens works with artist Sarah Szczesny on Phantom Kino Ballett, an immersive audio-visual performance art project that defies routine explanation.

Still, it’s in the DJ booth where Willikens continues to make the biggest impact. Whether she’s playing alone or in tandem with fellow sonic explorer and Salon des Amateurs alum Vladimir Ivkovic, Willikens nimbly navigates electronic music’s darkest and most bizarre corners, sampling different temperatures, different moods and a dollop of chaos, just to keep things interesting. And although she herself doesn’t always know the final destination, when Willikens is at the helm, there’s no question that the journey is bound to be thrilling.

+ more names tba

• About nacht

Since 2019, nacht has been throwing parties in the sweatiest room of Leuven's youth venue STELPLAATS (and sometimes beyond). Regardless of pigeonholes, genres or beats per minute, nacht has for years been curating the most accessible club possible where experience, perception and security are central - for everyone. (Inter)national stars and young local maestros play side by side to destroy the booth. More artists to be announced soon!