We are delighted to have @aka_tony in charge of the Sunset music for the next couple of weeks! This slow burner mix is an absolute stomper of a set. One of the most active underground DJs on the scene right now and his capacity to deliver on a regular basis is more than impressive!
Interview with aka-tony
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Morning Thomas 😊
➢I hope you agree to answer a few random and fun questions to share with our listeners?
Of course, let's get started
➢To start you off tell us what song puts you in a good mood when you wake up in the morning?
Listening to the music I play today, one wouldn't think that I'm a big fan of Soul & R&B. But “It's my house” by Diana Ross always succeeds in putting a smile on my face.
➢Tell us briefly how you chose aka-tony as your artist alias?
When I created my Soundcloud account, I had no idea that I would be DJing again in the distant future. Back in 2010, it annoyed me that I often got confused with a certain Tony Williams who worked for the same company as me. I often got e-mails and other things that were meant for my almost namesake. So “aka tony” quickly became a running joke among my colleagues and that's how this Soundcloud account name came about. Then in 2018, when I started DJing again after break of 20 years, I had no desire to change this name.
➢You have been busy working on your own aka-tapes as well as conducting interviews for Planet Ibiza. What are your next plans for 2021 and beyond?
I am currently preparing a fundraising project for indigenous peoples. For the dia do indio on April the 19th, the podcast series Heimlich (AT), Faultierdisko (DE), Casa Caos (BR), Amalaya (SA), Cosmovision (CA), Downtempo Rituals (USA) and Planet Ibiza (ESP) will each release a podcast with music with indigenous influences and call for donations to an organization dedicated to the cause of indigenous peoples. I am super grateful that I found so many podcast series who liked my idea and decided to support this project.
In addition, at Planet Ibiza we will launch a new format called Inner Sense in February 2021, which is all about spiritual, organic music. We are happy that we were able to engage Andi from the Leipzig Tribe of Peace to start off the new format. Jamie Sisley will then contribute the second episode. I am looking forward to it.
➢Since the pandemic, it has been a difficult time for the music scene, how has it changed within your hometown and what do you think will be different when things return to a certain “normality”?
Of course, the last 11 months have been incredibly bitter for many cultural workers and I am very sincerely sorry for that. My heart aches when I think of all the people who are suddenly faced with existential questions. Although I have the feeling that there’s still as much music produced as before, but of course all the music that is being created is somehow influenced by the pandemic. However, I believe and hope that with the return to normality, new spaces will emerge. This would be very positive for a city like Zurich, because here, too long and too often the same style has been played repeatedly. Fast and hard. Hopefully this will change a bit in the future, because the downtempo revolution as we know it from Berlin or Vienna will hardly skip Zurich. The people and club operators here just need a little longer but the younger generation already understands it very well. When I listen to artists like Akra Ondo or Oilst, I know that Zurich has a lot to offer.
➢Lastly, regarding this mix you have done for us, can you tell us a little bit about your thought process behind choosing the tracks you chose?
Well, this answer will be brief. I'm less of a concept guy, so I didn't put a hundred thoughts into it before I recorded the mix. It was important to me at that time to play well under 100 bpm and to put songs with fat basses in it. The rest came naturally.
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Sunset Location: Zurich, Switzerland
