akiwawa_about_en
AKIWAWA? Oh yes! The party series by Rainer (from the Konzeptlos DJ collective) and DJ Pun has been around since 2013. They play dusty & crackling records, mainly from the the 60s and 70s. Most carry funk, soul and jazz-influenced as well as traditional sounds from many parts of the world. Plates from the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and the African continent. Well-known and obscure tunes, guaranteed to get you dancing and to give the dance floor a break, there are a few tracks thrown in to make you take off. Both have been DJing since the 90s and team up for Akiwawa as regularly as possible, preferably with great guest DJs. More about the two of them below.
The sounds of DJ Pun & Rainer first mixed at a wild, legendary party in 2003. Both organised their own party series – DJ Pun 'Beats On Board' and 'Beats On Tab' with Soulinus; Rainer the Konzeptlos parties with D.H and others. From 2009 onwards, Pun & Rainer played together at the new concert/party series ‘Antz In The Pantz’ at the Kaserne Basel – many legendary shows and parties. Some artists even packed a handful of records to join the DJs Pun & Rainer at the afterparty. After his first amazing concert in Basel in 2011, Charles Bradley showed up behind the DJ booth at the afterparty, grabbed the mic and was singing and rapping over the deep funk instrumental 45s the DJs played – the crowd went nuts.
When the series was solwly shut down after 4 years, Pun & Rainer hadn't had enough and were keen to continue DJing together. in 2013 they conjured up AKIWAWA. After three parties at the Jägerhalle the moved the party to Kaschemme in 2014 and continued with guests as DJ Format, Fredrik Lavik (Afro7), Mr. Magic, etc. AKIWAWA also brought good vibes to cities like Bern, Winterthur, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, etc. Since 2022 the partyseries been performing at various venues in Basel. Graphic designer Jan Hänni is creates the series flyer using pics taken from covers of the DJs collection.
Charles Bradley behind the dj booth, singin' and rappin' at the 'Antz In The Pantz' concert afterparty (10.11.2011)
Pun? The DJ and B-Boy has been spinning records since the late 90s. He masterfully mixed raw breakbeats, rap and funk. From the mid-2000s onwards, he regularly performed with Soulinus for enthusiastic party crowds in numerous clubs in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. They released the briliant compilation ‘This is DJs choice’ on Unique Records, the label of their mutual friend Henry Storch, and were often booked with renowned DJs from the scene. As a duo, they threw their own party series ‘Beats on Tap’ in Schaffhausen and ‘Beats on Board’ on a ship in Basel, with awesome guest DJs such as Quantic and Felvans! A treat for all funk and breakbeat fans. In addition to Akiwawa, he regularly teams up with DJ friends (Señor Calor, Feid) and there are several hot mixes by DJ Pun available for free on Mixcloud and Soundcloud.
Rainer? He's passionately searching for new old sounds and he's 'Konzeptlos' – that's one half of the DJ collective he founded in 2002 together with D.H. The flyers (by D.H.) and their own DIY parties – where DJ Pun often joined in – are legendary. In 2014, they launched their concert series 'Konzeptlos presents'. The audience experience first-hand great, rediscovered artists, legends and up-and-coming musicians from all over the world. Rainers joy in discovering ‘old music’ – which is new to him – continues unabated. Many of the sounds from the 60s and 80s that he plays were known only to a small circle of connoisseurs outside their region of origin. In Basel in the 90s, like-minded music lovers such as himself organised DIY parties and began to play the acclaimed niche sounds from their mixtapes themselves. Rainer has performed at countless bars and clubs in the city and across Switzerland. His musical gems have also attracted attention far beyond the country's borders, with invitations coming in from Vienna, Beirut, Dakar, London, New York...
He regularly helps labels and bands to re-release their music by providing information on tracks and scans of record covers and labels. In most cases, all that is needed are good-quality recordings, as after 50+ years the master tapes have often gone missing and playable copies are rare. An official re-release of the music helps to distribute it and ensure that the royalties are correctly attributed.
