mixmag Netherlands
Those Sunday slots at House of
and what were
Yes were described as
“laboratories.” What made you see opportunity in what others might consider the “graveyard shift,”
you experimenting with?
House of Yes in Brooklyn was one of the first places that really gave me a place to play. It was already one of my favorite places to go to dance, so when they offered me a regular Sunday slot to build something, I was quick to seize the opportunity. Sunday night is an interesting time in New York. Most people are winding down, but some are still going out for more. Other DJs avoided it, but I saw it as creative freedom. It was trial and error in public. Those sets were about trust. People came knowing they might hear something unfamiliar, and that trust became the core of One Tribe’s sound. Building One Tribe was very much about inclusivity and freedom of expression, freedom of just everything, you know? House of Yes is all about people coming together, and that’s exactly what we wanted to create.
Your first stop when re-launching One Tribe events in 2024 was fabric in London before arriving at Shelter in Amsterdam. What has your
bringing One Tribe to Europe, and why did Amsterdam become a hub for the series?
The strategy was always about proving the concept could work in Europe’s most legendary spaces first. Fabric in London was the first test. If One Tribe’s storytelling approach could work at fabric, it could work anywhere in Europe. London gave us that validation, but Amsterdam offered something different. People travel to Amsterdam from everywhere, and the city has a long history of embracing risk- taking artists. Every city we have brought One Tribe to, London,
Berlin, Ibiza, Miami, and beyond, all have had their own stories on the dance floor. But Amsterdam sits
at the crossroads of
Europe’s electronic culture, and for a movement built on cultural exchange, it felt like the ideal European home. The city doesn’t just
tolerate experimentation,
it celebrates it, which made it perfect for what we wanted to build.
You’ve said ‘Amsterdam gets it’ when it comes to your music. What is it about Dutch electronic culture that made it the right place for One Tribe’s European expression?
Dutch crowds don’t just tolerate experimentation, they celebrate it. They
understand that a
set can be both spiritual and physical, both rooted in tradition and forward-thinking. The Netherlands has this openness to cultural fusion, partly because of its own layered history. At Shelter or during ADE, I can go from a Yoruba chant
into a minimal
techno section, and instead of losing the floor, I feel the crowd lean in. They engage, they listen, they respond. That willingness to be present in the journey is what makes Amsterdam a perfect European hub for One Tribe.
strategy been for You often say that in
Amsterdam the audience doesn’t just consume culture, but participates in it. We’d love to hear more—what aspects of your Shelter nights show this most clearly?
At Shelter, people don’t just dance, they participate. They cheer when a traditional rhythm comes in, even if they’ve never heard it before. I’ve had people come up after a set asking about the origin of a specific drum pattern or sample. That curiosity and respect is engagement. They want to know the story behind the sound, not just the sound itself.
Your
regular
showcase at
Shelter has become a must. What differences do you find between holding a residency there and playing a one-off festival gig, particularly in terms of community building?
A residency is like tending a garden. You see the same faces return, you build relationships with them, and you can develop a shared language over time. Festivals are amazing for high energy and exposure, but they are moments in isolation. Shelter lets me build continuity. I can introduce a new artist from the One Tribe roster, try unreleased tracks, and know that the audience
will understand
the context because they’ve been part of the story from the beginning. That’s how a community is built, one night at a time.
Your return to cemented your Lagos was an Coachella mainstream
credibility, while your performance for Group Therapy in
emotional
homecoming. In what way does Amsterdam help you balance these two very different cultural dimensions?
Coachella is high-visibility, with a global audience, and cameras everywhere. Playing in Lagos this year
was deeply personal, raw, and emotional.
sits
for Group Therapy Amsterdam
between those worlds for me. It’s a city where I can recharge, create, and test ideas without the glare of the biggest stages but with an audience that appreciates depth. It allows me to keep my center while moving between the global spotlight and the intimate cultural spaces that shaped me.
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