ARAKAZA

ARAKAZA was born in Burundi and is based in Amsterdam, where he founded the club night Kumata, which spotlights Afro-diasporic and queer artists. His sets move across genres, tying his east African roots to hard industrial sounds and to the ballroom scene he is part of, from bouncy 4x4 techno to heavy deconstructed club music and gnarly percussion. He hosts a Kumata show on Oroko Radio, the station based in Accra, where guests roam through drone, bass, footwork, gqom, jersey club and hard drum. He played the Holland Festival night with Lofi and CTM in 2022 alongside Helena Hauff and Gabber Modus Operandi, and first played Dekmantel Festival in 2024, when he also wrote an Amsterdam guide of Black-owned businesses for festival visitors.