Born in Riga, Ksenia Kamikaza is a DJ-producer now based in Spain. She’s the founder of Under Festival, the head of the label Platz für Tanz and organizes the DEBOSCH events. Considered as one of  prominent figures of rave culture in Latvia since 2007, Ksenia performed at Boiler Room and regularly plays at famous clubs and festivals as Burning Man, Fabric London, Dommune Tokyo, Khidi Tbilisi, ://about blank Berlin to name a few. 

Where do you come from? 
I was born in Riga, Latvia. My grandmother was spending a lot of time with me, and she was a former opera singer, so I was always surrounded by classical music and was participating in the choir at school.

How and when did you discover electronic music and when?

My mom also was into music, but more alternative genres, she was the one who brought home the first techno record: it was "Paradise" by Inner City, - and much more later. MTV came to post-Soviet Latvia around the 1990s and that's how the journey began.

What and who are your influences?
Thanks to granny I was always into melodies, but mom loved rhythms and bought a lot of cassettes and CDs by The KLF, The Prodigy, Orbital, Opus III and so on. There was a pirate series called That's What I Call Techno, which wasn't really techno but any kind of dance music and I discovered a lot of dance acts like The Chemical Brothers and Fat Boy Slim. Viva channel came later with videos of Loveparade, it was a teenage dream to go there one day. At the same time, we were listening to a lot of grunge bands: Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, as well as synth-pop like Depeche Mode. We were so hungry for new back then!

Your first experience with Djing?

Before starting to Dj I was a true party girl, going to all the raves in the city, collecting Cds and vinyls, reading magazines like OM and Ptюch, and recording music videos. One day my friend decided to open a radio station which would broadcast electronic music and that's how I started to be a radio host for the INTELLIGENT BEATS show. The show was about downtempo, nu jazz, trip-hop, IDM, the music I was into so much but not so many people knew about it in Latvia so I thought I can try to tell them about it. The audience loved it and I started to receive offers to play. All began with chill-out rooms but once at a bigger party I risked to play techno records, and it was a breaking point in 2006.

What about the Latvia techno scene? 

Latvia used to be huge in the 1990s. We had the best raves in the most unexpected or industrial places. There were several big clubs and not only in Riga. But now it survives a kind of crisis. Still, there are clubs which move the scene: ONE ONE, Teritorija and Laska, and several promo groups who organize techno events, like Phenomenon and my own Platz für Tanz. Sometimes we collaborate with the clubs, but I prefer to choose special places for my pop-up parties though. The infamous Erica Synth modular factory is Latvian too, and we can be proud of live acts like Kodek, Nikola Negorod and Multilux to name a few.

Speaking of which, could you tell me more about your events DEBOSCH and your UNDER Fest.?
DEBOSCH is a rave series which takes place 4 times a year in Riga: it can be the train, the abandoned airport or the warehouse. The idea behind is freedom of self-expression, very different people come to the same unusual place to rave. It wasn't there yesterday, it won't be there tomorrow, it's only here and now, so you can be whoever you wish. It started as a club event in 2007 and is still growing.
UNDER fest is an annual event, it is a classical festival with an international line-up, usually with 3 stages of techno, house and alternative genres of electronic music. Still it feels like a playground where I can change the rules, so this year it took place in Liepaja, a small city 3 hours from Riga.

And your label PLATZ FÜR TANZ?

When I started DEBOSCH I thought we needed a team to promote it, the core to gather the audience around, and that's how Platz für Tanz appeared. My thought was to name the group "The place to dance", but Berlin was absolutely top then, so I called it in German. Later the idea to release the music came, still PFT always was more about the parties than producers.

Your definition of Techno? 

The music which makes you move, puts you into an inner trance and that's how you reach a state of happiness. You definitely need the rhythm, the sounds and your natural curiosity for that. 

What is one of your tracks that represents you the most today? 

I can say it's "Journey In Your Pocket" remixed by HYGS. The original is techno, but my friends, the punk live band, made it so funky. It's just in between genres and reminds me of Depeche Mode in 1993. It was the year when my music taste became mature, I would say.

Your ritual before a gig? 

Besides a lot of digging, it is a shot of tequila before the set. 

Your 3 favorite labels? 

So complicated to choose 3. I will name the one classic, the one "always" and the latest one: Warp, Token and EvilGroove.

What is your favorite record store?

Vinylla in Riga. Don't miss it, Gosh, the guy behind the counter, is the absolute legend.

If you could live in another period, which period would it be?  

Paris 1880s or USA 1970s. That time the creativity went to revolutionary points. Still I'm happy with the 1990s, it was a very creative period too.

What are your top 5 new releases? 

. Moon Patrol “Mountain House Music”

. Otik “Cosmosis”

. Quelza “Les Somnolentes”

. Toki Fuko “Sanctum”

. Vardae "The Kaipos"

What are your top 5 oldies?

. Dead Can Dance “Into the Labyrinth”

. Kruder & Dorfmeister “The K&D Session”

. Boards of Canada “Music Has the Right to Children”

. INXS "Full Moon, Dirty Hearts"

.Depeche Mode “Songs of Faith and Devotion”

Interviewed by Sabrina Bouzidi.