Electric Dreams: Artist & DJ Ása Kolla Starts The Dance

Ása Kolla is an up-and-coming DJ and student at The Reykjavík School of Visual Arts. “My studies there are very diverse, but I’ve focused on video making so far,” she says. “This spring l mixed sound and visuals for my final project, both of which I made from scratch.”

A whole new world

Ása is thankful to her parents for surrounding her with music while growing up. “They played classical music to me when I was a baby and sent me to piano lessons from when I was five,” she explains.

“I like living in Reykjavík but we need to make the clubbing scene stronger. Thankfully there is a handful of people who have been keeping it alive.”

Ása says her taste is difficult to pinpoint. “I like music that has soul and makes me dance without thinking about it,” she says. Listening to her sets, electronic music features heavily. “When I started going to clubs as a teenager, electronic music became a part of my everyday life,” Ása explains. “I got introduced to new genres and people who also understood this kind of music.”

Practice makes perfect

After attending a DJ seminar taught by DJ Yamaho, Ása was inspired to buy a set of turntables and start a record collection. “It’s not a cheap hobby and it takes a lot of practice but I’ve been lucky to receive tips, lessons and support from some of the best DJs in this scene like Gunni Ewok and Árni Skeng,” she says.

Parallels can be drawn between Ása’s process as a DJ and as an artist. “I am inspired by other artists/DJs and I get the opportunity to express myself and experience my work through like-minded people,” she explains.

Harder, better, faster, stronger

Next year, Ása plans to move to Berlin to study. “I like living in Reykjavík, but we need to make the clubbing scene stronger. Thankfully there is a handful of people who have been keeping it alive,” she says and points out: “I’m currently putting together an event with Sonny Crockett from Hidden People and RobotDisco and I’ll pop-up here and there in the near future!”

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for Ása’s upcoming gigs, mixes and art at instagram.com/the_clubkid.