Our next issue of ‘Behind The Scenes’ is with a brand who is making big movements globally!

We had a chat with Kai who is the brains behind Abode to talk about how things first started with him promoting events, what he hopes to happen with the brand in the next years,  what his summer plans consist of plus so much more…

Talk us through your journey on how Abode first started?

So I first stared promoting 3 years ago as a co founder for an event based in London called Fortay.

Fortay had 13 sell out parties which included venues Pacha, Crucifix, Cable and had artists including Dale Howard, Hector Couto, German Brigante, Samu.l plus more…

I decided to hang up my boots with Fortay 2 years ago to pursue a new direction in the underground scene with running a Sunday party at Studio 338… Which is now our brand Abode.

Why do you like to keep the special guests hidden away from the line up until the very last minute?

When we first started Abode, we used to announce the special guest DJs such as Sam Divine, Nic Fancuilli, Audio Fly, wAFF and it changed the direction of what we wanted to achieve.

So announcing the DJs as special guests, reduced the trouble we had previously seen in the venue ensuring the people in attendance were there purely for the music regardless of the line up.

This also then allowed us to book acts at a cheaper cost meaning that we could reinvest the money into a production setup making our party unique. This also allowed us to invest money into our resident DJs which definitely deserve to be credited for helping keep the party alive.

Whilst saying this, our line ups each event we have run have had artists who are making a strong impact to the underground scene which include names such as Lee Walker, Sonny Foddera, Alexis Rapheal plus more…

Describe an Abode experience in 3 words…

Magical Terrace Experience

Ibiza 2016… Talk us through your summer plans for the brand…

We’ve just locked down a summer residency at Sankeys, Ibiza. I first went to the club 4/5 years ago as a clubber to see Solomun and I never expected to be running an event there!

We’ve taken every Friday night at the club. We’ve also got 4 new boat parties starting in the White Isle which is called ‘Aboat‘. We are also looking at running sunset free parties at Savannah which will be wicked!

If studio 338 closed down, what venue would you take your event to and why?

I can’t see that happening anytime soon. Although we get some of the biggest venues across town messaging us about bringing our party to their venue. But in this industry its all about being loyal and Studio 338 have helped us massively so we will continue to work with them!

In the next 2 years, what do you hope to happen for Abode?

Abode was the fastest selling party in London over the last 2 years however due to a change in ticket policy this has slowed things down with progressing the brand to new international events.

In the next 2 years the line ups will begin to take things to a new level with the aim to start hosting parties in Ibiza and Miami.

Who’s your resident DJs and why have you picked these?

Abode currently have 7 resident Dj’s working alongside the brand. George Harrison was an old contact from my Fortay days – He is a great DJ who is very hungry. I decided to give him a shot and the crowd love him.

Jimmy Switch is our longest serving resident also from my Fortay days. He has a huge  rep in Manchester and now a sucsessful name to the underground London scene. We know Jimmy is going to have a big impact in Ibiza this year. He’s one to watch!

Ellie Cocks was someone I spotted at Magna Carta 2 Years ago. I remember walking into the room and the whole place was going off. I was that excited the next day i can remember posting a Facebook status asking who she was?… She is now a solid addition to the Abode residents.

Will Taylor is a well known DJ on the circuit and it was only right he was offered a residency with Abode.

TAYLOR was someone again from the Fortay days. He is an amazing producer and someone who I go to when I need advice on the industry.

Artikal Is our Abode radio presenter. He is a slightly older guy who has more unreleased music than anyone I know. He also brings a certain dynamic to the team being slightly older. This gives a great mix of young and old residents.

Lindsay Matthews… All i can say is she will be the next big thing and one to watch out for in 2016!

What advice would you give to upcoming promoters looking at starting their own events?

Well I can’t give too much advise as I’m still fairly new to the circuit myself. What I can say is that if your looking to make a quick buck as a promoter then you will have a difficult time.

As an example we lost a lot of money in the beginning trying to create something different when working with the same DJs that also play at other events on the scene. What I would say is look after your DJs as they are the ones that need reconition and makes the events what they are today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwfCwgTf0QU