Kappa FuturFestival 2024, the international electronic music festival will return from Friday, July 5 to Sunday, July 7 at Turin’s Parco Dora. 5 stages, 36 hours of electronic music, and more than 80 acts for a rich and incredibly multifaceted ranging from global superstars to avant-garde names from the new contemporary clubbing scene: Kappa FuturFestival promises to transform the city of Turin into a vibrant epicentre for tens of thousands of lovers of culture and digital arts from all over the world, creating cultural connections thanks to the unique atmosphere and innovative sounds of its artistic proposal. Among all the talents performing at this year’s edition, C41 had the pleasure of interviewing Aurora Halal and catching up with her.

Ilaria Sponda: Hey Aurora, how are you doing in NYC? What are your usual go-to clubs in the city when you don’t play yourself?

Aurora Halal: Hi! I love NYC so much. It’s a bit surreal to look back on, but I’ve been in New York for 17 years now and have seen the dance scene change a lot over that time. I started going out and throwing parties when it was kind of a low point in America, the previous eras were dying out, and people my age were into bands, but it gradually grew, and now there are tons of clubs, movements, DJs, and people going out. I’m a resident at Nowadays and play a few times a year at Bossa Nova Civic Club and Mansions so I mostly go there, but there are lots of cool underground parties like Groovy Groovy and Merge, and I also check out all the different parties at places like Basement, etc.

IS: What’s the period ahead for you like? Are you going on tour?
AH: I’m pretty much always on tour and going back home, back and forth all the time. It’s a little crazy. But this summer I’ll spend 8 weeks continuously in Europe and I’m excited about that.

IS: How would you describe the two separate sessions of composing sets in a studio and the sharing moment?

AH: Making a DJ studio mix is a unique art form and I want to make it into a listening capsule rather than a dance experience. I change the set list and re-record over and over, and get kind of obsessive about it. I focus on mood. Playing out in real-time is a lot different–I try to make people have fun while also communicating some of the same moods and ideas. But it’s more energetic and journeying and often can go into places that are intense and overwhelming, and then conversely letting off the tension and uplifting. When I do a gig I want people to be dancing and also feel something.

IS: How has the process of building a fanbase been for you?

AH: I can’t say I’ve ever consciously pursued one. I’ve been an underground artist for over 10 years and just do what inspires me. My philosophy for throwing parties and other projects has been to flash a “bat signal” of my authentic vibe and then just hope it attracts the people attuned to that same frequency. Always grateful that people have been showing up and I don’t take that for granted.

IS: How were your first days of djing like?

AH: It was 2014 and a lot of my friends were vinyl DJs with great collections playing totally different music to me, so it was intimidating. But I just let go of expectations and decided to express myself and see how it went, and to my surprise, it was easy and fun from the start. But before learning to DJ, I had already played live sets of my own music and been going to parties for about 5 years, so I already had a strong idea of what my music was meant to be.

IS: What are your favourite clubs and festivals for you to play at?

AH: My homes are Nowadays, Berghain, and it used to be De School before they closed. I also love Ankali in Prague, Nachtiville was great… I find most medium-sized places with great sound systems where you don’t feel on display are amazing. They can feel like a spaceship.

IS: What’s your take on the topic of women DJs in club culture?

AH: I’m all for diversity in dance music. Loads of different perspectives keep things interesting.

IS: What couldn’t you miss in your pre-djing session?

AH: A digging sesh with a few fresh tracks to pepper in…

IS: Are you working on any new release atm? If you can say it…

AH: Yes I’ve been finishing an album. Probably will be out in the fall on my label Mutual Dreaming Recordings. It’s based on the tracks I wrote in my live sets.

IS: How do you envision your future performance at Kappa Futurfestival in Turin?

AH: Super excited to do two different types of sets there! I’ve been doing several B2bs with DJ Nobu over the last year and it’s been great–I admire him so much. Those b2bs are turbo-energy, dark, trippy, sort of how I would play at Berghain. On the set solo I’m gonna go deeper and more eclectic.