"I’m All About the Underground!” Says DJ Art Alfie Ahead of Tomorrow's Zhao Dai Set

Think Beijing’s nightlife is rough and rowdy? Then you’ve never been to Stockholm. As DJ Art Alfie (performing at Zhao Dai on Mar 2) explains, the Swedish capital’s underground scene can seem downright underdeveloped. That’s because, despite having a major head start over comparatively nascent China, Stockholm’s music scene is full of mainstream clubs that are “heavily regulated by the government, so it’s pretty much impossible to, in my opinion, operate a really good club.”

Left-of-field DJs like Art Alfie (and his cohort Mr. Tophat, with whom he formed a popular electronica duo before focusing on his solo career) would rather spin music at unlicensed parties. Art Alfie says such underground shows are “flourishing” at least on an artistic level, churning out plenty of distinctive talent. Sadly, he rarely sees such innovative DJs break through in the more lucrative, but restrictive clubs. “I think people are a little scared about relying on local talent and are very keen to fly people in. I wish we could be a bit more like Germany and Romania and have a scene that is based on local talent.”

That being said, Art Alfie by no means resents touring musicians. No stranger to the road himself, he owes one of his most popular songs to the New York leg of an international tour. His aptly titled “East Village Trip,” (from his 2017 LP Reveries Of) was inspired by all the vibrant sights and sounds he saw in that famed Big Apple neighborhood.

It conjured in his imagination “this crazy evening out with someone going a bit too deep into the night, and later waking up outdoors on the street in Chinatown, before quickly heading home.” 

He achieves that vibe with heavier-than-lead bass notes, and with vocal samples distorted to sound like muffled crowd noise from a nightclub hidden under your floorboards. 

“I wasn't aware ‘East Village Trip’ was an underground hit,” he says when asked about that song’s growing popularity on various social media networks and streaming platforms, surely making it the most eagerly awaited song of his Zhao Dai set. However, the song’s underground hit status “makes me happy. I’m all about the underground!”

Art Alfie will perform at Zhao Dai on Mar 2.

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Photos: DJ Mag, Mix Mag