This Friday, we'll be going to the first edition of Waves. This brand new party concept wants to bring people together with a mix of good R&B, Trap, Hip Hop, House, Afro & Funk. We had a chat with organizer Joachim Makiadi, who cannot wait until Friday. And neither can we!
Joachim Makiadi: “I’ve been interested in music for a couple of years and a lot of my friends come from the music scene: they are DJs, artists, dancers,... Waves was a concept you couldn’t find in Antwerp yet. I wanted to create diversity. That’s why I also came up with the name Waves . It stands for a variation of music styles and people. I want to bring people together so they can experience new things together and dance to a variation of styles like house, R’nB and hip hop. It'll always be a mix, because Antwerp is a mix as well. We live in a multicultural city and I want to keep it that way, also in the party scene.”
Joachim: “It’s a new concept, so I wanted DJs that are going to be the next big thing. I chose Maxim (artist name ) for this first edition. He’s originally from Limburg and is making a name in clubs like Versuz (Hasselt) and Charlatan (Ghent). He’s also a friend of me. He immediately liked and understood the whole idea of Waves. He even helped me organizing everything. Karl is the second DJ. He’s from Antwerp and started DJ-ing at a very young age. I definitely wanted him to be a part of the first edition. I’ve chosen these two men because I think that this could be a way for them to present themselves as the new generation of DJs. They make a part of something that can become big on the long run.”
Joachim: “To be honest, it's very hard to find a good location in Antwerp. But I'm a perfectionist. I wanted a location that has not been used too often. For example: Petrol is very good club, but everyone has been there already. I wanted a place people would be curious about. By word of mouth I heard about this new place, so I gave it a visit. I explained my plan to Hicham, the guy who’s responsible there, and he was immediately interested. And to have a new concept on a new location makes it very special of course. We also have the advantage that there’s a courtyard where people can just relax. I want to create a chill atmosphere without any rules. There’s no dress code. Just come and have a good time!”
Joachim: “Waves is for everyone who’s interested, basically. Wether you’re from Antwerp or not. It doesn’t matter. Maybe people from Antwerp will understand the concept a little bit better, but if you’re not from Antwerp you'll find yourselve somewhere that will give you a good perspective of what Antwerp stands for. You will discover the core of the young Antwerp, because people from the whole city will be here and not only one neighborhood.”
Joachim: “It all depends on this edition of course, but if everything goes well I hope I can make it a monthly event at LAB Noord. It would be ideal to organize it every first Friday of the month. The concept will always be a good mix of music styles because Waves has to be a party for everyone. I do play with the idea of bringing live performances once in a while and to team up with with more DJs. That would be cool.”
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Text by Helen Van den Poel
Pics by WAVES