Jewel of the north, Akasha channels an age-old dance ritual for one of the next big parties to hit San Carlos.
Taken from the same ancient language of Sanskrit from which Akasha borrows its name, APSARA tells the legend of divine entertainers. Sent from the heavens, these beautiful beings captivated and charmed royalty with their hypnotic dance routine.
To this day, APSARA is still performed in sacred ceremonies across southern Asia.
This one-off party opens Akasha's springtime programme on Friday 24 March. Veteran underground DJs Tobi Neumann and Maurizio Schmitz will be your entertainers on the night.
A master of over 25 years, Tobi Neumann is a Berlin-based DJ who is known for releases on decorated labels such as Cocoon and Playhouse. Referring to himself as a "Tanzmusik DJ", Neumann plays across the spectrum of underground dance music.
Maurizio Schmitz is a DJ of German and Italian descent, who is widely known as being Sven Väth's right-hand man. Also an accomplished DJ in his own right, he has held club residencies across the major German hubs, most noticeably a ten year stint at Hamburg's FrequenzBerate.
They have kindly supplied us with a handful of selections to give us a snapshot of how APSARA will sound.
Tobi Neumann & Maurizio Schmitz playlist takeover
LevyM, Emmanuel Jal, Nyaruach & Benjy | Guaja (N-You-Up Freaky Dub) | Nervous Records
"This track just has everything which I like: extremely sexy groove and vocals. People freak out wherever I drop this tune." - Tobi Neumann
The Juan McLean | Happy House (Matthew Dear vs. Audion Remix) | Vicious Charm Recordings
"I love Mathew Dear's way of creating madness on the dancefloor. This remix starts very groovy with an after hour vibe and pop-vocals. Then subtle noises come up and suddenly you rave! A wonderful ten minutes trip." - Maurizio Schmitz
Fadi Mohem | Thema | SPANDAU20
"Fadi's contribution to the glorious SPANDAU20 gang and their imprint is totally timeless high-quality Dub Techno. Fadi is one of the most serious and substantial talents in the Techno world."
- Tobi Neumann
Róisín Murphy & DJ Koze | Can't Replicate | Ninja Tune (unreleased)
"Over dinner last autumn, Róisín told me about her upcoming album produced with DJ Koze, one of my favourite producers. A few weeks ago I received this track - probably a first drop from the album. It's a melange of French Kiss versus Róisín's hypnotic vocals versus crazy Koze style and a beautiful piano riff making you dance your ass off. It's a HIT!" - Maurizio Schmitz
Ketiov | Gorgeous (Edits 2) | Ketiov
"Wojciech Taranczuk AKA Ketiov (member of the famous Catz N' Dogz) again delivers a total House smasher. No other producer makes it into really every set I play for more than 15 years. This guy is a House and groove genius." - Tobi Neumann
Oceanic | Sing It To Happen | Nous'klaer Audio
"This exquisite vocal-sample-snippets-salad always give me goosebumps! It's a short trip into a different world. Played in the middle of the night, it's one of the very few beatless tracks I know that makes people go mad. Check out Oceanic's full album too." - Maurizio Schmitz
Listen to our underground playlist in full below.
Follow the playlist here and subscribe to our Spotify channel here.
Thank you Tobi and Maurizio for your amazing selections. You can catch them both at APSARA on 24 March.
For tickets, including the last remaining €10 early birds, head below where you will also find Akasha's confirmed Friday and Saturday listing for the whole of spring.
