Elena Colombi is a fast-rising DJ and radio host, whose sets prioritize energy and emotion rather than function. She was born in Italy, where she fell in love with music through a mix-tape created by a family friend. “I was around three or four years old,” she says. “I listened to it on repeat.” This was the first time she heard the sounds of Guem Et Zaka Percussion, Airto Moreira, The Slickers, and even Liaisons Dangereuses, all of whom have shaped the sounds and styles she curates, presents, and produces.
Years later, Colombi made her name in London, where she spent nearly a decade running her own parties, refining her skills as a DJ by playing the warm-ups at these nights as a means of maximizing her budget for the main act. Nowadays, she bases herself between London and Amsterdam, while touring globally. She’s also a long-standing resident of NTS.
Sonically, Colombi’s sets are geared towards the unexpected. From cosmic psychedelia and pounding jungle to obscure post-punk and spoken word, she weaves together a cerebral world of noise. An interest in literature, aesthetics, and film inspires her avant-garde selections. In recent years, she’s branched out into the world of production, utilizing synthesizers to craft intuitive sound works, which she presents in a performance context alongside art collective Tutto Questo Sentire.
Since 2019, Colombi has been running Osàre! Editions which, like her DJ sets, presents future-facing music imbued with a sense of freedom, transcending expectations of geographic area, era, or genre—welcoming anything from the punk sounds of Schulverweis to the darkwave of Violetov General. “No matter how deep someone’s knowledge [of music] is,” Colombi says, “there is always more to discover.” For the most recent edition of EDMjunkies+, Colombi delivered a label showcase that featured a rare taste of her own production style with two collaborative tracks alongside Sepehr and The Spy. You can download that here.
For her EDMjunkies podcast, Colombi has once again pulled together a diverse range of records, from techno and house to post-punk, EBM, and industrial.
01. What have you been listening to?
The Brainwaltzera LP on FILM has been on repeat since it came out. But also the Anadol LP on Pingipung, Neptuno by Luis Paniagua, and the new Marina Herlop on album on PAN.
02. How are things coming along with Osàre! Editions?
There are three more releases coming out before the end of the year, some label nights, and a few special things lined up for 2023 too.
03. When and where did you record this mix?
I recorded the mix a few weeks back, on a hot afternoon at Radio Radio in Amsterdam.
04. What setup did you use?
Three CDJs, an Allen & Heath mixer, a Tascam recorder. I did it straight onto an SD card.
05. How did you go about choosing the tracks that you’ve included?
The usual digging, plus some forthcoming tracks from fellow artists and labels. Plus a sprinkle of favorite oldies brought to my attention by a dusty hard drive I forgot I had!
06. How does it compare to what you play out?
I can play very different types of DJ sets, so I would say no difference at all.
07. What’s next on your horizon?
I’ll be playing in Tel Aviv, Israel for the first time! I am also returning to Bucharest, Berlin, Madrid, and to Club2Club festival in Turin. I’ve got a couple of remixes on the way, and hopefully I’ll get some rest in between!
EDMjunkies has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to hear the podcast offline you will need to subscribe to our Select channel to listen offline, or subscribe to EDMjunkies+ to download the file. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.
Full EDMjunkies+ Members can download the podcast below. If you’re not an EDMjunkies+ member, you can read more about it and subscribe here.
A tracklisting will be posted soon.
