We catch up with the Canadian DJ and music artist Niki Sadeki about her upcoming tour, her sound, her music collective platform Deep House Vancouver, and more. Enjoy reading while listening to her latest mix for the Cologne-based channel, beatverliebt.

WWD: Hi Niki, thanks for taking the time to speak to us.  For those who might not know, tell us a little about your introduction to the music industry, how did it all start out for you?

Niki Sadeki: My interest in electronic music started when I was in high school. From then until my early 20’s, I started messing around with controllers and rented setups here and there until eventually, I got my own setup at home. Shortly after, I started with making mixes that were compilations of my favorite tracks and shared them with my friends. As time progressed, my interest in “the underground” scene really started to develop and I started to take the process more seriously. I worked towards improving my skills and the quality of my mixes. That led me to my first couple of bookings and I went along with the exciting ride ever since.

WWD: Where are you in the world right now? And what have you been up to recently?

Niki Sadeki: Well right now I’m back home in Vancouver. After my summer tour, I took a bit of time to recharge for the winter season.  

WWD: You had a pretty busy summer this year. Tell us about your experience.

Niki Sadeki: Yes – a busy summer indeed. I spent majority of it in Berlin and travelled for shows and festivals to other cities such as Ibiza, Paris, Stockholm, Tbilisi and Yerevan. The highlight was playing at Fusion Festival at the legendary stage, Bachstelzen. It was a pretty amazing experience and definitely a career highlight. Being a part of the Woomoon experience in Ibiza is always fun too. Their level of production is out of this world and the vibe is always right. Playing at Shambhala Music Festival here in Canada was also surreal. It always feels extra special when you’re involved with your own hometown community.

WWD: It seems that you are going on tour shortly, can you tell us a little bit about where you are traveling?

Niki Sadeki: Yes, I’m heading to Europe in November and December for a mini tour with stops in Berlin, Cluj, London and Amsterdam. I’m looking forward to it a lot actually. I’m super excited to play at Village Underground in London, Shelter in Amsterdam and my all-time favorite Kater Blau for Mira’s birthday.

WWD: Having to travel so much, what are somethings you do to keep you centered and focused while on the road?

Niki Sadeki: Sticking to a well-balanced regimen of sleep and eating well has proven to be the key to surviving the hectic scheduling. However, in between the crazy travel times and set times it is not easy to maintain that. So you always have to be mindful. There can be plenty to celebrate on tour, so you need to be disciplined and have focus. Because it is can be very easy to forget that at the end of the day this is your job and you need to stay professional. The one thing that I’ve been struggling with is limiting my exposure to cigarette smoke! I’m not a smoker personally so trying to avoid inhaling giant volumes of second-hand cigarette smoke is a challenge.

WWD: Where do you channel your creative energy from when you put together a set?

Niki Sadeki: Music has always been my passion. Ever since I was a kid, I used it as an outlet to express myself. Today, it is the drive behind everything I do. I love to engage listeners and crowds, so I guess that is what motivates me the most. Telling stories by putting together mixes, connecting on an emotional level and sharing what I feel when I listen to music is something that I cherish dearly. I love to play and I want others to feel the same feelings that I feel when music moves me. In other words, each set is an interpersonal journey (a term that has been overly used these days!)

WWD: With Deep House Vancouver not only you have contributed tremendously to the local scene with bringing in artists and introducing new sounds, but also to up and coming artists from all over the world with the DHV Podcast Series and numerous track premieres. Tell us

Niki Sadeki: Yeah – it has been a very sweet ride. When I founded Deep House Vancouver in the Fall of 2016. I did not have any other specific plans other than to create a space for artists—locally and globally—to share their music. Throughout the past couple of year, I’ve been fortunate enough to expand on that both in the scene in Vancouver as well as in the internet sphere. We got a couple of super neat shows put together and collaborated with other fellow promoters in the scene in Vancouver. It’s a lot of work but it brings a lot of personal joy and satisfaction. My goal is to expand the vision and expand the team and keep pushing the limits.

WWD: How does 2020 look like for Niki Sadeki?

Niki Sadeki: More travelling for sure. I’ll be in Europe and the Middle East in Spring and then for the festival season. You may also see a couple of collaborations coming up. I’ve been tiptoeing with production for a while now and 2020 could be the year that I finally release something.

Links:
www.soundcloud.com/nikisadeki
www.facebook.com/nikisadeki
www.instagram.com/nikisadeki
www.residentadvisor.net/dj/nikisadeki-ca