The beginning of the year is a good time for everyone to look back at their journey and where it took them…
HAPE Collective started in Havana in the spring of 2016 from the idea of creating a platform where alternative music and artists could be discovered by an audience hungry for something new.
The vast musical talent, the turn-over of DJs visiting, the beautiful locations that the city has to offer, and most importantly the audience, made Havana a very fertile ground for this idea.
The events organically evolved into a network promoting club culture and musical experimentation through collaborations between Cuban and international artists.
Later we sought to replicate the spirit of HAPE's events outside of Cuba. HAPE is now represented in various countries including the U.S., Chad, Italy and Belgium
Through our association based in Brussels, Latitude8, we create spaces for collaborations and creativity, focusing on the exploration of new forms of musical expressions, at the crossway between tradition and contemporary.
With this philosophy, HAPE, together with Wonderwheel Recordings, released « Desert to Douala », an album by Pulo NDJ recorded in N’Djamena, Chad. The album received great reviews from international media (reviews here).
Below we recount some of 2019 most HAPE moments...
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Cuba
HAPE, Havana
« HAPE 500 »: 2019 was particularly special for Havana as the city turned 500 years! HAPE celebrated with a special Cuba - U.S. line-up including: DJ Jigüe & El Menor, Taso Teklife, DJ Landeep, Julius the Mad Thinker, Deep Just.
« Machetero »: HAPE participated in the production of the video of Joao del Monte's « Machetero ». This song, as Joao explained in this HAPE blog conversation, is an exhortation to keep faith, stay united and carry on during these difficult times.
« Havana Creativa »: An event showcasing Havana's creative talent, organized in partnership with Friends of Havana at Estudio50. The evening presented a dance show by Acosta Danza, a fashion show by Cuba's renowned independent fashion labels Clandestina and Dador and a HAPE afterparty. Attended by global minds in the field of creative economies, the event had the aim of highlighting the creative industries’ potential in bringing sustainable growth to the Cuban capital.
« Pónte en 4 »: Together with Cuba's first body art studio La Marca and Estudio50 we celebrated La Marca's 4th birthday, presenting a show by El Individuo and DJ Lapiz and our resident DJ Landeep
« Circo de Solar »: We celebrated the start of 2019 with an event organised together with Miami’s Copperbridge Foundation & Vedado Social Club, presenting Cuba's funk sensation Cimafunk, DJs Matt.i and Roderic.
U.S.A
Zuzy Martin Lynch, JennyLee Molina, Cristina Figueroa, Marta Deus, May Reguera, Lauren Fajardo, and Cherie Cancio. Creativas^2, Miami LIght Project
« Creativas^2 »: In Miami, at the Miami Light Project, together with Cuba Educational Travel and Cuba One Foundation, we brought some of Cuba's leading female entrepreneurs and creative artists to converse with Cuban-American counterparts, recounting their experience and in the words of Cristina Figueroa represent a generation of people who had the dreams, but not the opportunities and to show a new generation that those opportunities do exist, especially when there’s a dialogue with the U.S.
Chad
Pulo NDJ, Production Team
In March, HAPE launched « Desert to Douala » by Pulo NDJ, a band formed by musicians from Cameroon, Chad, Congo and Togo. Pulo NDJ found its inspiration in N'Djamena’s off the beaten track musical diversity. The album’s 11 songs are based on rhythms, choruses and instruments traditional of West Africa, mixed with electro, pop and rap. HAPE’s DJ Simbo, in collaboration with Nickodemus, globetrotting DJ & producer behind Wonderwheel Recordings, recorded and mixed the songs. The result was a danceable eclectic sound, which received excellent international reviews (Songlines, Afropop Worldwide, BBC, The Guardian, RFI, Radio Nova, France Culture).
Three production and DJing workshops were organized this year. The first one took place in June, with a duo formed by Praktika, a French Africa-based DJ and producer, mixing techno with Sahel-inspired music, and Fresh Nunas, a Mozambican DJ and producer, whose music is infused with Funkadelic culture. In November, the HAPE-NDJ team stimulated further cultural exchange by inviting international DJ and producer Go Dugong.
A recording studio is currentlybeing set up in N’Djamena, thanks to the support of the Swiss Cooperation and the Institut Français. Managed by HAPE Collective, it will become a platform to support the growth of Chad’s music scene.
Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire
Pulo NDJ, Desert to Douala vinyl
Last November, HAPE took Pulo NDJ on an African tour to Chad, Burkina Faso, Rwanda and Côte d'Ivoire, expanding the Collective's network with cultural institutions, musicians and forward-looking DJs in the region.
Niger
In April, Brussels-based DJ Zwalla went to Niamey to teach DJing and production techniques to young aspiring DJs and musicians. The masterclass was implemented in collaboration with the Centre Culturel Franco-Nigérien Jean Rouch, encouraging transnational and cross-cultural collaborations.
Belgium
In Brussels, HAPE organized many events connecting musical dots with America and Africa. The Collective presented: Nickodemus (US), FOKN Bois (Ghana), Poirier (Canada), Doctor Pepper (Jamaica/Belgium), El Individuo (Cuba), FREEZ (US/France), Team Kuma (Rwanda), Balera Favela (Italy).
For the second year, the Collective participated at Bozar's Art Festival Cubalandz, a one-day multidisciplinary festival showcasing Cuban contemporary creation, from music to dance, visual arts and cinema, introducing DJ Cami Laye Okun.
HAPE strenghtened its collaborations with Brussels-based music collectives (Rebel Up, Giraffes&Penguins) and explored different venues (Ecuries van de Tram, Chez ta Mere, Woodpecker, Au Quai), helping the audience experience new contexts.
Italy
DJ Jiigue & El Menor, Serra dei Giardini, La Biennale di Venezia
For the opening of the Venice Biennale, HAPE hosted an event at the picturesque Serra dei Giardini, one of the first exhibition pavilions of the Biennale, featuring DJ Jungla EST and Grao.
The Collective returned to Venice with its third edition of RedentHAPE in occasion of the city's « Festa del Redentore » at Serra dei Giardini della Biennale, presenting Go Dugong, Ant aka A-Tweed and DJ Grao.
*HAPE IN THE 2019 PRESS*
HAPE has been featured in various publications in 2019, including NBC News, The Times, OnCuba News, Vistar Magazine, Suitcase Magazine, Afropop Worldwide, France Culture, France Info, RFI and Radio Nova.
Download our story here