Listen to our new radio show on Radio Raheem to celebrate 10 years of HAPE Collective
It all started in Cuba in 2016. An island, which like few other places, embodies the musical connections between Africa, Americas and Europe. For a fleeting moment, the walls between us, both physical and mental, felt like they were silently coming down.
What began as itinerant musical encounters in a city in motion grew into something larger: shared experiences, collaborations, educational programmes, community workshops. A living laboratory for collaborations across cultures shaped through the practices of artists, researchers, DJs and cultural activists. Over the years, many bonds of friendship were formed and the journey continued across continents, from Cuba to Chad, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Italy, Rwanda, Belgium, Venezuela and Laos.
As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations, HAPE Collective presents We all HAPEn to be somewhere, a radio show hosted on Radio Raheem, the independent cosmic web radio based in Milan, Italy. Throughout 2026, the series will bring together artists, selectors and collaborators who have crossed paths with HAPE over the years, each contributing a one-hour musical journey and a personal reflection on the connections that shaped it.
Find below the link to our first episodes with: DJ Landeep, DJ Fina, DJ Jigue and Laura Catana.
And follow We all HAPEn to be somewhere on Radio Raheem for the next episodes!
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For the launch of the show, Landeep, also known as Orlando Albuernes, steps in with a sun-drenched one-hour journey, weaving jazzy Latin house and tropical rhythms while carrying his Cuban roots through every transition.
Landeep has been an early supporter of HAPE and teamed up with us when we began our journey back in 2016 in Cuba.
One to watch, Landeep now has new releases on Nickodemus’ Turntables on the Hudson imprint, with more projects coming up in Barcelona.
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For the second episode of We all HAPEn to be somewhere, we travel to N’Djamena, Chad, with DJ Fina, who takes us into the heart of a Sahelian discotheque.
Between dust and glitter, mega-speakers and mirrors, bodies surrender to the trance of sounds from across the world. Fina tells us that his encounter with HAPE was full of joy, and that he immediately felt part of a family: a platform that allowed him to meet artists such as Practika, Go Dugong, Max Le Daron and Nickodemus, while continuing his dream of becoming a professional DJ.
For nearly ten years, Fina has been setting dancefloors alight in N’Djamena, a cultural crossroads rich in music from Central Africa and beyond. Press play and, as tonton Luc would say, embark on a cultural mix full of tropical influences.
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We first met DJ Jigüe back in 2016, when we were just beginning our journey. He was behind the decks, playing his signature blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms, electronics and beats. The music felt like it came from another dimension: deeply rooted in Cuba’s past, with hints of guaguancó, ritual percussion and samples of long-lost records, but looking firmly to the future with pounding beats and basslines.
Born in Santiago de Cuba, DJ Jigüe is a producer, DJ and cultural activist whose work bridges traditional Cuban music and contemporary club culture. His forward-thinking approach caught the attention of Gilles Peterson and Will LV while working on the Subelo Cuba compilation. Beyond the studio and the booth, Jigüe is a tireless scene builder: founder of Guámpara Music, Cuba’s first independent urban label, creator of Havana RPM, the island’s first vinyl-only festival, and a mentor and producer for new generations of artists.
Recorded in his studio in Centro Habana, this third episode distills DJ Jigüe’s unmistakable sound and carries his vision, identity and way of being in the world.
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For the fourth episode, Laura brings us a special selection celebrating ten years of HAPE Collective.
Laura is a passionate advocate for independent artists and music industry democratization. Part of the core crew during the hottest years of HAPE in Havana, she co-founded Guámpara Music, one of Cuba’s first independent labels, where she served as artist and label manager, marketing manager and creative producer.
After spearheading Artist Relations at Tigre Sounds, she joined Symphonic as Director of Content and Social Media Strategy, where she manages a cross-cultural team spanning the United States and Colombia. Her mission remains constant: empowering independent musicians with the tools and resources to succeed.
Her special selecta includes Guámpara Music stars and extended family such as DJ Jigüe y El Menor, El Individuo and JD Asere, Luz de Cuba, Niño Fony, Kamerum, Kumar, Joa, DJ Lápiz and more.