Vaden at HÖR - December 2023
Vaden is a DJ and promoter from Saint Petersburg, Russia. He started his music career back in 2001. He became well-known and respected in the UK community and international urban music scene as one of the only DJs who passionately promotes UK Garage music all over Russia and beyond. Some people even call him «Russian DJ EZ»; we couldn’t agree more. We followed his musical path for years and witnessed many of his successes. From local parties in Saint-Petersburg and Moscow and regular gigs across Russia to gigs in London, Paris, and Amsterdam, own radio shows live from London on Rinse FM airwaves; guest mixes on BBC Radio 1Xtra, Kiss FM, Ministry of Sound radio and many more.
As a big Daft Punk fan, we were blown away when Todd Edwards, American Garage House producer and Daft Punk collaborator who co-produced Face to Face & Fragments of Time tracks that later awarded him Grammy, called on Vaden for a guest mix.
We just came across another Vaden’s influential milestone; last Friday, he appeared in the world’s famous HÖR bathroom with a live set from Berlin. If you still haven’t heard about HÖR Berlin, you better get to know on hør.live. It’s an independent music platform that streams DJ sets and live performances daily from their tiny bathroom-like Berlin studio. The sets are streamed on their website and YouTube channel with over 760k subscribers.
What we enjoy in HÖR is their music diversity; they don't stick to any particular music style (even considering Berlin as a Techno capital) and allow artists to express themselves, which is crucial.
Vaden’s set is a flawless blend of UK Garage beats with a darker, deeper vibe that ideally fits Berlin. Track selection and every transition are perfect and fully reflect Vaden’s over 20 years of experience on the decks. We’ve already watched it a couple of times and tried to Shazam some tunes, but it seems like most of them are still unreleased. Later, we found some IDs on Vaden’s Instagram and noticed some great new producers across Russia, too. We are sure that getting a set on HÖR wasn’t easy for Vaden; it’s an international recognition only selected DJs can achieve. But with all his hard work, only the sky's the limit; no doubt Vaden will be able to hit Boiler Room, BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix and more very soon.