Dominic Irla
Cape Town
Friend is the DJ project of Dominic Irla from Cape Town, South Africa where he spent his early years as a dedicated promoter in the thriving festival circuit (founder of Psymedia @psymedia in 2010).
In 2018 he travelled to South East Asia and established himself as a formidable DJ and promoter in Hanoi, Vietnam. From sandy beaches down south and mystical mountains up north, to reputable promoters such as Savage, Birdcage, Studio Adventure, Defused Mood, Electric Bazaar and We Groove; Friend played at various clubs, festivals and tropical jungle raves across the country.
At the dawn of the covid outbreak, friend co-founded the Vietnam-based record label Magic Box Engine @magicboxengine; pushing out eclectic releases, guest mixes, events and art. Always challenging each other to think outside of the box and make something magical while the world was facing some dark, troubling and uncertain times - friend and his label partner Dane @daneswurld curated some incredible releases and guest DJ mixes from talented around around SE Asia and became known for their conceptual “This is” events and wild MBE after-parties in unique locations within the underground music scene of Hanoi.
By the end of 2021 friend marked the end of his Vietnam chapter and returned to Cape Town as an independent artist. Since his resurgence on home soil - he’s featured regularly on lineups at the mighty Mødular precinct; for Destination Saturn, Killer Robot and the SBCLTR Collective.
Friend's notable festival gigs in South Africa so far include Origin Festival, Into The Wild, Organik Love Project, Tribal Groove, H20 NYE, Bazique Festival, AfrikaBurn, Psymedia UTAS, WithYou, Mantra Music Festival and Alien Safari x Vortex Little Forest NYE.
Whether it’s downtempo, house, minimal, techno, electro, or breakbeats - Friend is a true digger who’s never afraid to switch up the tempo or genre. Heavily inspired by his nomadic travels in SE Asia, Latin America and Europe; he taps into a sonic world without borders and delivers obscure yet tasteful sets for any time of day or night. Signature sounds riddled with groovy basslines, hypnotic atmospheres, and psychedelic undertones.
DM or email dominicirla@gmail.com for bookings.
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