Cardiff-born DJ and producer Elkka today releases her brand new single ‘Passionfruit’, featuring revered pianist and composer John Caroll Kirby (Frank Ocean, Harry Styles, Yves Tumor), out now via Ninja Tune.
‘Passionfruit’ is a musically succulent, exploratory nine-minute instrumental odyssey that sounds like non-verbal communication brought to life. It marks the beginning of a new era that sees Elkka push freedom and sensuality to the forefront of her work, capturing her essence as a bold, queer woman in electronic music. Speaking on the track, Elkka explains: “This song was born out of an improvisation between John and I in the studio. I took it home and expected to cut up certain sections, re-arrange etc but I quickly realised that I loved how it developed, expanded and didn’t rush. That’s what the song is about. The pleasure in taking your time with someone, to explore them and them you. There’s nothing better. When I think about women and sensuality… this is what melts me.”
Born and raised in South Wales, with next to no queer community in her immediate vicinity, Elkka pieced together her identity slowly and curiously, gradually finding herself along the way. After coming out and moving to London in her 20s, the musician started DJing, writing and producing, which eventually led to her launching her own record label, femme culture, and running her own queer club nights off the back of that. Her deep intuition is the unifying thread throughout her illustrious career: vibrant releases for Local Action and Ninja Tune have marked her as an unstoppable force within the London underground. This recognition metabolised when she was awarded BBC’s prestigious Essential Mix of the Year in 2021, spotlighting her radiant blend of classic house, breakbeat and experimental electronica to the world over. She has been widely supported by her peers including Four Tet, Floating Points, TSHA, Caribou, Sofia Kourtesis, Jon Hopkins, Ben UFO, SHERELLE, and recently won an AIM Award for Best Remix for her rework of Ela Minus’ ‘Megapunk’.
Last year, Elkka released a 4-track EP of energetic club tools called DJ Friendlyand she also contributed to the trailblazing DJ-Kicks series with a spellbinding mix that championed her love of women and the LGBTQ+ dance community of which Elkka is fiercely part of, regularly performing in intimate spaces and queer parties at the likes of Panorama Bar and FEEL IT. Stay tuned for details of Elkka’s debut album, coming soon in 2024.
Elkka Tour Dates
January 12, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Lux Fragil, Lisbon, PT
January 26, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Omeara, London, UK @ Feel It (Queer Party)
January 27, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Lakota, Bristol, UK
February 10, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Meraki, Liverpool, UK
February 17, 2024 ELKKA (DJ) @ Jaeger, Oslo, NO
February 20, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, UK
March 2, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Uebel & Gefährlich, Hamburg, DE
March 31, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Drumsheds, London, UK Bonobo Presents Outlier
April 23, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Foundry, Sheffield, UK
May 26, 2024 Elkka (DJ) @ Brunch Electronik, Barcelona, ES
