Unearth – Curating club events with openness (interview & mix)
By Alexander Julin Mortensen
Something has happened to the Copenhagen club scene in recent years. After several years in which the city gained significant international awareness for its melodic and fast-paced techno scene, more and more promoters have decided to cultivate other aesthetic expressions and ways of going out, rather than what was often associated with the high peak in local trance-infused techno.
Central to the nightlife scene today, you find promoters such as Rewild, Drift Radio and Unearth, among others. A common trait to all of these is their willingness to experiment with other formats and daring to curate a night out differently from what one might expect from a common club event; combining different genres (both electronic and otherwise), performances and contemporary art, etc.
Since 2023, Unearth has presented lineup after lineup of original and forward-pushing club music across many genres, including both acclaimed international artists (many of whom haven’t played in Denmark before) as well as some of the most exciting acts to come out of the local scenes in recent years, often challenging conventional expectations of genre diversity (or lack thereof) or the chronology in their lineups, which aren’t always characterized by a linear progression in intensity or tempo.
In our interview, the Unearth crew – which today counts the two founders Sebastian Gabe and Thinh Truong Petrus Nguyen as well as Šarūnas Kilius and Philip Sacht – explains the underlying ideas behind the initiative, how they work with representation and diversity as part of their curation and their thoughts on the very different venues they’ve held their events in so far. To accompany the interview, they’ve also made an exclusive mix for Passive/Aggressive, featuring music released within the past year.
Passive/Aggressive: How did the idea behind Unearth come about? What was your motivation for beginning to organize events as a promoter?
Unearth: “We felt like something was missing in Copenhagen. There was a lot of music we’re into that never got booked here, and we sensed that there was an appetite for it. At the same time, we felt there wasn’t really a space where our community could gather around the sounds and ideas we were drawn to. Unearth was born from that — an intention to do something different, not just musically but also visually and in terms of how the events are presented and experienced. The inspiration came from music around the world and the kinds of events we’d experienced abroad, but it’s always been rooted in Copenhagen.”
From the beginning, Unearth has had a strong focus on international bookings, with many artists playing their Copenhagen debuts. It’s always been part of our aim to give the crowd experiences they haven’t had before. At the same time, it’s important for us to give a platform to the local scene and to create lineups where local and international artists are in conversation — that global/local exchange is part of what shapes Unearth.
Today there’s a lot of interesting curation in the city, with promoters like Bukhar, Real Live, Moodkiller and more.”
P/A: Unearth has so far taken place at venues such as Basement, Hangaren and Arken. What role does the venue play for you when hosting your events?
Unearth: “We haven’t found a space that feels completely perfect yet — every venue has its own vibe and limitations — so we’re always open to experimenting. We’ve done events at different places in Copenhagen, from Basement to Mayhem and Hangaren, and we’ve also thrown an event in Ho Chi Minh City.
A space we found particularly interesting to work in was ARKEN, Museum of Contemporary Art. They invited us to curate the music programme and throw an afterparty for their season opening in November last year. Also Arcan Saigon in Vietnam was great, a really special place, and we got to do an event there just weeks before its unfortunate closure.”
P/A: Is there a specific event, concert and/or DJ set that you’ve been particularly fond of presenting?
Unearth: “It’s hard to choose one event, because we like all of them for different reasons. But in terms of the curation, the last one at Hangaren on March 15th is high on the list. The idea was to create a juxtaposition of musical styles and types of shows — from more performative live acts to DJ sets — while still keeping it cohesive. Even with the contrasts, there was a sense of connection between the artists on the lineup.”
“One piece of advice we’d offer is to look beyond your own circles and the music that immediately reaches you.” – Unearth
P/A: Your lineups are always characterized by diversity, both musically but also in terms of the artists’ social backgrounds, etc. Can you tell a bit about how you work with representation and inclusion in your curation? And do you have any advice for other promoters who also wish to secure better diversity among the artists they present, but feel unsure of how?
Unearth: “Our approach comes organically from the music we’re into, combined with curating with openness and intention — always striving to push toward sounds and perspectives that feel less explored.
One piece of advice we’d offer is to look beyond your own circles and the music that immediately reaches you. There’s so much great music out there — you just have to put in the work to find it.”
P/A: You’ve made a mix for Passive/Aggressive. Can you tell a bit more about the thoughts behind it as well as the music?
Unearth: “It’s basically some of the music we’ve been listening to recently. All the songs have been released within the past year.”
Tracklist
Silvio-DJ – Song For The Wind
DJ Phat & fakemink – 101
Lutto Lento – Birds/Bees
Thrilliam Angels – I Am Destiny (feat. David Arms Deal, Wounder, Prince Revives & floweroom)
Jawnino – Sweden Freestyle
Klein, POLO PERKS <3 <3 <3 – Karmic Freestyle
RealYungPhil – Spilled My Cup (feat. 1600J)
prblm – IM IN LOVE BUT IM NOT SOFT FREESTYLE
Snuggle – Dust
Fine – Coasting
Fimiguerrero – my bad bro
Monker178 – 8th Cranial Nerve
Chickenmilk dot com, ANTHEM – Mi World Burn 23
Babyfather – bluey vuitton (feat. evilgiane)
meat computer – trance like non ordinary state
fakemink – Easter Pink
The Femcels – He Needs Me
Molina – Organs (feat. ML Buch)
Klein – Wicked Dreams
Info: Unearth’s next event takes place on Friday, June 20 at Kobe in collaboration with Surf Gang.
Read Alexander Julin Mortensen’s guide to Copenhagen’s current music scenes, including Unearth and the experimental club scene on Nina here. Read Viktor Tao Dinesen’s report from Unearth’s last event here.
