Hyenah
A masked DJ and producer behind RISE, the African house night at Berlin’s Watergate: what is known about Hyenah, the labels and the 2022 debut album.
- Masked DJ and producer whose identity is kept secret.
- Founder of RISE, an African house night held every other month at Watergate, Berlin.
- Traxsource’s Afro House artist of the year in 2016; debut album Love In Times Of Crisis (2022).
Hyenah performs behind a mirrored mask and gives away very little else. What is on record is the music: years spent connecting African dance music with Western house and techno, a regular night at one of Berlin’s best-known house clubs, and releases on a long list of labels.
Behind the mask
Hyenah keeps their identity secret. In a 2022 interview with Fifteen Questions, the producer described the mask as a way to shift attention from the DJ to the audience, and as a way to take on a more outgoing persona. The early influences were soul, rare groove, hip hop, jazz and leftfield music — records that cross genres. Asked about influences, Hyenah has also named South African artists: Culoe De Song, Black Motion and Enoo Napa.
RISE at Watergate
Hyenah founded RISE, a night for African house music held every other month at Watergate in Berlin. The label Freerange describes it as the only regular club night of its kind in a major European house club. In Hyenah’s account, the RISE crew helped bring Afro house into the techno space at Watergate. Hyenah is also direct about where the music comes from: “Afro House belongs to the Africans.”
Releases and recognition
Hyenah’s tracks and remixes have come out on Freerange, Objektivity, AEON, Systematic, Drumpoet Community, Poker Flat, Akbal Music, Tribe Records and Toy Tonics. The remix list includes Jimpster, Frankey & Sandrino, Denis Horvat, youANDme, Miguel Puente and the Afro Warriors. In 2016 Traxsource named Hyenah its Afro House artist of the year; Freerange also credits Hyenah with the most-charted track of a year on Resident Advisor and two tracks in Beatport’s annual Deep House Top 10.
The debut album, Love In Times Of Crisis, came out on 1 July 2022 via RISE, with The Basement Gospel, Amazi Wakho, Bajka, Patricia Baloge, Nanghiti and Floyd Lavine among the guests. Later work includes “Cacao” with Lazarusman and a remix of Fairplay’s “Latlal” for Zatar Music, inspired by a trip to Amman with Fairplay. Hyenah is selective about remixes: “I only do remixes when I feel I can add something to the original.”
In the mix
For more Afro house in the archive, dig into Boddhi Satva, and into the deep house of Jimpster, whom Hyenah has remixed.
FAQ
Who is Hyenah?
A masked DJ and producer who keeps their identity secret. Hyenah runs the RISE nights at Watergate in Berlin and works between Afro house and Western house and techno.
What is RISE at Watergate?
A club night for African house music, held every other month at Watergate in Berlin and founded by Hyenah. RISE also released Hyenah’s debut album.
What is Hyenah’s album?
Love In Times Of Crisis, released on 1 July 2022 via RISE, with guests including The Basement Gospel, Amazi Wakho, Patricia Baloge, Nanghiti and Floyd Lavine.
