aya je jedno od upečatljivijih autorskih imena suvremene eksperimentalne elektronike, poznata po intenzivnim i izrazito fizičkim koncertnim nastupima i DJ setovima te izdanjima koja redovito privlače pažnju kritike. Debitantski album im hole iz 2021. dobio je Pitchforkovu oznaku Best New Music, dok je album hexed!, objavljen 2025. za Hyperdub, naišao na još snažniji kritički odjek.
Glazbenica iz regije Pennin na sjevernom Atlantiku u svom se radu bavi iskustvom, sjećanjem i njihovim utjecajem na fizičko tijelo. Spajajući soundsystem kulturu, decentralizirane internetske scene i post-hardcore senzibilitet, gradi oštre i hibridne zvučne forme koje izmiču jasnim žanrovskim odrednicama.
Objavljivala je za Hyperdub, YCO, Tri Angle, Wisdom Teeth i Astral Plane Recordings, a iza sebe ima i niz remikseva za druge izvođače. Zajedno s BFTT-jem vodi izdavačku kuću YCO, a skladala je i glazbu za projekte BBC-ja, Manchester International Festivala, NTS-a i CTM Festivala.
Lena Willikens stekla je reputaciju „DJ-ice za DJ-eve“ zahvaljujući iznimnoj svestranosti i preporukama koje su se godinama širile među kolegama i publikom. Nijedan njezin set nije isti, a iza te raznolikosti stoji golema kolekcija ploča stvarana desetljećima i neprestano nadopunjavana slušanjem, otkrivanjem nove glazbe i instinktivnim osjećajem za ono što može funkcionirati na plesnom podiju. Od rave scene devedesetih i legendarnog düsseldorfskog kluba Salon des Amateurs izgradila je međunarodnu DJ karijeru, uz vođenje emisije Homunkuli na NTS-u te rad na produkciji, remiksevima i kompilacijama. Njezina sposobnost da u trenutku promijeni smjer jedan je od zaštitnih znakova njezinih setova. Krećući se između UK bass mutacija, motorik ritmova i europskih synth kurioziteta, intuitivno povezuje zvukove koji bi se na papiru teško našli zajedno, a pritom zadržava i koherentnost i senzualnost plesnog podija.
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aya is one of the more distinctive voices in contemporary experimental electronic music, known for intense, highly physical live performances and DJ sets, as well as releases that consistently attract critical attention. Her 2021 debut album im hole received Pitchfork’s Best New Music designation, while hexed!, released by Hyperdub in 2025, was met with even greater critical acclaim.
A musician from the Pennine region of the North Atlantic, aya’s work explores experience, memory and the ways they affect the physical body. Drawing on soundsystem culture, decentralised internet scenes and a post-hardcore sensibility, she creates sharp, hybrid sonic forms that resist clear genre classification.
Her music has been released by Hyperdub, YCO, Tri Angle, Wisdom Teeth and Astral Plane Recordings, and she has also produced numerous remixes for other artists. Together with BFTT, she runs the YCO label, and has composed music for projects by the BBC, Manchester International Festival, NTS and CTM Festival.
Lena Willikens has earned a reputation as a “DJ’s DJ” thanks to her remarkable versatility and the word-of-mouth admiration she has built among fellow DJs and audiences over the years. No two of her sets are the same, and behind that range lies a vast record collection assembled over decades and constantly renewed through listening, discovery and an instinctive sense of what can work on the dancefloor. From the rave scene of the 1990s and Düsseldorf’s legendary Salon des Amateurs, she went on to build an international DJ career, alongside hosting the Homunkuli show on NTS and working across production, remixes and compilations. Her ability to change direction in an instant is one of the defining features of her sets. Moving between UK bass mutations, motorik rhythms and European synth curiosities, she intuitively connects sounds that might seem unlikely companions on paper, while maintaining both coherence and sensuality on the dancefloor.