Kåken

Peter Steen-Christensen
Posted September 22, 2014 in More, Music

During the second half of August a merry band of clubbing enthusiasts were given the reins to the nightlife at Kåken.

Daniel Redgert, Julia Frej, Michaela Hamilton and Pontus De Wolfe have brought a fresh approach, as many events as they can possibly cram into their opening hours and some swish illustrations. We wanted to hear how they feel they have fared so far and what they will have to do to stay on top of the game through this year and beyond.

Kåken

It’s been about a month now – are you happy enough so far, and has your original vision changed somewhat since you started sketching?

Daniel: The ultimate aim and ambition is not something that suddenly appears out of the blue, after a few weeks I have realized that you grow into your role.

Sure, we have gone through with many of the ideas we had originally and some things have worked out fantastically, while other things still are only half way out of mama’s uterus.

You are four people from different backgrounds who are pulling the strings together. How big is the risk that you want to pull in opposite directions?

Pontus: Being a team of many is an opportunity when it comes to keeping the energy up and encouraging each other to make the best of each night. Being able to attract people from different crowds helps us avoid becoming stale and sort of inward looking. So pulling in different directions is a good thing – you showing me what you’ve got over there makes me think more openly about what I’ve got over here!

So what’s been the biggest change in the night life at Kåken compared to before you got involved?

Daniel: One of the biggest changes by far is the early nights. We try to activate the venue already from six all the way to two at night. We do that through always having an event planned – it can be anything from stand-up to a birthday party.

It could be summarized as Kåken having more content now than before. On top of that we have Kalle and Jocke who were behind Matbaren in Åre, having moved in with their restaurant which is great. A 25-course fine dining menu with some insane features.

As club promoters, how do you keep people interested month after month after an initial hype dies down?

Pontus: It really comes down to realizing the promises you made to yourself and everyone else right at the beginning. I think the first phase is the hardest, before you’ve established routines and booked all the monthly stuff. That work had better be done before the first wave expires, then hopefully all the cool people who showed up and want to bring their friends the next time can generate the second wave.

Sometimes it feels like it’s the same people, ideas and concepts that are recycled again and again in a city the size of Stockholm. What can you do to keep being perceived as something exciting?

Michaela: There’s a certain type of people who devote themselves to working with night clubs and there’s not that many of us. You have to be able to endure the late nights and a lot of pressure, at the same time as you need to find it incredibly fun. I suppose that’s why there aren’t that many people in circulation.

You have a certain crowd that will follow you from venue to venue and who thinks what you do is great regardless. But I think that new constellations of people make you squeeze all the best bits out of everyone’s knowledge and ideas. The main thing is to not lose interest yourself, because that shines through immediately.

What would the ultimate components be for an imaginary club at Kåken, both when it comes to people involved and other ingredients?

Michaela: It needs to be a good mix of people, both in terms of age and personalities. If you pinpoint a certain target group you risk it becoming pretentious or just plain boring. You need to trust people’s ability to create the party if you just provide them with a cool environment to do it in. If you throw in a good, happy DJ and accomplished bar staff you don’t need that much more. Apart from us of course. The four shining lights. Kidding. Right?

If there’s one thing you really miss in Stockholm’s nightlife compared to other cities, what would that be?

Julia: Stockholm is a pretty small city, therefore people think small, according to current trends and it is segregated. There are a lot of good things and it’s growing. But I’d like to see a more mixed selection of music, less grumpy neighbours, better doormen who do their job and nothing else plus possibly a bit more craziness. Musicians should also get a better deal, when it comes to money, sound and venues. I see change though, a lot of people do new things in new places in Stockholm, I see more art and more love. I hope this trend will continue. Perhaps we need an absinth bar where green elves fly around serving the customers and perhaps we just need bigger outdoor venues with later closing hours.

Photo: Beata Holmgren

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