keepsakes: perspectives from a sterile hellhole

The Auckland-based, New Zealand club night ‘Haven’ has been a leading light in the pacific nation’s small underground dance music scene in the past year. From their home of the intimate backroom of basement venue Whammy, founders Keepsakes and Jaded Nineties Raver have introduced the local night fiends to a diverse range of left-of-centre, techno-centric dance music in putting on shows with international artists from lo-fi Australian electro wizard Daze, to the harder-edged sounds of Ansome and UVB. Now launching as a vinyl-focused record label, Haven is attempting to push the best of New Zealand’s new guard of outsider dance music to the international stage.