Get to Know Calgary’s Electronic Colective, Kaminéh
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)
As co-founder of Kaminéh and one of Calgary's most exciting DJs, Kokaheena is helping carve out space for a new kind of nightlife experience highlighting South Asian curators. Earlier this month, Kaminéh partnered with the National Music Centre to present Head in the Clouds, a sold-out evening of DJ sets and live instrumentation suspended above the city on Studio Bell's Skybridge. Featuring artists including Mastané (Asad Khan and Raaginder), Bobby Kang, and Kokaheena herself, the event brought together electronic music, South Asian influences, and community-minded curation in a way Calgary is hungry for.
We caught up with Kokaheena following the event to discuss how Kaminéh came together, why Calgary became its home base, and what comes next for the growing collective.
REVERIE: How did Kaminéh first come together, and what gap were you trying to fill?
KOKAHEENA: I first met Asad a couple of years ago when I opened for him and Raaginder. He really took a liking to my DJing and wanted to start working together. Over time we became really good friends and started doing shows together. Through that same network I met Bobby, and then Vic, who handles all of our creative direction, stage design, lighting, video work and visuals.
As a collective, we felt there was a gap in the industry. We're South Asian, but that doesn't mean all we want to do is play South Asian music. As diasporic kids, we grew up listening to everything — hip-hop, electronic music, R&B, UK garage, baile funk, and our own cultural music. We hadn't really seen a space that reflected all of those influences together. We didn't want to throw another Bollywood night or Punjabi party. We wanted to create something for people who grew up between cultures and listen to all kinds of music. We wanted people to feel seen the same way we wanted to feel seen.
REVERIE: Kaminéh exists across Calgary, Vancouver, and the UK. How did that international perspective develop?
KOKAHEENA: Bobby is based in the UK, Asad is in Vancouver, and I'm here in Calgary. But a lot of what Kaminéh does actually originates here. Our weekly SoundCloud series is coordinated from Calgary. Vic creates the artwork, I handle the audio side, and a lot of our filmed content is shot and edited here.
Even the name Kaminéh came from Calgary. So while we're spread across different places, Calgary has really become our hub whenever we come together.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)
REVERIE: Head in the Clouds was Kaminéh's first Calgary event. Why did it feel important to launch something like this here?
KOKAHEENA: We wanted to create the kind of space we'd been looking for ourselves. It felt like every exciting event was always happening in Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal. Calgary often gets overlooked. We kept hearing from people saying, "When are you bringing this to Calgary?" As someone born and raised here, I felt that missing piece too. We wanted to bring something special home rather than asking people to travel elsewhere for it.
Honestly, we weren't even sure how many people would show up. But we sold out in ten days and had around 100 people on the waitlist. That really proved to us that Calgary is hungry for this kind of experience.
REVERIE: Why did the Studio Bell Skybridge feel like the right setting for the event?
KOKAHEENA: We didn't want to do a standard nightclub show. We wanted to come into Calgary with a bang and do something different.
I reached out to the National Music Centre fully expecting them not to respond, but they got back to us right away. They were genuinely interested in what we were building and wanted to bring more culture and younger audiences into the space.
They were incredibly easy to work with. They trusted us, even when we asked to run the event until 2 a.m. It felt like they believed in what we were trying to create.
REVERIE: For people discovering Kaminéh for the first time, what do you hope they understand about the community you're building?
KOKAHEENA: The biggest thing is that we want people to feel safe and free to be themselves. Of course we love to party, but for us it always comes back to music and connection. Music is such a huge part of all of our lives. When we're playing, we're sharing something really personal.
I hope people understand that we're creating a space where everyone is taken care of and where energy is exchanged between the artists and the audience. That's what makes these nights special.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)
REVERIE: What do you think is still missing in Canadian nightlife and festival spaces when it comes to South Asian artists?
KOKAHEENA: I think there can still be a tendency toward tokenism. There are so many talented artists — especially here in Calgary — who are trying to break through. I think we need to be looking beyond the same familiar names and creating opportunities for a broader range of people.
That said, there are more opportunities for people of colour than there used to be, and audiences are becoming more open. But there's still work to do.
REVERIE: What's next for Kaminéh?
KOKAHEENA: We're currently planning a three-city tour across Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto called 333. Each night will feature a different experience involving members of the collective. We're also hoping to return to Calgary in the fall for another event, likely around November.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)
For more information on Kaminéh, follow the collective on Instagram here.
