Karjala

Coming of age in the mid-to-late ’90s, and with American and Venezuelan roots. Karjala’s introduction to electronic music was shaped by artists such as The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Depeche Mode, Armand Van Helden, Portishead and Björk. Drawn equally to chaos, melody, atmosphere and experimentation, he developed an obsession with digging through record stores, album credits and forgotten corners of musical history — building a broad sonic vocabulary that still informs his sets today.

By the late 2000s, Karjala had become a familiar name within Copenhagen’s underground scene, playing venues such as Culture Box, Rust, Dunkel and Nadsat. While rooted in minimal house and techno, his sets became known for weaving together unexpected references, nostalgic fragments and deep-cut selections from across genres and decades.

Since relocating to Madrid in 2023, Karjala has been building new connections between the Madrid, Copenhagen and Ibiza underground scenes. Together with underground house pioneer Eddie Richards (Terence :Terry:), he recently launched the MO.DO party series, hosting artists such as Maher Daniel at Goya Social Club.

Alongside his DJ work, Karjala is also a founding member of 1250 — a multidisciplinary label and studio platform exploring the intersection of house, techno, art and design. In 2026, he will open 1250 Studios in Madrid: an analog-focused creative space centered around hardware production, collaboration and experimentation.

Selected appearances include:

* Goya Social Club, Madrid * Cadavra, Madrid * Persimmons, Ibiza * Café del Mar, Ibiza * Radio Phoenix Madrid * Culture Box, Copenhagen * Rust, Copenhagen * Mayhem, Copenhagen

Fun fact: Karjala is a devoted studio obsessive and collector of electronic instruments spanning multiple decades. His productions and sets are deeply shaped by the tactile limitations, imperfections and sonic character of vintage and modern hardware alike.