SONIKKU Talks Digging, Algorithms, and New EP on Bella Union

SONIKKU has always been one step ahead of convention. Fresh off two albums on Bella Union and a run of EPs this year, he returns to the label with Heatwave/Drowning, a double A-side that lands October 10. The lead track “Heatwave” is already out, built as the kind of Balearic pop-dance hybrid that sticks in your head long after first play. Written after a road trip through Rhodes, it’s designed to capture that fleeting holiday moment—the song you Shazam in a bar and take home like a souvenir.

Alongside the release, SONIKKU spoke about digging for music in a digital era, and why avoiding algorithm fatigue keeps him sharp as a DJ. From trawling through Kompakt’s Speicher EPs to chance discoveries in charity shops, his approach to finding tracks mixes old-school hunting with new-school tools. There’s value in the physical chase, but also in the openness to stumble across a gem on NTS or even via Shazam. For him, the process is less about gatekeeping and more about keeping the excitement alive.

The conversation reflects the same ethos that fuels his music—restless, curious, and unwilling to sit still. As Heatwave/Drowning arrives, SONIKKU continues to balance club sets, international touring, and studio experiments, all while holding on to the thrill of discovery.

SONIKKU on Instagram / Spotify / Soundcloud

How do you make sure your digging process doesn’t get too dependent on algorithms and recommendations?

There’s a couple of tactics I use to avoid getting trapped in an algorithm. One for example is, I’ll deep dive into a label I love and go through their entire release history, I did this with the label Kompakt, specifically the Speicher EP’s and found music that inspires me, a standout track for me is Der Säger Von St. Georg by DJ Koze. Soundcloud is less reliable because you have to sift through a lot of not-so-good stuff before you find that one hidden gem that is usually an edit or remix. I also like listening to NTS and not ashamed to admit I Shazam when I hear something that catches my ear. I discovered ‘How Can I’ by Mark A. Mitchell this way which is up there as one of my favourite songs.

Do you still believe in the value of “the hunt” when everything’s so accessible online?

I don’t think just because you might have spent hours looking for something it makes it better than any other song, but I think it adds to some sort of personal excitement to have in your possession a secret weapon that nobody else has. My secret weapon for instance was to play this Azerbaijani rendition of ‘Say It Right’ by Nelly Furtado at parties …then a popular Instagram meme page posted it and I was like damn.

What’s a track you found completely outside of digital systems—maybe through a person, a moment, or a record store?

I remember years ago someone played Q Lazzarus ‘Goodbye Horses’ at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, I hadn’t heard it before and was like wtf is this, I have it tattooed on my hand now.
I used to work in a record store and a record I played all the time was ‘The Nireus Years (1995-1997)’ by a Greek artist called Angelo Loakimoglu. His sound just totally captured my imagination as it’s so melody driven and Balearic sounding. I heard the song ‘Nochesfera (Veneno BSO)’ by Miqui Brightside in the Spanish biographical television series ‘Veneno’ and was obsessed as soon as it heard it and play it often in my sets.

Have you ever noticed how different it feels to play a track you hunted for versus one that was served to you?

Yeah it feels good for sure, but I don’t get too attached because music is for everyone and there shouldn’t be any gatekeeping. Saying that, it is funny when you think you’ve found a hidden gem and then you hear another DJ playing the same song. This happened with Hammer House ‘The Jumper’ (Mass Medium Remix), there was about a month in 2022 where it felt like every DJ was playing it.

Do you think new DJs are losing something by skipping the process of real digging?

Yes and no – On one hand it’s good that music is accessible to everybody, but at the same time you can’t beat that feeling of having something tangible that you’ve found. I think artists now are making more of a conscious effort to make their physical record appealing to buy in the way of artwork, and so you’re supporting the artists directly while owning a piece of art sort of.

Where do you still find value in physical digging—in record shops, thrift stores, flea markets?

Charity shops will randomly have something amazing for crazy cheap – I found a Kylie Minogue ‘Slow’ picture disc vinyl single this way. Atlantis Records in Hackney is a good second-hand shop, I got an Aaliyah ‘Try Again’ single from there that has the Romeo Must Die artwork. Also Tome records in Hackney where I live has great selection of 80’s post-disco 7”s.