One of the things I appreciate about progressive house is how much room a DJ has to introduce different musical ideas without completely changing the direction of a set. You can spend an hour developing a particular mood, introduce something from another genre, and discover that it works better than the record you originally intended to play. I think that kind of flexibility becomes particularly interesting as artists get further into their careers and start questioning some of the musical preferences they’ve developed over time.
And for producers who regularly perform, those experiences can directly influence what they decide to make when they get back into the studio.
Argentine DJ and producer Kabi (@kabi.ar) has been developing his place in progressive electronic music through releases on Anjunadeep, Bedrock Records, The Soundgarden, and other established imprints, earning support from artists including Hernán Cattáneo and John Digweed.
His upcoming Australian appearance brings him to Melbourne on Saturday, November 14, where he’ll perform alongside Henry Saiz and Dimuth K at The Industrique in Coburg North. Presented by Journey of Sound and THE BLUEPRINT., the eight-hour warehouse event runs from 3 PM until 11 PM and brings together three producers with different approaches to progressive and melodic house.
It’s an interesting lineup for anyone who appreciates the longer musical development of this side of electronic music, especially when the programming runs from afternoon into evening.
Ahead of the Melbourne performance, I wanted to hear how Kabi’s relationship with music has changed as his career has developed, especially now that touring and producing are becoming larger parts of his professional life. We talked about why he’s listening to older electronic records, what he learned from attending a John Digweed performance in Buenos Aires, and how he continues discovering new artists through the music producers send him.
I think there’s something worthwhile here about continuing to participate in the music scene as a listener while building a career as an artist, particularly when the same experiences that influence your DJ sets can eventually become the starting points for new records.
Interview With Kabi
What’s exciting you in music right now that might have surprised an earlier version of you?
As a DJ, I’d say the amount of music from different subgenres that I’m mixing these days. Over time, I’ve realized that bringing different styles together within the same set is actually the most organic way for me to build an engaging and coherent musical narrative.
As a producer, something that has surprised me is starting to record my own vocals. I’ve always loved singing, but I’ve never really considered myself a singer, so it was something I didn’t have the confidence to explore before. I finally decided to give it a try, and if everything goes well, you’ll get to hear some new music featuring my own voice in 2027 🙂
What practices help you stay curious as your career evolves?
Lately, I’ve been really enjoying digging into old-school electronic music. I find it incredibly inspiring. There’s such a powerful seed in the roots of electronic music that eventually grew into hundreds of different styles and subgenres.
I think going back to those origins is a great way to keep curiosity alive, especially at a time when the music industry feels so saturated with new stuff.
When was the last time you were on the dancefloor simply as a listener, and what did you take from that experience?
The last time John Digweed played in Buenos Aires. It was an almost spiritual experience for me.
Watching how he guided the night to a point where an entire crowd could stay almost silent, simply listening, dancing and enjoying the music for hours, was something truly exceptional.
Have any emerging artists recently reignited something in you?
There are so many talented artists emerging from the scene right now. I feel especially connected to many of them in Argentina, as they regularly send me their music.
It’s really hard to mention just a few because there’s genuinely so much talent out there. I feel like the newer generations are becoming more open to exploring different subgenres without prejudice, perhaps encouraged by how much the electronic music scene has grown in recent years.
A few names that come to mind right now are Tomas Briski, Facundo Leiraz, 3.14 (AR), Mateo Balsa and Zaleski.
How do you maintain your connection to the craft as it moves from passion to profession?
That’s a really good question. I think I’m still figuring it out myself, as my career is just starting to take some of its first big steps, with more traveling, touring and everything that comes with it.
One thing I always try to do is bring home recordings of special moments from my travels. Once I’m back in the studio, I like to break them down, experiment with them and use them as starting points for new compositions. It’s a way of turning personal experiences into music and keeping that creative connection alive.
At the same time, having gigs on the calendar works really well as a deadline to finish new music and test it on the dancefloor. I always try to arrive at every show with at least one new track to try out. That direct connection between the studio and the dancefloor is something that keeps me really motivated.
See Kabi With Henry Saiz And Dimuth K In Melbourne
Kabi returns to Australia this November for a special warehouse performance alongside Henry Saiz and Dimuth K, presented by Journey of Sound and THE BLUEPRINT. at The Industrique in Coburg North, Melbourne.
The November 14 event brings together artists with established recording histories across progressive house, melodic house, and related electronic genres. Henry Saiz, whose work includes releases through Natura Sonoris, Bedrock, Global Underground, and Renaissance, has spent over two decades developing an approach to DJing and production informed by melody, experimentation, and long-form programming.
Dimuth K joins the lineup with a catalog that includes releases through Sudbeat, The Soundgarden, Meanwhile, and Mango Alley. His work has received support from established progressive house DJs including Hernán Cattáneo, Nick Warren, and Guy J, making the event an opportunity to hear three artists associated with related labels and musical communities.
For Kabi, the appearance comes during a period of increased international touring and studio experimentation. His interest in introducing music from different genres, discovering new producers, and testing unreleased material makes the Melbourne date particularly relevant to the subjects discussed in this interview.
The event runs for eight hours, beginning in the afternoon and continuing into the evening at The Industrique, a warehouse venue located at 5–7 Louvain Street in Coburg North.
Event Details
- Event: Henry Saiz + Dimuth K + Kabi
- Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
- Time: 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM
- Venue: The Industrique, 5–7 Louvain Street, Coburg North, VIC 3058
- Promoters: Journey of Sound and THE BLUEPRINT.
- Age requirement: 18+
Get tickets for Henry Saiz, Dimuth K, and Kabi at The Industrique
View the event on Resident Advisor
Final Thoughts From The Editor
The thing I kept coming back to in Kabi’s answers was his description of watching John Digweed in Buenos Aires, particularly his observation that an entire audience could spend hours listening and dancing without needing constant changes in intensity. I think that’s an interesting thing for a developing DJ to recognize because there’s an enormous difference between understanding how to select records that get an immediate response and learning how to maintain an audience’s attention throughout an extended performance. In our interview with John Digweed about his Output live recording and marathon DJ sets, he discussed the importance of choosing the right rooms and playing for audiences who genuinely want to hear the music.
Kabi’s experience in Buenos Aires seems to have reinforced a similar appreciation for patience, and I can understand why witnessing a performance like that would influence how he thinks about programming his own sets.
There’s another connection here to the way Argentine progressive house artists approach their careers, particularly as they begin performing internationally. In our conversation with Simon Vuarambon ahead of his Australian tour with John Digweed, Simon explained how he prepares for different audiences, selects records according to the time of day, and tries to bring fresh material from the studio into his performances. I think there’s a worthwhile parallel with Kabi’s approach because he also wants to arrive at each performance with something new to test.
That gives him a reason to keep finishing music while providing an opportunity to hear how those ideas function alongside records from other artists. For producers working in progressive house, where arrangement and gradual musical development are important parts of the genre, I think that relationship between producing and performing can be especially informative.
His habit of bringing recordings home from his travels is another part of the conversation that I think deserves attention. I’ve talked with several producers about how touring affects their relationship with the studio, including Parra for Cuva in our interview about his album Nacar, where he explained how he recorded ideas while traveling and incorporated field recordings from Costa Rica into the finished album.
And I think that brings us to why Kabi’s upcoming Melbourne performance is an interesting opportunity to hear where his musical interests are heading.
He talks about becoming more comfortable moving between different subgenres, continuing to discover music from younger producers, and experimenting with his own vocals for potential releases in 2027. Those are fairly specific developments for an artist whose touring career is beginning to demand more of his time, and his approach to testing new tracks means audiences can potentially hear ideas before they become official releases.
With Henry Saiz and Dimuth K also appearing at The Industrique, November 14 gives Melbourne’s progressive house audience an opportunity to hear three artists with different musical backgrounds performing within the same eight-hour program. For anyone interested in this side of electronic music, it’s an event worth having on the calendar.
Find tickets and further details for Kabi’s Melbourne appearance
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
