NenaHalena has been carving his own lane in electronic music, merging Afro-house, Latin-house, and Brazilian street rhythms into a sound that’s both raw and percussive. Coming up in the UK’s DJ scene in the ’90s, he’s evolved his craft by integrating live hand drumming into his sets, creating a hybrid approach that bridges traditional rhythms with modern club energy.

With releases on Armada, Stil Vor Talent, Sol Selectas, and Get Physical Music, plus a packed 2024–2025 tour schedule hitting Ibiza, Goa, Tulum, and beyond, we caught up with him to dig into his process, influences, and what’s ahead.

 

Hi NenaHalena! Thanks for talking to 6AM! How are you?

I’m doing great thanks! Currently I’m taking a few days out on the Island of Lanzarote, ahead of my show in Tulum to close out my current tour. It’s been an insanely fun few months showcasing and tweaking my music ready for releasing over the coming months.

 

Just to start off with, for those that don’t know what’s the origin and meaning behind your artist name? Why did this name resonate with your artistry?

On the face of it, it seems strange to adopt a ‘would be’ female name. ‘ Nena ‘ literally means girl in Spanish. They say that the act of dance is often attributed to accessing the female spirit. Halena has a meaning of embodying light and brightness or a radiant shining nature. People always said that I ’shine while I perform’. So putting this both together I like to think creates some kind of beacon, transmitting a dance energy. Plus, its got a nice ring to it ;~)

 

Your sound blends Afro-house, Latin-house, and Brazilian street rhythms in a way that feels raw, organic, and high-energy. What was the moment that really connected you to these rhythms, and how did that shape the way you approach producing electronic music today?

Two tracks sewed this seed in me very early on. These were ‘Give It Up (Batucada Refrescante) by The Good Men' and 20Hz by Capricorn. Even as a young boy the rhythms and fierce intricate drums just wowed me. I played them on repeat and learned them beat for beat. It wasn’t until almost a decade later that I learned these rhythms were taken from the Rio Carnival style of playing. Huge bands of 100’s of drummers relentlessly pounding out complex layered rhythms to huge crowds, dancing for hours on end. This to me was the closest thing you’re going to get to ‘Organic Techno’. 

One afternoon I was invited to an open-session in a local community centre in my home town on the outskirts of Liverpool UK. It was headed up by the then leader of The Manchester School Of Samba; Ian Holmes-Lewis. It was an initiative put together by our local Arts Counsellor to give people a taster workshop into this sound. I had a natural ability to feel the rhythm and be locked in. Seeing this potential, I was then sponsored to go and learn from other Brazilian Samba School masters, with the condition of passing my knowledge and skills on to my local community. During the coming months I was taught all about rhythm, the push and pull, the question and the answer, the tension and release, the affect of repetition and the secret of surprise. Within the next 12 months I was leading my own Samba School and band. This Afro-Brazilian foundation was now embedded in my music production DNA. Everything I would ever produce from then on, has these flavours and feelings. Sometimes subtle sometimes blatant but always present.

 

 

You don’t just DJ—you bring live percussion into the club and make every set feel like a full-on experience. What made you want to take that leap and incorporate live hand drumming? What’s been the wildest reaction you’ve gotten from a crowd because of it?

Djing is second nature to me, as is playing percussion, but it wasn’t until I was playing a show in Poland where they had a percussionist setup next to me. At one point I took a conga drum and started playing. I got so into it but, I still needed to mix the next record. Instead of stoping I just mixed while holding the rhythm on the drum. It felt so satisfying, it was like my brain had a new challenge and accomplishment. My three worlds meshed at that point. Music production, djing and playing percussion. Rather than going for a whole acoustic style setup of taking drums with me wherever I played. I bought an electronic drum. This allowed me to jack straight into the DJ Mixer and dial up a variety of different sounds. It added a whole different layer to the performance both on a sonic level by complimenting tracks, but on a visual and physical level where people are seeing a lot of energy going into the performance.

The reactions are usually that of confusion, intrigue into, illation. On paper it’s such a simple concept ‘play drums over dj set’ but what I think its actually doing is unlocking a primal instinct whilst giving people something usually stimulating.

 

You’ve released on labels like Armada, Stil Vor Talent, and now Get Physical Music—each with its own vibe. When you’re working on a track, do you already have a label in mind, or do you just create and figure out where it fits later?

Music first outlet second. I have found that writing music specifically for a certain label can lead you down a contrived path of replication, rather than true creation and innovation. The music which I have released on the various labels represents where the label is at, at that time of signing. Often (not always) the music you are hearing represents where the label was and not where they are going. Some music can sit in the pipeline for many months into a year or so. You could be disappointed to find a label is looking ahead of what you are offering them.

 

You came up DJing on Technics 1210s in the ’90s, and now you’re pushing Afro-Brazilian electronic music to a global audience. In an industry that’s always changing, what’s the biggest lesson that’s kept you moving forward?

Find your strengths and play to them, find your USP and own it. You can’t control what people like, but you can influence it. Keine Music for instance, didn’t get to where they are by curtailing to paying whatever is the current top 10. It was a longer journey but they have built true influence and fandom through their consistency and belief in what they’re doing.

 

 

Your tour schedule for 2024–2025 is stacked—Amsterdam, Berlin, Ibiza, Goa, Tulum. Some of these places have deep roots in tribal, spiritual, and underground sounds. Have any of these destinations influenced your music, and which stop are you most hyped for?

I have found that regions such as India and the Middle East have percussion at the forefront of their musical heritage and I have resonated extremely well there. But the same can be said for the Central and South Americas. Of course Brazil get me! But believe it or not it was Berlin which gave me my initial ‘green light’ to continue pursuing my hybrid-live set up. We all know Berlin as the Techno Capital, However the city welcomes innovation and encourages you to push the boundaries. I honed a lot of my performance from playing in Berlin clubs. Where the attitude is not that of "what is this, I don’t know this therefore I’m not going to listen to it” to "this is fresh gimme more"

But I’m really enjoying feeding off the various rhythmical flavours from across continents. I have a collaboration coming up on Get Physical Music with musicians from Mali. I recently remixed an artist from India using Hindi vocals and traditional Dohl drum styles. Another collaboration coming through is with the Brazilian artist Curol, showcasing some more of my Samba flair. Releases are also coming through on 'Make The Girls Dance Records' and 'Black Book Records' where you can really hear me leaning back into latin percussion sets. 

We’re in an amazing time where the world has become “small” in terms of influence and connection. And I intend to ‘cross pollinate’ in this way as much as possible. In answer to where I’m most hyped for; Ibiza always has a special place for me, Amsterdam never fails to impress me. But It’s Brazil where my heart lies.

 

Thanks again for taking the time, is there anything else you would like to say before we sign off?

It’s been a pleasure, thank you for listening. I guess I can just leave you with a shameless plug about my new release on Ulu records. This time I’ve teamed up with South Africa’s 'Stones & Bones'. The track is called Abo Malume, I’ve really enjoyed playing this one. It gets a big response, and I’m looking forward to seeing where in the world this gets played the most. Release day is Feb 21st.

 

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