Eight years after its founding, Awesome Soundwave is entering a new chapter with the launch of ASW Live, a new event series designed to bring the label’s commitment to live electronic performance directly to audiences. Founded by Carl Cox and Christopher Coe in 2018, the label has spent its history championing artists who approach electronic music as a live, evolving art form rather than simply a DJ format.
From the beginning, Awesome Soundwave has operated outside conventional genre boundaries, focusing instead on artists who use improvisation, experimentation, synthesis, and technology as essential parts of their creative process. Over the past eight years, the label has released more than 80 titles from live electronic artists ranging from emerging names such as Charlie Thorstenson and An On Bast to established figures including Marc Romboy and Octave One.
That philosophy has also extended beyond its releases. Awesome Soundwave has presented live jams and events at Mysteryland, Awakenings, Wembley Arena in London, and DC-10 in Ibiza, while its artists have also taken part in spontaneous live sessions at venues including Revolver in Melbourne and Sala Sonora in Bilbao.
“In the 8 years we have been running we have released over 80 titles from such a diverse range of amazing live electronic artists, we have done many live jams around the world and some incredible events from Mysteryland to Awakenings to London’s Wembley Arena, from a season residency at DC10 in Ibiza to impromptu live jams at clubs like Revolver in Melbourne and Sala Sonora in Bilbao. Featuring artists from the lesser known Charlie Thorstenson and An On Bast to legends such as Marc Romboy and Octave One and so many others has been such a privilege,” says Christopher Coe.
ASW Live now takes that experience into a more intimate setting, launching in Ireland and Northern Ireland with two events featuring live performances from Phil Kieran and Christopher Coe. The first takes place August 28 at Pawn Shop in Dublin as a free-entry event, followed by a Belfast performance on August 29 at The Ulster Sports Club.
Rather than presenting conventional DJ sets, the two artists will build their performances in real time. Phil Kieran, whose career spans three decades and includes electronic music, film composition, and projects such as Le Carousel and Alloy Mental, will revisit material from across his catalog through a hardware-based performance centered on synthesis and real-time manipulation.
Christopher Coe will bring his own improvised approach to live techno, working with Eurorack modular systems to shape the performance as it unfolds. The contrasting approaches underline the central idea behind ASW Live: giving artists the freedom to create, manipulate, and experiment with electronic music in front of an audience.
“With Carl having gone out on the road for the last three years almost exclusively with his live show, and with our constant support of live artists, I feel we have explored so much about the live experience. And yet, it feels like we are only beginning. There seems to be more interest than ever in live shows and the excitement of live presentation. We felt it was time to return to the smaller venue experience, where we can genuinely connect with audiences and showcase more local live artists. With ASW Live, we want to create that underground feeling again, where anything can happen and the music can be wild and free. We really do love playing live,” Coe adds.
The series will continue in October with a special Ibiza performance featuring Sebastian Mullaert, Christopher Coe, and Stimming. The trio will come together for a live session in a unique location, with further details to be announced. Additional ASW Live events are planned for locations around the world as the series expands its focus on immersive live electronic experiences.
Alongside the event series, Awesome Soundwave is continuing to develop its label output with Holds The Sky, the forthcoming collaborative album from Swedish composer and producer Sebastian Mullaert and Georgian composer, vocalist, and electronic artist Tamarma.
The project reflects the label’s broader interest in artists who operate between electronic music, experimentation, and live performance. Following the release of “Being Colours” and Mullaert’s rework of the album’s title track, Holds The Sky is scheduled for release September 25.
Coe himself embodies the philosophy at the heart of Awesome Soundwave. Born in Melbourne and raised in Ireland, the electronic artist and techno producer has performed everywhere from underground clubs to major festivals, including Kappa Futur, Awakenings, and Glastonbury, while also holding a residency at DC-10 Ibiza.
His Modular Lounge project further explores modular synthesis and electronic experimentation, while his Worlds End series has taken his live recording practice to remote Irish islands, reinforcing his interest in unconventional environments and spontaneous electronic performance.
With ASW Live, Awesome Soundwave is expanding on an ethos that has defined the label since its creation: electronic music is not simply something to be played, but something that can be created, manipulated, and discovered in real time. By returning to intimate venues while continuing to develop its international presence, the label is creating space for live artists to take risks and for audiences to experience electronic music in its most unpredictable form.
Christopher Coe: Instagram | Beatport | Traxsource | Spotify
Awesome Soundwave: Website | Instagram | Beatport | Traxsource