Europe has long been the international hub for dance music. Over in Scandinavia, Denmark boasts its own thriving dance music scene with underground techno moving to the forefront of popularity. This resurgence in Copenhagen’s electronic music culture has been spearheaded by a production company called Fast Forward, which is throwing the type of events the scene has been sorely missing.
Earlier this year, Fast Forward threw its most ambitious event yet, transforming the historic Copenhagen railway station into a 2300 square-foot event space. Producing an event in such an iconic location and at the magnitude Fast Forward has become known for is a monumental effort, all being accomplished by crew members and volunteers alike.
What makes the Fast Forward team produced events so special? It’s due in part to their stance on EDM culture and the type of events they produce, as their motto is inclusion. Their mission: To produce events of inclusion, where everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of their race, sexual orientation, or religion, and creating a safe space where everyone is welcome and the music is always on point.
Founded by Nikolaj Jakobsen and his partner Lukas Hojlund, Fast Forward has become a beacon of techno, their growth marked by the sheer amount of people who attend their events regularly. In an article by Vice that interviews the founders of the company, Nikolaj addresses the attendees of the railway station event and yells out to them
“We’re not going to pretend that we’re super underground at this point,” he yells, attempting to cut through the pounding bass hammering out of the speakers. More than a thousand people showed up to our birthday party last year. That’s a lot of fucking people out for a night of techno.”
You can read the whole story from Vice here.
Techno in Copenhagen is beyond thriving, as it’s bringing people together for a night of safety, inclusion, and most importantly, great music. In a time when hate has become the norm, and safety at events often comes into question, event producers could stand to take the events put on by Fast Forward into consideration when throwing their own.