Max HeyraudKarlaa soundtracks Local Selection 311, bringing her lifelong connection to rave culture to the mix for a high-energy power hour.
Hailing from Galway, Karlaa is a 29-year-old DJ who has spent the past two years carving out her place within Ireland’s club culture circuit. Her musical palette leans towards high-octane sounds, unapologetically anchored in the emotional side of rave, a sound shaped as much by nostalgia as it is by the harder, more futuristic and contemporary edges of trance.
Coming from a family heavily involved in the ’90s rave scene at the peak of the free party movement, she was raised on the music, energy and culture that defined a generation of underground dance music. Those early influences remain at the core of her approach to DJing today.
Her selections are driven by momentum, with big melodies and tougher rhythmic elements working together to create sets that feel both euphoric and relentless. There is a clear nostalgic thread running through her sound, but rather than simply recreating the rave music she grew up with, Karla uses those references as a foundation for something distinctly current.
That balance between nostalgia and progression is central to Karlaa’s approach. Her music draws on the freedom and intensity of rave culture while embracing the sounds and aesthetics of a new generation of electronic music. The result is a DJ style that feels equally connected to the past and the present — high-energy, emotional and made for the dancefloor.
For this Local Selection Mix, Karlaa brings that perspective into the mix, moving through hard-edged trance, euphoric melodies, acid and bounce. It is a snapshot of where her sound is heading: driving, nostalgic and unapologetically rave-focused.