Independent Label Cafe De Anatolia Is Paving the Way for Spiritual Electronic Music

The organic house music tastemaker is breaking new ground for independent electronic music labels.

"To be spiritual is to be musical, and to be musical is to be spiritual."

That's one of the core tenets of Cafe De Anatolia, an independent record label that has risen from humble beginnings and grown into an electronic music powerhouse in less than six years.

Cafe De Anatolia was founded by Monika Ilieva, Nikola Iliev (Nickarth / Rialians On Earth) and Zoran Iliev (Billy Esteban) in the North Macedonian city of Vinica. The imprint's primary goal is to emphasize the connection between dance music and spirituality—and to introduce new ways for both to intertwine.

"Our goal is not only to produce music and promote independent music and artists but also to present a new way of living, more spiritual and connected one," the label tells EDM.com. "Cafe De Anatolia is focused on building a community where all the cultures, nations and differences are respected mutually and where through music people can understand and connect with each other on a deeper spiritual level, something near to the Divine understanding of living."

With a catalog of over 2,000 releases from roughly 900 artists across the world, the label has platformed trailblazing artists within the electronica, organic house and downtempo genres, among them Armen Miran, Nikko Sunset, Tebra, Andre Rizo, Zuma Dyonys, Nickarth, Billy Esteban, Rialians On Earth and Nora Projekt. 

Cafe De Anatolia's A&R direction is extremely curated and meticulous, with the objective of bridging the gap between spirituality and music by signing records with ethnic melodies and long-forgotten, Middle Eastern instruments. It's a unique and holistic approach that executes their belief that there's more to music than just its surface-level sounds.

At the end of the day, they simply want to unite people from all walks of life. And as a bona fide tastemaker, they're making it happen.

"Our music is included into spiritual activities to enhance the transpersonal elements of worship, meditation and ritual," the Cafe De Anatolia team explains. "In a similar vein, musical interactions are imbued with spiritually based ideas and practices to offer people connections with themselves and others in distinctive powerful ways."

Fostering deep and ageless connections by way of musical experiences is no easy task, but Cafe De Anatolia is up for the challenge. They're constantly fueling a dominant digital presence en route to establishing themselves as one of the world's leading imprints for organic house music, controlling over 20 YouTube channels with a collective subscriber count of over four million, promoting different genres and sub-brands under their label. Among some of the sub-brands under Cafe De Anatolia are CDA Magazine, media and news agency Camelmove, and YouTube channels Playlista, Desert Rose and AODION. 

But their influence extends far beyond the confines of the web. Cafe De Anatolia has produced and broadcast countless live sets from some of the genre’s leading artists to showcase their customs and rituals. A notable highlight is Billy Esteban’s sultry DJ set from the Radisson Blu Palace in Djerba, which offers viewers an intimate glimpse into local Tunisian sounds and culture.

[embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=MiJ5kaAQ4oA[/embed]

Collectively, Cafe De Anatolia is working hard to precipitate a spiritual revolution in the music industry and provide us with a soundtrack for our most personal and metaphysical moments.

You can check out Cafe De Anatolia's latest compilation, Unda, here.

FOLLOW CAFE DE ANATOLIA:

Facebook: facebook.com/CafeDeAnatolia
Instagram: instagram.com/cafedeanatolia
Twitter: twitter.com/cafedeanatolia
Website: cafe-de-anatolia.com