Habibi Downtown journal's Interview with Cali Kula: A Journey Through Blackout/Whiteout

Interview with Cali Kula: A Journey Through Blackout/Whiteout

Cali Kula just gave an interview to Habibi Downtown Journal to talk about the release of his double EP Blackout/Whiteout

Habibi Downtown: Cali Kula, your double EP Blackout/Whiteout feels like a story, almost like a sonic film. Can you tell us about the idea behind this project?

Cali Kula: Absolutely. This project was born from a feeling, a moment suspended in time. I wanted to capture that unique experience of a night shifting between darkness and light, between awareness and surrender. Blackout represents that hypnotic descent into the night, when the music takes over, and everything becomes blurred. Whiteout, on the other hand, is the resurfacing, that moment when you’re still floating in the uncertain memories of the night before.

Habibi Downtown: The journey starts with a striking image—a fox rummaging through a trash can on the streets of Berlin… Why this scene in particular?

Cali Kula: It’s a real image, something I actually witnessed while leaving a club. It felt almost surreal, a contrast between the chaos of the night and this strange, silent moment. For me, it perfectly represents that blurred boundary between reality and the mindset you enter after an intense night.

Habibi Downtown: Musically, how did you build Blackout?

Cali Kula: Blackout is designed as a gradual immersion. It starts with a raw, industrial minimal techno beat. Then "Deep Abyss" takes you deeper, into a Dub Techno space where sounds stretch and melt like fragmented memories. Then, the energy shifts: "Pill Bull" and "Flip Flops" bring in a Micro House and Minimal House vibe, where the party refuses to end. These are the moments when you’re dancing without really knowing if it’s still night or already morning.

Habibi Downtown: And Whiteout? It seems to take a more introspective turn.

Cali Kula: Exactly. If Blackout is the night in motion, Whiteout is what remains afterward. "Dawn Dub" captures that cinematic early-morning atmosphere—an intimate moment shared with someone, or just with the still-sleeping city. "Whiteout" and "Sub World" drift into a softer, hypnotic Dub Techno haze, where sounds stretch and time seems to dissolve.

Habibi Downtown: And then comes "The Day After"…

Cali Kula: Yes, the final track closes the journey with that strange feeling of the morning after, when you wonder if the night even really happened or if it was just a dream. It’s a track soaked in melancholy, an echo of blurred memories fading away.

Habibi Downtown: In the end, Blackout/Whiteout isn’t just a club EP—it’s a full sensory experience.

Cali Kula: That’s exactly it. This project is a loop of emotions and sensations that everyone has experienced in some way. It’s not just about dancing—it’s about feeling, getting lost, and then finding your way back.

Habibi Downtown: Any final words for those about to listen to this double EP?

Cali Kula: Just let yourself go. Close your eyes, dive into the sound, and see where the night takes you.