IN CONVERSATION WITH SEDEF ADASï
interview BY ANOUK WOUDT
Panorama Bar Resident Sedef Adasï is a Turkish-Albanian DJ based in Germany whose style blends house and acid techno through textured rhythms. In 2017, she founded HAMAM Nights, a queer party series which has since spread to some of the biggest nightlife scenes in the world. On this Friday, March 13th, she will be returning to Amsterdam’s CLUB RAUM joined byBerkan V8, Nazira and Rachel Noon, promising a hot and steamy night that you won’t want to miss.
You started with HAMAM Nights in 2016 – what was missing at the time that made you feel that this space needed to exist?
Living in Bavaria while having Turkish roots has always meant moving between different cultural worlds. In many club spaces, there often felt like a lack of diversity and the kind of social warmth that felt familiar from my background.
HAMAM Nights grew out of that feeling. The idea was to create a dancefloor that feels more open and collective. A place where people can come together, connect and move freely, without feeling observed or judged.
Looking back over nearly a decade, how has the event shifted throughout the years?
Looking back, the night has changed naturally over the years, but not through any strict plan. What began in Augsburg as something very local and intuitive slowly found its own rhythm.
At first it was honestly a bit scary to start something from scratch without much experience. A lot of it was learning by doing. Understanding how to curate, how to shape an atmosphere, and how to bring people together in the right way.
Over time the party started travelling and reaching different dancefloors, and with that the community around it slowly grew as well. It has all developed very organically, step by step, and that process of learning and evolving is still very much part of it.
What encouraged you to place the Turkish hammam at the center of this event series’ concept?
The hammam in Ottoman culture was historically a communal place shaped by rituals of care, conversation and closeness.
At the same time it carries a queer history that many people don’t know about. Hammams were often discreet meeting places, and a lot of those hidden love stories live on in poems, literature and cinema.
That combination always fascinated me.
The social and the sensual existing side by side. It felt like a beautiful metaphor for what a dancefloor can be.
Often described as a space for the LGBTQ+ community, what role does HAMAM Nights play in building and supporting queer communities?
Queer nightlife has always played an important role in creating spaces where people can express themselves freely, and that spirit shaped HAMAM Nights from the beginning. Especially in Augsburg, where I started the party, there weren’t many queer nights at the time, so it also came from a desire to create something that felt missing.
For me it’s about creating an atmosphere where people naturally feel comfortable, respected and seen. A dancefloor where different identities and energies can exist side by side without explanation.
As HAMAM Nights travelled from its origins in Augsburg to dancefloors around the world, were there any defining milestones that cemented its transition from an intimate gathering to an international presence?
To be honest, it still feels like an intimate gathering to me. The difference is simply that the night now appears in cities like Berlin, New York or Amsterdam, places that once felt quite far away when the party first started in a smaller town.
What I find beautiful is seeing how the spirit of the night translates into different places. Every city brings its own flavour, but the feeling of closeness and openness remains surprisingly similar.
In that sense it never really stopped being an intimate gathering. The circle just became a “little” bigger.
You’ve played some of the world’s most renowned clubs — which experiences have stayed with you the most?
I’ve always felt more drawn to intimate nights than huge festival stages. The moments that stay with me are usually the ones where the room feels very connected.
Playing in Almaty in Kazakhstan was one of those experiences. There’s a great scene there, and I remember feeling very free behind the decks because people were so curious and open to the music.
Returning to K41 in Kyiv last September was also very emotional for me. It’s honestly one of my favourite clubs in the world. I have a lot of love for Kyiv, so coming back under the circumstances of the war carried a very different weight. It reminded me how powerful music and dancing together can be.
There are many nights I could think of, but these two really stayed with me.
Having played at RAUM before, how do you plan to evolve or revisit the energy of HAMAM Nights in your next set there?
Part of the beauty of a night like this is that it always develops in its own way. Once the first cuties step in, the energy naturally starts to move. Every HAMAM night should feel a little different, so I never try to recreate a previous moment.
What I can say is that the atmosphere usually becomes quite sensual, there’s lots of cuties and a certain warmth between people. From there the night will unfold naturally, hopefully steamy and sexy.
What can we expect to see in HAMAM Nights’ future?
HAMAM Nights will continue to travel and find new homes in different cities, which still feels very special to me. Every place adds a slightly different colour to the night.
At the same time I like keeping the line-up fluid, inviting new artists but also people who have been connected to the party for a long time. That mix keeps the night evolving while staying connected to where it started.
What makes me happiest is seeing how many people feel attached to it now. In many ways it has grown into a beautiful community that keeps moving together.
TEAM CREDITS
talent SEDEF ADASÏ
photography AYTEKIN YALCIN
producer SEMIH GÜNGÖR
creative director MÜGE KARADUMAN
stylist KHAN GUOVARDE
styling assistant CANSU TURGUT
set designer DENIZ ESLEK
cast IDA HÖHN, JAZZ VAGABOND, SIMONE, EVIN MAYDA, MARCELA TAVARES
hair artist ATTILA KENYERES
makeup artist MARVIN GLIßMANN
video director CAGAN OKUYAN
video assistant SEMIH LAKERTA
