Berlin, Germany ��� Acclaimed Berlin based, Dutch DJ and producer Nadia Struiwigh announces the release of ‘Kokoro’, the first single from her upcoming album IKIGAI, set for release in 2026. The track arrives November 11 via her own imprint Distorted Waves, marking a significant artistic shift for the Rotterdam-born, Berlin-based artist.
‘Kokoro’ Japanese for “heart” or “spirit” offers the first glimpse into IKIGAI, Struiwigh’s most intimate work to date. Created entirely on hardware in her Berlin apartment near Hermannplatz in the months following her father’s passing, the album represents a profound exploration of grief, memory, and the search for purpose.
“IKIGAI was born in the quiet space between grief and remembering,” Struiwigh explains. “Made entirely on hardware, from my living room in Berlin near Hermannplatz (my dad’s name is Herman the odds), in the months my father passed away. Every sound, every sequence, every texture carries his fingerprint. Not because he made music, but because he made me love gadgets. Circuits, signals, blinking lights. He was the man who opened me up to machines and taught me how, eventually, to listen to them and use them for my craft.“
The album’s title a Japanese concept meaning “reason for being” emerged during a period of existential questioning. “The name IKIGAI found me when I was at a crossroads. The kind where you ask yourself: Why am I still here? What am I still creating for?” she reflects. “These pieces came through slowly, on Japanese gear like Yamaha SEQTRAK, KORG, Roland ��� like threads weaving a tapestry I didn’t know I was making.“
Departing from the propulsive techno that has defined much of her career, IKIGAI sees Struiwigh return to ambient and electronica territories, weaving in field recordings from daily life including her sister’s laughter alongside synthesized textures. “I built in silence and let the machines cry for me and let them tell the story I couldn’t find the words for,” she says.
The November 11 release date holds special significance, referencing Struiwigh’s first album that her father kept displayed in his shed a touching full-circle moment for an artist processing profound loss through the very machines her father inspired her to love.
As part of the wave of pioneering female artists reshaping electronic music alongside Charlotte De Witte, Honey Dijon, Peggy Gou, Nina Kraviz, and The Blessed Madonna, Struiwigh has built a reputation for genre-defying artistry. Her work has been championed by Music Radar, Mixmag, DMY Magazine, Shesaidso, Datatransmission, and Orbmag, with previous releases on Dekmantel, Blueprint Records, and klaer.
A resident at Berlin’s legendary Tresor and sought-after live performer, Struiwigh’s sets range from beatless ambient immersions to kinetic peak-time techno. Her productions have graced prestigious platforms including Resident Advisor, Phantasy, Bleep, and Red Light Radio.
“IKIGAI is spacious. It’s not trying to impress anyone. It’s trying to just be, and hold space for all kinds of emotions,” Struiwigh concludes. “It moves like memory… slow, sacred, shifting. For my father.“
