There is always something new emerging from Chicago, but its shape and style is always unpredictable.
Dark Heaven is one of those new, unexpected and unpredictable things to emerge from the churn of Chicago’s electronic music scene. Co-founded by Prov Krivoshey (aka Vorp) and Asha Rahaylia in September of 2021, Dark Heaven began as an event series, became a record label and now is both, showcasing an array of international artists alongside its founders.
“Running a label has been a dream of mine since 2013 when I moved to Chicago,” Vorp says. Born in Minsk, Belarus, Vorp emigrated with his family to Louisville, Kentucky in 1996. He studied classical piano and played in bands in high school before moving to Chicago eleven years ago.
He was introduced to Asha, whose parents are from Guyana and moved with them from Minneapolis to Illinois at age 3, by Kris Hansen (aka Semi-Cycle), Vorp’s roommate in the Summer of 2021.
“When I moved here for university, I excitedly immersed myself into the music culture,” Asha says. “I found my way into dance music during my time living in France, but I was still new to the electronic music scene in Chicago when I met Prov.”
“We all hung out, had a great jam session, and ordered an entire large pizza from Dante’s,” Prov says. “We hit it off right away. It was maybe the second or third time that we ever hung out that we decided to throw an event together.”
Dark Heaven debuted with a “vampire party” called Guilty Pleasure on October 7 2021. “We almost always have a theme at our events so the aesthetic is malleable,” Asha says. “The curation of the lineups, the venue, the decor, the bells and whistles, are all dependent on the theme. We don’t want to be put in any kind of box, however our music direction is typically within the realms of techno, house, jungle/dnb, electro, acid and many subgenres and outliers within the world of electronic music.”
“Happy Hell” is Dark Heaven’s most frequently recurring event which “embodies the feeling of ecstatically raging in the underworld while exploring the edges of underground dance music.” It began in the basement lounge of Debonair Social Club, later hosted twice at Chicago’s Podlasie Club, once at Dream Baby Dream in Berlin and then at Zanzabar in Louisville, Kentucky. “We hosted the last one on January 26th, 2024 at Portal in Louisville, KY,” Vorp says, “and sold it out with a 500 capacity! The next one will be on March 22 at Podlasie Club and it will be our 18th episode of Happy Hell. Future plans with Happy Hell include taking it to other cities in the Midwest, across the Americas, and abroad.”
“A party is a party, and that can be a ton of fun. But doing something with a greater intention, and building an entire event around that idea — that makes it special. Seeing people embody that theme, making it their own, answering the call to turn up and show out in crazy outfits or makeup — wearing something they otherwise may never wear, giving them an opportunity to be weird and free in a curated environment — that is the ultimate reward.”
A 19 track compilation called La Chasse (“The Hunt”) dropped last August and marked an auspicious debut. Headlined by tracks from Francois Dillinger, D. Strange, Club Drippy, Lokua and more, the V/A release was designed to reflect that cultivated eclecticism of Dark Heaven’s events. “I think it can speak for itself,” Vorp says, “but my idea was to be very versatile in the curation as long as it was something that I could hear playing at a Dark Heaven event.”
In January the label released Vorp’s I Plead The Filth, an EP designed to be “as dynamic as my DJ sets can be. I debuted ‘Vorp’ as an artist/DJ with the very first Dark Heaven event and thus far have mostly been a DJ, having DJ’d just about every event we’ve done.”
“I certainly love organizing and DJing all the events,” he says. “I love to see the community come together and unite on the dancefloor, all dressed up, glimmering in the lights, smiling with love. It’s a ton of fun and an incredible feeling.”
“Sometimes we joke that our events are like Halloween year round. But who doesn’t love Halloween?”
5 Mag Issue 212
Out April 2024
BELOVED: This was originally published in 5 Mag Issue #212 featuring an oral history of Freerange, DJ Paulette, Black Sjuan, Elbert Phillips, Dark Heaven and more. Become a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right away!
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 and Asha Rahaylia expand their event series Dark Heaven into Chicago’s most exciting new label.){kind=link}
[…] Dark Heaven. Ecstatically raging through the city’s underground, Prov Krivoshey (aka Vorp) and Asha Rahaylia […]