Gallery Pres. Merve, Ayebatonye, Simon TK

About

Gallery returns to Miscellania this October, welcoming Merve, Ayebatonye and Simon TK to the club room for a night built around long sets from some of the country's most distinctive selectors. Merve stands among Australia's most distinctive dance music voices, a Naarm/Melbourne native now based in Berlin who moves fluidly across genre without ever losing her own signature. Cutting her teeth as a music programmer and community radio contributor, she's built a career on collapsing the distance between crowd and DJ, curating with a keen ear for pulling old sounds into new context. That approach has carried her from European institutions like Panorama Bar, Off Sonar, De School and Horst Arts & Music Festival to home turf highlights across Strawberry Fields, Pitch, Splendour In The Grass and a 2019 Boiler Room debut later named a top five set by Resident Advisor. In 2025 she launched her own party series arcane, and joined Manchester queer collective High Hoops as a resident, releasing on their 10-year anniversary compilation. With a resume that runs through Eris Drew, Octo Octa, Ben UFO and DJ Pierre, Merve continues to operate in a league of her own. Ayebatonye Abrakasa is a DJ, artist and writer of Nigerian heritage, Gadigal-born and now Larrakia-based, whose groove-centred, cross-genre sets have made her a mainstay of the Australian scene. Drawing on afro rhythms, deep percussion, house, techno and jersey club, her skill for smooth genre-blending sets an inviting, seductive tone on any floor she plays. She's supported the likes of Honey Dijon, DJ Bone, Underground Resistance and SPFDJ, and played Pitch Music and Art Festival, Dark Mofo, Boiler Room Sydney and a closing set at Meredith Music Festival. Beyond the booth, she's the former Founder/Creative Director of DIY arts platform Irregular Fit, has exhibited work at the Art Gallery of NSW, the MCA and the Sydney Opera House, and hosts the podcast series Four to the Floor, exploring the Black roots of contemporary music. Her style has also seen her curate soundscapes for Gucci, Calvin Klein and Melbourne Fashion Week. Simon TK is a multifaceted music operator and true champion of diversity in sound and community, with over a decade of impact across nearly every corner of Melbourne’s scene. An exceptionally versatile DJ, he’s one of those rare selectors who can soundtrack almost any occasion - from psych-rock to psy-trance, rare digs to hands-in-the-air moments - thriving in spaces that challenge people’s perception of reality and identity. He co-founded online radio station Skylab in 2018, and alongside long-term collaborator Edd Fisher has built the now-institutional Wax’o Paradiso, a decade-old events series turned record label. Accessibility: The Miscellania club room can only be accessed via four flights of stairs. The rooftop bar is a further two flights of stairs up from the main venue. For further details please visit Miscellania's page. Friday October 16th. 9pm til 3am. Tickets available through Humanatix and RA.