UNI AIR Band and DJ Contest 2025
The band Orange Okapi and DJ Eni won the final of the student band and DJ contest UNI AIR 2025.
There was a great atmosphere on the evening of June 4 at UNI AIR - the student band contest at the end of the Dresdner Studententage 2025.
These six bands played: TAC, Ivo, Red Elvis & The Cold War Cowgirls, Ups!ze, Die Willis and Orange Okapi, plus DJ Eni, DJ Knaxx, Elektøne, Schlomo and DJ Jonathan.
Between the competition and the award ceremony, the POP SORBEN provided a good atmosphere. In the end, the band Orange Okapi won ahead of Red Elvis and the Coldwar Cowgirls and Ups!ze.
DJ Eni was delighted with 1st place, 2nd place among the DJs went to Schlomo and 3rd place to Elektøne.
We are already looking forward to the Studentage 2026.
Read the interviews with Moritz from the winning band Orange Okapi and DJ ENI here.
Review UNI AIR 2025
The winners of UNI AIR 2025 - the student band contest at the end of the Studententage - are Orange Okapi and DJ Eni.
The former are five band members from Dresden who go their own way somewhere between rock, pop, Neue Deutsche Welle and atmospheric sounds.
Editorial Studentenwerk: Congratulations on your first place.
BAND Orange Okapi: Thank you very much! We started two years ago as a band of landscape architecture students. Now only Marius, Jona and I (Moritz) are left (and some of us have already finished our Master's degrees). In the meantime we've been joined by Alex and Kilian, Alex is studying media informatics at the BA and does photography, Kili is training to be an electrician.
Editorial Studentenwerk: You describe yourself as follows: "The whole thing can probably best be described as indie. Sometimes danceable, sometimes dreamy, but always with feeling and a good dose of energy. With German lyrics and a sound that is both nostalgic and fresh, (we) create music that sticks...". How long have you been playing together and how did you find each other?
BAND Orange Okapi: Jona and I were actually there as guests at UNI Air 2023 - and were really impressed by the band “NOI”. We then said: “Let's do something now...”. That's how our band came about, and it's great that we were able to play at the same event two years later.
Editorial Studentenwerk: How did you find out about UNI AIR and was this your first participation in a band competition?
BAND Orange Okapi: I think I saw the posters on campus back then and as I'm always interested in small bands, I've been there ever since. But apart from our drummer, none of us had ever taken part in a competition like this before.
Editorial Studentenwerk: How do you manage to find time for rehearsals and gigs, how did you find your rehearsal space?
BAND Orange Okapi: The band has always been a passion project and always had the highest priority. After that, they sometimes chose elective modules or missed lectures. I think two years ago “NOI” mentioned in this very interview that they had a rehearsal room at the “Mobile Youth Work Neustadt” of the Diakonie Dresden. We also registered there - I can only recommend that to young bands starting out, it's a great opportunity! We now have our own room in the industrial area.
Editorial Studentenwerk: Can you still see the band Okapi at festivals or in clubs and do you have a favorite venue?
BAND Orange Okapi: Unfortunately, the band will only exist in this form until September because I'm moving out of the city and want to pursue other musical projects. It remains to be seen how the band will continue. But there will definitely be a final concert! We've played twice at Chemo, which is a great location every time!
Editorial Studentenwerk: Thank you very much for the interview and good luck and have fun making music in the future - wherever and however!
DJ competition - winner is DJ Eni
Editorial Studentenwerk: Congratulations also to DJ Eni - first place out of five DJs who competed at UNI AIR! You say about yourself "Eni, born in Plauen, now living in Dresden. I love music. I love dancing. People used to call me Ravemaus. That's why I became a DJ. I prefer to play house, groove and trance. Hopefully I can convince you of my beats at Uni Air." - Well, you've done a great job with the latter. When did you start DJing?
DJ ENI: I've had my controller for a while now. But I only really got going a few months ago.
Editorial Studentenwerk: At which university are you studying and what subject?
DJ ENI: I study social sciences at the TU Dresden.
Editorial Studentenwerk: How did you find out about UNI AIR?
DJ ENI: A friend of mine gave me the idea and motivated me to take part. Last year, friends of ours also took part.
Editorial Studentenwerk: How do you manage to find time for your passion - live music?
DJ ENI: I always hang up when I feel like it. Sometimes I just drop everything else and get on the controller. If you enjoy something, you can always find the time.
Editorial Studentenwerk: Thank you very much for the interview and have fun DJing in the future!