CQAF 2025

Anika a.k.a Annika Henderson is a hybrid artist. The former journalist made a name for herself in the electronic music scene, with her experimental sound collages, confrontational texts and unique way of performing live solo.

Her breakthrough came in 2010 with the release of the cult-hit, experimental LP, Anika (Stones Throw /Invada), which she recorded with Bristol band Beak, a wholly unplanned affair, which began her ongoing investigation into the music, film, poetry and arts scenes. One of her most know songs remains “I Go To Sleep,” a cover of The Kinks’ 1965 classic.

The debut was followed by “Change” in 2021, an album full of heightened frustration buoyed by guarded optimism spread across nine tracks.

She is founding member of Mexican psych-band, Exploded View (Sacred Bones) and has worked across the arts with the likes of punk legends Gudrun Gut and Beate Bartel (Malaria!, Liaisons Dangereuses), Tricky (Massive Attack), Jim Jarmusch, Soundwalk Collective, Shackleton, Clark (Warp), PBDY (Brainfeeder), performance artist Melanie Jame Wolf, n.b.k gallery Berlin, Poet Ricardo Domeneck, computer programmer Raoul Sanders/A.I (The Writing Robot. 2017), fashion house Jil Sander and light artist Philipp Geist.

Her latest releases include the hopeful pop-indie album, ‘Change’ (2021), a video art experiment called ‘Anika – Alone In The City’ in collaboration with n.b.k gallery in Berlin, and her guitar, synth driven psychedelic experimental live album Eat Liquid.

She has performed extensively since 2009, with and without band, in renowned venues and festivals across the globe, such as the Portishead-curated All Tomorrows Parties in New Jersey and London, Moog Festival, alongside the likes of Suicide, Tangerine Dream, Silver Apples, and Moebius, Mexico City’s Normal Festival, Tehran’s Tadaex, Berghain, Atonal festival, SKIF St Petersberg, and WWWX Tokyo among others.

She interweaves dub, post-punk, and psychedelic, with shadows of dnb and a strong emphasis on the voice. Henderson operates as a writer, composer, musician, DJ, photographer, radio host and video-director.