As far as origin stories go, Brazilian techno DJ and producer ANNA has one that could use a cinematic adaptation. Growing up, her parents owned a nightclub, so she spent a lot of time in there as a young teenager.

One night she realised that a resident DJ was playing the same set he always did, so she complained to her dad. He told her if she could do it better she should take over. So she did and the rest is history. Not bad, right?

A seasoned veteran now, ANNA is putting her native Brazil on the techno map every time she gets behind the decks. In the wake of releasing what Chris Liebing has referred to as "one of the best techno releases ever," we caught up with her to get some insights into her mindset.

Your new EP Razor just came out on the legendary Nova Mute label. How did it end up there?

I sent some tracks to Chris Liebing actually. I didn't even know that Nova Mute was being relaunched. So I sent some tracks I'd just finished to him to play and after a while he answered me asking what I was going to with the tracks. I told him I didn't have any plans for them yet, and he said he'd check something and let me know. After a while he asked me if I wanted to release on Nova Mute and I said 'Oh my God yes!' It was a big surprise.





been hammering all three tracks for a while already. This is one of the best techno releases ever. no joke. amazing work @djannamiranda https://t.co/oiqw41HeBc — Chris Liebing Ⓥ (@ChrisLiebing) June 11, 2018





That's so funny. I saw he tweeted about your EP. I feel like the electronic music world is a tight-knit community. Why is that?

I can really only talk for myself, but I always try to stay in contact with artists that I like, sending tracks and getting feedback, so I think you're right. Everybody knows about everybody. I try to be in contact because it's important. We want to help each other.



Why do you think electronic music does this more than other genres?

I don't know, maybe because compared to other things it's more underground, so we have to help each other or this thing won't grow. That's how I see it. We have to be connected to make the whole scene grow. Like 10 years ago I saw some movement that didn't help each other and it ended up almost finishing.

For example here in Brazil, the drum and bass scene. I saw how it finished and I think it's because they weren't helping each other, making it grow, making it good for everybody. So I think that's the reason we try to help each other, to be connected.



You're pretty active on social media.

I try to be [laughs]. It's a difficult thing for me actually.



Really? Why is that? You seem pretty good at it.

I don't know. I don't think I have this 'thing' with social media. I don't think I'm that good at it, but I try to always post the news and to be there because these days it's super important.







Yeah I was going to ask if it's something you like to do or just need to do.

I think its something that I need to do and should do more. But I think if I do it just for the sake of it, people will feel like it's fake. So I always try to post something that I'm feeling is true. Otherwise I can spend days without posting or doing anything. I think it has to be true.

Even if I post a picture or do [an Instagram] story, it has to be true, otherwise I feel people know it's fake and you won't have that connection. I try to be active. My manager always says, 'Hey you have to do more stories.' But I don't know what to post now, so I only post things I feel are true.



I find that your interactions with your fans are generally quite positive, which is pretty unusual for the internet.

Yeah, I do all my social media, I try to always answer all the questions and messages I get. Of course I can't stay all day answering, but I do it all by myself because I like these interactions. I like to know. Sometimes they write such lovely messages and I feel bad not answering, so I try to make time for this connection. I don't know but I think they feel it. It's nice. But I think it has to be true. It cannot be fake.







You posted that 'Escapism' is your favourite song from your new EP. So I guess that's true then?

Yeah it's true [laughs]. I like 'Razor' too and of course I like them all, but I like 'Escapism' the most. It was the first from the EP that got signed, and it's my fav.





And why do you like it the most?

I don't know, I think it's the energy. It's super straight forward, I like the sounds of it. I like everything about it.



Listening to the EP and going back through your older material, there's a bit of a shift to more psychedelic or atmospheric sounds here.

I think I've gotten a bit darker, a little more hypnotic. I still have the groove I've always had, but I think I'm getting a little more trippy. It is shifting a little.





What's drawn you to that sound?

I don't know, it's just the way it happened. There isn't a reason. Something might work in the studio so you change your style, or when you DJ you might get new influences.



One thing I really like about your sound is that though it's heavy, it never loses it's sense of groove.

The groove is the thing I always try to keep. Every time I'm producing, I'm dancing during the process. I like it heavy, but not too heavy. I like to put a little bit of heavy and energy in there. But yeah, the groove has to be there. I think I don't even have one track that doesn't have a groove. Maybe it's the Brazilian in me [laughs].







On your previous track 'Hidden Beauties' you have a voice repeating the word 'time', which made me realise you don't use lyrics a lot in your music.

This isn't intentional actually, I'm just not very good with lyrics. Sometimes I try to write things, but I'm not good at it. I'm doing a track now though that I'm looking for vocals, but it has to be from someone else. I like to put a word that has some meaning, that is strong, but the lyric thing isn't intentional, it's just that I'm not good at it [laughs].



I was thinking about music without lyrics and what it can offer. It's more open to interpretation which made me wonder do you have particular meanings or messages for your songs? How do you title a track for instance?

When you have a lyric, it's easier because you can do a beat and put a lyric over it, you pretty much have a strong sound. But if you don't have a lyric, you have to compensate with strong melodies or the beat has to be even stronger to make the track. So that's what I try to do. Put some synthesizers or something on there that make the track.

It's what I'm feeling in the moment. Sometimes I'm jamming in the studio and I don't want to express anything, I'm just jamming. Sometimes I have the idea for the whole track and sometimes just an idea for a part. It's not every time you want to say something. Sometimes you want to express a feeling, but it's not a rule.



You haven't put out a full length album yet, right?

Not yet [laughs]. I've been talking about doing this for a while. I had pretty much a whole album finished about a year ago and then I decided not to release it. Then I signed some tracks, for example the EP before this one on Clash Lion was three tracks from my album.

I had some club tracks but then I decided I wanted to do something different. I want to do an album that's different. Of course it's going to have three or four club tracks, but I want an album that's different from what I'm doing with EPs. Just to have a reason to release an album because I don't want an album just to say I have an album or for more gigs. I want to try to express myself a little bit differently from what I'm doing with EPs.

I've been releasing EPs for years now, so I think to have an album I want to do something a little more experimental or a different style, just to make something special. I just don't want to have like five EPs put together into an album. I want to have a reason for the album.

I have my whole year already scheduled for my EPs, so I think I'm going to work this year on my album. Let's see [laughs] because I've been talking about an album for a while so I won't say anything, but maybe 2019 something will come out.







I've seen that you're really into meditation. What does that bring to you?

I've been meditating for eight years, and for over a year I'm doing two hours a day. It helps me so much with my whole life, of course, but particularly with the music side. With the touring, it's amazing because I have my mental health pretty strong. And with the creative side as well, it helps with all the stress and rejection which as an artist you have to deal with; so much uncertainty, rejection, and expectations. It's helped so much with that. It's changed my life.



I was wondering if there's a similarity between meditating and performing?

No, I don't think so. Well yeah, actually there are some moments when you're performing where you don't think, you're just there with the moment. You don't think what you're doing, you're just doing. Like it's not yourself. And in meditation these moments happen also. So maybe we can compare. When you're into the moment it's like you're not there, just mixing and performing, you're not thinking of anything else.



As you put out more and more music, do your sets comprise mostly of your music or other people's music?

Right now it's about 60-40 my music. I have to make space for artists I love because there's so much good music right now. I think if I was going to play just my stuff I'd do a live set. But as a DJ I like to mix with other artists, I think it's important.

See ANNA's festival tour schedule here



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