ANNA can't stop buying instruments and no one should get in the way. "I am buying everything I can and have a huge list to go," she enthuses. Her hardware pursuits increase pulses and induce fever instantaneously. The kind of rhythmic and enticing result you can only expect from a Latin American.
Introduced to dance music from her club-owning father, it sowed the seeds to ANNA’s DJ path. At 11, she began the art of digging in a vinyl shop every week with her father. With all the equipment to practise, ANNA then adopted DJing as a 9-5 activity. One day, she complained that the resident DJ was getting lazy, and her dad suggested she do it instead. Playing every week from then on, she gained invaluable experience.
Feet firmly behind the decks since her teenage years, ANNA’s recent rise is completely on her own merit instead from her production prowess. Seeing her drop in on Tronic, Diynamic and Terminal M, and obtain remix slots for more commercial acts Nervo and Gorgon City. Most recently, ANNA has remixed Wehhba for Hot Since 82's label. ANNA entered 2016 with "Odd Concept', Solomun signed the thrilling track after playing it all summer at Pacha Ibiza, where she joins him on August 21st.
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In the midst of her busiest year in the studio and DJ booth, determined and dedicated, the Brazilian force is gliding her way into the club's awareness. We check in with ANNA to find out more on what's gotten her here. From her environment growing up as an entryway, to collecting musical hardware, and lastly, the tracks that unlocked her passion for moving dancefloors in the first place – found in a playlist at the end.
EARMILK: What did you learn about nightlife through your father owning a club?
ANNA: It was there that I fell in love with dance music. When I started to play at the club it was doing really well at the time. It was a floor for about 1000 people and I used to play from beginning till end. I developed a good feeling for the crowd, as I had to keep the dancefloor going all by myself for over 7 hours each week. It always felt very natural to me, I didn't feel nervous or anything, I enjoyed it a lot.
EM: What makes clubbing in Brazil different from anywhere else?
A: The crowd is very welcoming and warm. There are two clubs in Brazil, which for me are the best ones in the world – Warung and D-Edge. They both have amazing sound systems and look to them.
EM: You’re living in Barcelona now, why did you move there?
A: I decided to move because I was getting busier and busier in Europe so I had to fly from Brazil almost every month and it got really tiring. I chose Barcelona because since the first time I visited I wanted to live here. It has a very chilled atmosphere – it’s a very inspiring city.
EM: You have an arsenal of musical hardware. Why did you choose the set-up you are working with?
A: I am in love with hardware right now. I used to work with just plugins for a long time, but it's good to touch the instrument to create the sound. I think it makes the process more dynamic and stimulates the creativity. I recently bought a Roland Super Jupiter which was something I always wanted. I tried Prophet 6 and I had to buy it, another gear I just bought and am loving is a verb from Vermona. Buying gear is addictive, every time I buy new stuff I say now I am gonna give it a break, and then something amazing comes out and I have to buy it – it’s a vicious circle.
EM: If you could only use one piece of kit, what would it be?
A: I think it would have to be the Elektron Analog Rytm, it’s basically a fully featured workstation, with a sequencer, many different kinds of synthesis engines, you can do drums, basslines, melodic stuff, and still stack up patterns to build a whole song and perform it live as well. And to top it off it sounds amazing as well.
EM: To clock in lots of studio hours, what kind of mood do you need to be in?
A: In a good mood with a relaxed mind. Personally, I cannot go to the studio stressed or sad or anything like that – nothing good comes out of it. I need to have an ‘empty’ mind for good things to come into it.
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EM: How did you go about remixing fellow Brazilian Wehbba’s track “Turning Point”?
A: Hot Since 82 asked me to remix the track and I loved the idea. I am not sure if most people are aware but Wehbba and I have been together for almost 10 years now and this is the first time that I remixed one of his tracks. Wehbba has taught me the most about production, so it was a great pleasure for me to remix this track as I’ve already been playing it for over a year.
EM: Lastly, can you name 3 upcoming artists to watch?
A: Bas Ibelini, Agents of Time, and Terr.
ANNA has picked 10 tracks which have influenced her present day sound to listen to below.
Her tastes are wide, and the playlist includes Frenchman Laurent Garnier’s “Crispy Bacon”, Detroit techno, work from Kraftwerk, a nod to Trainspotting, and acknowledging her admiration of 1990s drum & bass. You're in for a ride.
Connect with ANNA: Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
