We’re witnessing the creation of a legend.

 ANNA’s unstoppable ascent in the realms of techno and tech house is a result of the countless hours she’s spent in the studio and behind the decks. She started DJing at the tender age of fourteen and hasn’t looked back since then. Her productions and remixes  have been featured on globally renowned labels like Diynamic, Suara, Terminal M, Turbo Recording, and recently on Matador’s label, RUKUS. With a busy summer full of festivals like Awakenings in the Netherlands, Ultra in Singapore and Korea to playing parties like Warung X Watergate in Berlin, and Paradise at DC-10 in Ibiza.

We were thrilled to chat with ANNA after her stellar Detroit debut at Movement Festival. ANNA played the scenic, outdoor Pyramid Stage that offered a stunning panoramic view of the the Detroit River and Windsor skyline. Even though it rained during her set, her dedicated audience at Movement did not budge and continued to dance and cheer as she floored them with her impeccable track selection and seamless mixing. ANNA’s set consisted of a lot of her own productions and remixes. She also blended in some  iconic throwbacks like Faithless’ Woozy and The Bells by Jeff Mills. unreleased tracks that will be destroying future dance floors.

Check out the interview below:

The Sherp: So how was Movement?

ANNA: Amazing! I was worried the rain was going to mess things up because it almost seemed like the mixer was complaining about it at one point, haha! It was unreal to see everyone dancing in the rain. I’m so glad they stayed.

The Sherp: What’s your favorite thing about Movement?

ANNA: My favorite thing about it is the spirit of Detroit that’s woven into the festival. Detroit is where it all started.  Many artists who have been heroes to me have played this festival. People here are so committed to music.

(Credits: Kristin Nortz)

The Sherp: So if you had to curate your own stage at a music festival? Which artists would you pick?

ANNA: Rødhåd, Trevino, Laurent Garnier, Maceo Plex, Ben Klock, Derrick May, DJ Marky from Brazil, and Michael Mayer.

I’d go back to back with my husband Wehbba. I don’t know why we don’t play together more often, we should, shouldn’t we?

(Credits: Tina Gionis)

The Sherp:  That’s one hell of a lineup! Where would you want this festival to be?

ANNA: Outdoors! In New Zealand. It’s such a beautiful country.

The Sherp: Which other artists are you excited to see at Movement today?

ANNA: Audion, Ryan Elliot, Dixon, Adam Beyer, and I am curious to see deadmau5 play as Test Pilot

The Sherp: Tell us about how you prepare for a music festival?

ANNA: I find that my track selection is vastly different for festivals as opposed to clubs. In terms of preparation, I’m looking out for new tracks every single day. I more or less, know what I want to play that day. Then I do my research and see who is playing before me and after me at the festival and tweak my track selection accordingly.

The Sherp: You mentioned on your Instagram page that a lot of your heroes played at this festival. Could you name some of them? How has

ANNA: Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Jeff Mills. They are absolute legends! I had to play Jeff Mills’ The Bells when I was here in Detroit.

The Sherp: What are your three favorite festivals in the world?

ANNA: After today, Movement is definitely on that list. Awakenings is another and I am really excited to play at Awakenings for the first time this year. and Warung Day Festival in Brazil.

(Credits: Kristin Nortz)

The Sherp: Could you tell us about some of your upcoming releases?

ANNA: I’ve been working on my album and that’s my main project. I’m trying not to put out a whole lot of music before that. It’s something I am doing for myself, and I really want to start it with a clear mind. I don’t want to be influenced by the sound of any label. For instance, if I knew I was going to do an album for Kompakt, I know I’ll be subconsciously influenced because I know that they’re expecting the album to sound a certain way.

My album was the only thing I really wanted to work on but then I was invited to do a remix of Tiga and Audion and I had to accept because I’m a big fan of both Tiga and Audion, and I play a lot of Audions tracks. So my remix of their track Stabbed In The Back will be out in August on Tiga’s label, Turbo.

Words complied by Karan Parikh