Italian Born Anna V recently launched her brand new label “Voltage Records” with Sasha Carassi’s one to watch ‘Skober’ launching proceedings in fine style. As well as running her new label she’s made a big impact with releases on highly respected imprints like Elevate and Funk’n Deep, winning fans with her dark, intense vibes and moody melodics.

Where are you living and how long have you been producing and Djing?

Anna V: I am currently living in Athens, Greece and have been producing music (in general) since I destroyed my dad’s Amiga. I’ve been DJing for about 5 years now.

What made you get in to dance music?

Anna V: Kraftwerk. Joey Beltram. U-96. U.S.U.R.A. My uncle’s Roland 808. The Prodigy. Acid House. Guru Josh. The KLF. My dad’s second Commodore Amiga (not the one I destroyed). Pig&Dan. Logic. The shiver I get when the beat drops. My father.

Where was your first gig?

Anna V: Well it is not a legitimate gig, but it was my most memorable public appearance ever: at my cousin George’s birthday party, like 10 years ago. I played music that (clearly) people could not understand. I felt like Michael J. Fox in “Back to the Future” when his smashing guitar solo ended, back in 1955. Remember the faces of the people at that scene? THAT! 

How difficult was learning to produce for you in the beginning?

Anna V: Um, it wasn’t difficult, it came kinda natural, because my father was a musician and he was into all the cool DAW’s of the 90’s like Protracker and Octamed and the such, so I watched him closely and I learned to control DAWs before I even finish school. But this is a process that never stops, actually. Sound is evolving fast. And so must you!

Tell us about your latest release on Familia plus the inspiration behind it.

Anna V: Nick Tcherniak (huge respect) from Familia told me to go crazy and so I did. So what I ended up producing was a really ”wide” dark track with lots of unusual sound elements, like actual animal sounds and real vintage synths like the Oberheim OB-1. It came from deep inside me. It’s dark with a pure techno groove, bass heavy, its powerful. Oh, I love it.

It was cool to get a remixes from Arjun Vagale and The Reactivitz because I respect both of these artists so much.

What’s the techno scene like in Athens and and how often are you playing?

Anna V: The scene in Athens is super active and super educated too. The crowd’s energy is amazing and their dedication to techno can be easily compared with the major cities of the world. I play around once a month because I am more into production than DJing.

Which other DJs or producers are you liking right now?

Anna V: Pig&Dan, Monica Kruse, Dense and Pika are among my bests, I can say that there are some amazing producers today that I admire and to be honest, I actually envy their music! I can name a few like M.I.T.A., David Bau, Lander B, Robert Jr. and Tony di Angelis from Brooklyn, or Dino Maggiorana. 

What are your go to labels?

Anna V: Um I don’t have the label “fever”. Everything has its time. So far I think I’ve accomplished more than I hoped for. I’ll just keep on writing my music. But since you asked, I’d like to take the opportunity to say that this summer will be crucial for me, since I will dramatically change my studio setup, so I am actually will be upgrading my own sound!

Tell us about your DJ setup

Anna V: I use Native Instruments’ Kontrol S8. I can play with pretty much everything though, but the S8 makes me wanna go crazy. Normally I play on a 3 deck plus 1 remix deck setup. If I’m, in the mood, I go for a 2 deck plus 1 remix deck plus a step sequencer or a stem deck. It depends.

https://soundcloud.com/changeunder/c-u-essentialmix-066-anna-v

What’s been your biggest achievement

Anna V: Launching my label new techno label VOLTAGE Records. We just released two first EP’s and in a few days our next release is out. It will feature artists like Tom Hades, Alberto Ruiz, Skober, Agent Orange… (ed check out the full line up on Beatport)

Launching my own label was a big dream and I owe huge thanks to Durtysoxxx and his label Funk’n Deep.

You can find out more about VOLTAGE here at www.voltage-records.com

What can we expect from you soon

Anna V: Aaah more music. And maybe the answer to the ultimate question, about life, universe and everything haha 🙂