Anna Z is a Berlin-based producer, DJ, live performer, graphic designer and A/V artist that has made a name for herself with her diverse and energetic modular-centric live sets, with which she has recently been performing at a variety of high-profile events and venues like Berghain, RSO, Bassiani, Fabric London, Electron Festival, the SuperBooth Berlin, and more.

In this exclusive interview with Stromkult, Anna talks about her journey into electronic music production via Max/MSP, modular drum design, her love for Intellijel modules, playing live, working with Elektron gear, mixing and mastering, hosting a radio show, and how to finish tracks while on a ski vacation!

This Friday, Anna will perform a live set alongside J.Manuel at the Modeselektor DJ-KICKS Record Release at Dark Matter! Highly recommended!

What was your first encounter with electronic music?

I think I was always into electronic music, even before I knew what “electronic music” was. My mom was into rock — she often brought me CDs and records that she had picked up on her travels, so I came into contact with artists like Pink Floyd that have synths and all these studio tricks on their music.

I also studied classical guitar for five or six years, because she was obsessed with the idea that it's sexy when someone can play it (laughs). But I eventually got tired of it and started to try playing violin and piano for a while on my own. So I continued to focus on visual art and studied graphic design and architecture after art school. But I think over time, I eventually found my way back to music and made a full circle (laughs).

You’ve mentioned elsewhere that you were doing live visuals for shows for a while — was that a stepping stone towards also getting into music production? 

Yes. I was making the visuals with MaxMSP, which of course can also be used to make sound. Also I used to use Quartz Composer, which is unfortunately not being updated anymore. At the time, getting into MaxMSP was a bit tricky — today there are more plugins and tutorials available — but I really liked the software, and I was already familiar with the block- based programming approach from other visual design programs. 

And then eventually, since I was already using it, I started making some sounds with MaxMSP, initially really just to get to know the software better. So I got into this habit of making sounds with MaxMSP, and that eventually also led me towards learning Ableton so that I could edit and arrange the sounds I was making.

I think what I really found attractive about Max/MSP initially was that it lets you take apart everything, and I’ve always been a fan of taking apart devices. Whether they’re software or hardware, I just like opening devices up, trying to understand what’s going on and how they work. I suppose that’s also what attracted me to Eurorack later on, since it has a similar block-based, albeit in physical hardware form.

You have a new track out on Spandau20 called “ICY LIQ”. I’m curious about the drums on that track. Were they done with modular, and if so did you record them live?

Yes! I usually record most of my drums from the modular as individual tracks in extended live takes, so I can just cut out the segments I like best. In this case, I had some really cool live takes and then swapped out a few things in editing, because some of the drum parts were a bit erratic, and I wanted it a bit more controlled and orderly for the release. I also processed and modified samples on the Octatrack, including some from field recordings from a metal workshop in Stockholm.

I think the drums on that track really emerged from the bassline, this quite dark bassline. That gave me an idea for the overall sound aesthetic I wanted to work towards, and so I used some modules like the SSF Ultra Perc and Metalloid Percussion to add hi-hats, snares and bell-like drums. I was also testing the new Atlantix from Intellijel over at Tobi Neumann’s studio, because of course he already had one (laughs). I'm a big Intellijel fan, so we – me and j.manuel, with whom I share a studio – started saving afterwards and bought one ourselves (laughs).

What’s your modular setup for your live sets?

The underlying logic of how I built my live system is always the same, but I do go with different configurations depending on the gig and the case I use — it’s either 7U or 3U, depending on how much I can take with me. But I always like to always have at least four voices and a few filters and effects that I can route in different ways. I also always leave a good amount of space for modulation in the track — both in terms of LFOs and hands-on manual control with things like the Planar 2 joystick from Intellijel. As for mixing, sometimes I bring an external mixer with me, sometimes I use an Intellijel Quadrax in the case. I also like the Summing Facility mixer from Audio Gear Obsession a lot.

You also use a lot of Elektron gear, right?

Yes, in our studio, me and Johannes [j.manuel] have a Digitone, two Octatracks, and a borrowed Analog Rytm. My first encounter with Elektron was through the Digitone. I really like its portable form factor — I got really into it because I was taking it to university and work, playing with it during breaks. And then my mom got me an Octatrack as a wedding gift (laughs)! The Elektron workflow is really easy once you get the hang of it, and it is easy to get started with any other Elektron gear, old or new, from that point onwards.

You often play live together with j.manuel. Do you assign designated parts for who handles what or does it just depend on the moment?

It’s quite fluid in terms of what parts we play, but we do decide who handles what machines, so for example, one person will do the Octatrack, another the Digitone and then we both take care of our individual modular systems and the effects. But in the end, it’s always a bit like an octopus — everyone's hands are everywhere. You also learn to do a lot of communication just with your eyes, like a look that says “let’s do a drop now” (laughs).

Do you adapt your live sets to each individual gig – since the space, crowd and sound system will always be different at every gig?

Absolutely! I always try to stay true to my musical ideas, but I do adapt to a certain extent with every gig. I find that more fun and appropriate than just powering through with “your thing” blindly, no matter the context.

So before I even accept a booking, I always try to ask for details and photos, so that I can get a sense of the event and the space. Because it’s important whether you’re playing a small space or a big space like a festival, who is playing before you and after, and so on. If it’s more of a concert than a club environment, I’ll obviously bring a different setup than for a pure techno gig. When I jam and record material at home, I often record parts with certain events and contexts in mind.

If it’s possible, I’ll always try to be at the event early, so that I can soak in the vibe a bit and can have a proper sound check. If a longer sound check is not possible and I have to go on “blind”, what I do is that I’ll start with all faders down on the mixer and then bring in my devices one-by-one while adjusting the EQ on the mixer, so that I can get a feel for the sound and dial in the right frequency balance during the intro of the set.

Do you have any strategies for when you are playing between two DJ sets that will be playing loud, fully mastered tracks?

The compressor on the OTO Boum — that’s my strategy (laughs)! People always ask me, “what’s that little box you’ve got there?”, and it’s the Boum, which I rely on a lot to get a loud and powerful sound. But you know, sometimes, when a sound system is big and really intense, I am thinking “is it even possible for me to compete with this fully mastered music”? But in the end, it always ends up working out (giggle).

I think it also helps to maybe bring in some more unusual sounds or even intentional “mistakes”, so that the crowd is aware that you’re playing live and not just DJing. I also like to leave a short pause between the last set and my live set to create a bit of breathing room and so that people can readjust a bit.

Do you have any strategies when it comes to making sure that your tracks translate well for the final release or when being played on a soundsystem?

I have three different pairs of headphones at home, which I mostly use, that I like to check my tracks on before I send them off to mastering. I think it’s really about having a lot of experience listening to music on whatever you’re listening on — I’ve even brought those headphones with me to soundchecks — and referencing a variety of different headphones or speakers that you’re comfortable with.

I also like to compare what I’m currently working on with tracks that I’ve already played out live, because I already know that those will work on a soundsystem, and I can use their mixdowns as a point of reference.

Who do you usually work with when it comes to mastering?

I like to work with Mike Grinser from Manmade Mastering here in Berlin. He’s my favorite, he’s a real wizard (laughs). It's good to have someone local — you can build trust with them, which helps you to create a consistent sound aesthetic. I really think it’s worth it to get mastering done professionally by someone with the experience and a great room. That’s just not something you can replicate on your own in your bedroom studio, and I think it’s important to support these professional studios, so that they can continue to exist.

You are also doing a monthly radio show on Radio 80000 called Komi Universe, right?

I first started doing radio in 2021. I think it’s actually one of my favorite formats, because you can listen to it anywhere, and it’s this purely auditory experience. My show is once every four weeks on Tuesdays, for two hours.

Sometimes I have guests on, sometimes it’s just myself. I really love the freedom you have with a radio show, where you can just play whatever you want without worrying about genre or if it works in a club. With some shows, I’ll start at 80 BPM and then build my way up, with others it’s just 160 BPM drum & bass and grime all the way through. I really just play whatever I’m currently into, so for me it’s almost like this archive of my listening habits — you can find some recordings here.

Can you say a little bit about one of your new tracks, “Vert” on Ghost Town?

They asked us [j.manuel and myself] for a track, and we really liked the idea of doing something without focusing on genre too much. The deadline for it was also quite short, which was cool, because otherwise it’s easy to spend too long fiddling with stuff. The way it happened was that we recorded all the material in the studio in about a week ... and then we had to go on a ski trip! 

So we took our headphones with us to do the final mixdown and arrangement. The final deadline was actually the last day of our trip, so we worked on the track during breakfast, skied all day, and then resumed working on it during the evening (laughs). I think we originally wanted to do something darker than the track ended up being, but you know, it was a really nice holiday with friends and family, so it didn't work out that way — and I am happy about that (laughs)!

You can find more information on Anna’s recent releases and upcoming tour dates over on her Instagram.