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On Cue: Anetha

On Cue is our flagship mix series, celebrating the pivotal DJs and producers whose influence has shaped the world of electronic music, both in their local scenes and beyond. This week, Leah Connolly catches up with to Paris’ rising star and Possession party resident, Anetha, who steps up with a mix of full-throttle techno and deep melodic flourishes

Resident DJs are the unsung heroes of local scenes. Away from the bright lights and main stages of super-produced events, reliable community mainstays provide an escape. These selectors are more vibe-creators than gatekeepers, fostering a watertight network. Paris-based DJ Anetha is standing tall as an axiom of this underground.

Moving from Bordeaux to the city to complete her architecture studies, she embedded herself within the techno scene of not only Paris, but also Berlin, with “a refined and modern techno that goes to the essential ‘less is more’ beat, like in architecture”. She cites Jeff Mills and Ben Klock as inspirations, but Anetha’s own stylish productions step away from monochromatic rhythms in favour of a Technicolor take.

“Today, I am fascinated by the movement coming out of Copenhagen [see: Courtesy, Mama Snake and Schacke’s upwards-of-140bpm styles for reference]: fast, melodic techno with references to trance. I like it when music is super emotional and melancholic.”

Anetha is a core member of the Blocaus collective, which has seen her blossoming as a DJ to become a party resident after a chance meeting with owner Farouk six years ago led to him becoming her agent. 

“It was a really great experience for me,” she says. “They gave me the opportunity to play alongside international artists [Ron Morelli, James Ruskin, Zenker Brothers and Blawan to name a handful] and I slowly gained a name for myself, inspired by all the performances. It was very beneficial, and then I felt I had to fly on my own.”

Leaning into production, Anetha quickly had her work picked up by Spencer Parker’s Work Them label. “I was so surprised, it was like a dream to sign my first EP on his imprint,” she says. “I am so grateful to him because it clearly helped me a lot in my career. Now when I listen to this record, I don’t think it’s perfect, but still full of charm.”

As a label boss herself, Anetha recently launched Mama Told Ya, a platform that, “sets out to foster collaboration and take producers out of their comfort zone”, blasting off in September with a split EP from Denmark’s Sugar, known to crank the limits with a need for speed, alongside pummelling French mainstay ABSL.

“I decided to do the first cover of Mama Told Ya in pink, with a colourful, futuristic artwork made by a talented woman, Helin Sahin,” she says, proudly.

At her explosive 2018 Boiler Room appearance, Anetha brought a touch of class. She wove a web that spanned white-hot heaters from TAFKAMP, Adam X, Avatism and beyond, her sound also reaching hyperactive levels of fun. Want a Britney Spears gabber-leaning edit? She’s got you! Fancy her own weighty 909 cuts as on ‘Acid Rain’, undoubtedly one of the tracks of last summer? You can have it!

As she blazes into 2020 making her Indian debut with DGTL, a multi-stop South American tour also beckons her to warmer climates in February, before Mama Told Ya prepares to kick off label nights in Torino and Paris (“In the clubs I love the most!”). Anetha is a breath of fresh air who, while handling her work with upmost seriousness in its artistic direction, is also one of few in techno circles to put the emphasis on fun as well.

Anetha's On Cue mix fuses deep, fast techno with deep melodic flourishes. Check it out below. 

Want more? Check out our On Cue features with SPFDJ and Lakker