City Nomads Radio: ANII, UK

PUBLISHED August 30th, 2019 05:00 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:58 pm

Using a fake ID to enter a club might have been a pivotal moment in our teenhood, but for Poland-born Ania Iwinska, it’s what sparked her lifelong devotion to electronic music. It started with drum’n’bass before moving on to electro, and eventually, the house and techno that’s she’s so known for now. As the new rising star of the esteemed Kompakt family, ANII’s hard work is paying off with booking across Europe flooding in day by day. Here’s what the techno powerhouse has to share.

 

Hi ANII! You moved from Poland to London in the name of music. Was it difficult making a name for yourself there?

It still is! Such a tough market to break here in the UK, and it’s still very hard for so many producers and DJ’s. I do not really think of myself as established just yet either, so much to learn still.

You also graduated from Point Blank Music School, one of the best institutions for music production in London. What was the culture there like?

Point Blank was amazing, it was the best decision that I have made in a long time. I met so many people that were all there for the same reason, so it was easy to connect with people and have a common interest. Of course, it was also necessary I think to enable me to get to where I am today.

That was quite a while back though. What do you think is the biggest obstacle for aspiring artists nowadays?

There are so many artists now, and so many of them are making truly amazing, original and creative music. Of course, I think if you are doing something a little different or outside of the box, then it can take longer for you to break into the scene. One of the biggest challenges is meeting the right people you need to take your career to the next level, if you can deliver the music, it will happen, but you have to work so hard at getting a team behind you and getting shows. Most of us still have a normal 9-5 job to pay the bills, which then cuts into studio time. So you get burnt at both ends.

Your sound is known to be more emotional, dramatic, and dark. Is that difficult to appreciate for people new to techno?

It’s funny you say that, as I have never listened or thought about my music being dark. I always want it to be textured, emotional, and your use of ‘dramatic’ is a good one! I think that it’s just different, and that people who like one style of hard, dark techno might not be fans of my music, but that’s fine – that’s why we have genres.

What’s the most important thing about a good techno track?

Groove. No matter what, groove all the way. Even if it’s a dark or hard track, if the producer wants to, they can still make it have some sort of underlying groove.

 

You’re really busy nowadays producing music and playing gigs. What do you do to keep healthy?

I eat very well, and I love to cook all my own food. I am actually a vegan and have been for a very long time. It’s not hard now, as so many places accommodate for vegans and I have a great shop here in London where I buy all my groceries. I also do hot yoga every day for 30 mins before I go to the studio.

If you could produce a track with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

‘Syd’ Barrett and Richard Wright. I don’t think you have to ask why, as everyone knows my true love for Pink Floyd, and I am sure many millions feel the same as I do.

What do you think the future holds for ANII?

I’d like to say I know, but the future is a mystery to everyone. Which I guess is what makes it scary and exciting all at the same time. Of course, career wise – I have a packed schedule this winter and am off to play Global Ark Festival in Tokyo at the end of August, which will be my first time there. After I launched my ANIITIME label back in July, I will have the next release ANIITIME002 out on the 20th September, these are all my own original tracks and I am working on other releases with label at the moment.

Describe your mix for us!

This is like an emotional, rolling 1-hour rave for your senses.

Keep up with ANII on SoundCloud, Instagram, and Facebook.