A DJ, producer, broadcaster, and label founder, Anja Schneider has spent more than two decades working across electronic music. Alongside her work in clubs, she continues to explore radio, interviews, and multidisciplinary performance, including her recent project ‘Heartbroken’.
Photo credit: Anja Schneider – Official
On October 23rd, she will join DJ T., M.O.N.R.O.E., Ivan Sandhas, Andrew Vogt, Havi, and a special guest at Duke of Tokyo in Amsterdam for the fourth edition of the Electronic Groove & Listed ADE Fundraiser. This year’s gathering is dedicated to the memory of Philipp Jung, with a portion of ticket proceeds supporting VisionSpring. Grab your tickets at EG Tix here.
In this conversation, Anja Schneider discusses her memories of Philipp Jung, the relationship between club music and other artistic disciplines, her experience interviewing fellow artists, and her plans for a new album in 2027.
EG: Anja, it is wonderful to have you back with Electronic Groove. Where are you today, and what kind of moment are we catching you in?
Anja Schneider: Thanks for the invite. I’m playing two shows at Berlin Cathedral for the Festival of Lights, rehearsing and preparing.
EG: This year our ADE gathering is dedicated to the memory of Philipp Jung. When you think of Philipp, what is the first thing about him that comes to mind?
Anja Schneider: I’ve known Philipp for a very, very long time. We first met around the time I founded Mobilee Records, and we were already quite close back then. We shared a similar vision and, in many ways, followed a similar path with our labels, Get Physical and Mobilee. I think we really inspired each other during that time.
Over the years, our paths kept crossing, and whenever I think of Philipp, I have nothing but the warmest and fondest memories.
He was such a warm-hearted, honest, loving, and thoughtful person, with real depth and integrity. But at the same time, he also had this incredible clarity and determination. He always knew what he wanted, had a strong vision, and knew how to turn his ideas into reality.
That’s something I’ve always really admired about him. He managed to combine a genuine love for music and people with a clear sense of direction. And that’s quite a rare combination.
EG: This year our ADE gathering is dedicated to the memory of Philipp Jung. When you think of Philipp, what is the first thing about him that comes to mind?
Anja Schneider: A genuinely positive, curious, open-minded, and warm-hearted soul. Always without exception.
EG: A memorial can easily become solemn, but this night is about bringing people together through music. What would make the evening feel truly faithful to Philipp’s spirit for you?
Anja Schneider: A truly deep understanding of house music, an endless curiosity for new music and an extraordinary taste in music.
EG: Earlier this year, ‘Heartbroken’ took you far beyond the usual boundaries of a club project. Now that the performance is behind you, what did the experience permanently change in the way you think about your own work?
Anja Schneider: It was definitely a challenge, especially working with Sven Marquardt’s visual world and the vocals of Joao Einen, to think beyond the usual club context and bring my music into a completely new interpretation of Wagner’s ‘Ring of the Nibelung’, with a very unique musical approach.
But in a way, it’s actually not that far from what I do. Of course, I’m a club DJ, and I still absolutely love playing for dancefloors. But exploring music beyond that environment has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.
I also feel that this process is bringing me back to my own musical roots, rediscovering them, bringing them forward, and finding ways to connect them with both club culture and completely new artistic contexts.
“Philipp managed to combine a genuine love for music and people with a clear sense of direction. And that’s quite a rare combination”
EG: Your latest release, ‘Pick You Up’, arrived just days ago. Did working on something as expansive as ‘Heartbroken’ change what you wanted from the music you made immediately afterward?
Anja Schneider: Well, ‘Heartbroken’ was clearly created for a very specific project, closely connected to Wagner and his work. But as I mentioned before, I also make music for clubs and dancefloors. That’s where I come from, that’s where I feel at home, and that’s something I still love and want to embrace. So for me, it was actually a very natural and organic evolution, bringing these different musical worlds together.
EG: Through your ‘Backstage’ podcast, you now spend a lot of time asking other people questions. What has being the interviewer taught you about artists that you never understood when you were only the one being interviewed?
Anja Schneider: I started my podcast ‘Backstage’ because I wanted to introduce truly interesting personalities from subculture and club culture and explore their personal stories and backgrounds.
It’s a format that allows you to go a little deeper, take your time, and really understand the people you’re talking to. I’m especially interested in their personalities, their visions, what drives them, and the ideas and experiences that have shaped who they are.
For me, it’s about going beyond the artist profile and discovering the person behind it. That’s what makes these conversations so fascinating to me.
EG: From the other side of the microphone, what is one question you wish journalists would stop asking established artists, and what should we be asking instead?
Anja Schneider: Well, one question that really annoys me is: “How did you manage to balance being a mother, having a family, raising a child, and having a career?”
It really frustrates me, especially as a woman, because my male colleagues are rarely asked that question. And I think that says a lot.
I would actually love to see men being asked the exact same question more often. Why should balancing family and career always be seen as a woman’s responsibility?
It’s not that there’s one particular question I’d rather be asked instead. I just wish we could start having these conversations with men as well, and that it would become completely normal to ask everyone the same questions, regardless of gender.
EG: You move between radio, DJing, production, label work, conversations, and larger art projects. Which of those worlds is currently feeding the others in the most unexpected way?
Anja Schneider: For me, it all comes together quite organically. DJing definitely helps me with my label work and constantly shapes and refines my musical taste. My interview and radio projects have made me more confident in presenting myself and expressing my ideas. They’ve also given me the confidence to think outside the box and put myself forward for larger cultural and artistic projects beyond the club scene.
EG: At this stage of your career, what are you still willing to risk being misunderstood for?
Anja Schneider: I feel like there’s way too much thinking in categories in our scene these days admit really frustrates me. I also feel like I’m constantly being put into a certain box that doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for. And honestly, that really annoys me.
“I always believed that exclusion had no place in our scene. Unfortunately that has changed”
EG: What is something you believed strongly about music five years ago that you no longer believe today?
Anja Schneider: I always believed that exclusion had no place in our scene. Unfortunately that has changed.
EG: The industry can measure streams, followers, ticket sales, and charts. What does it still fail to measure that matters far more to you?
Anja Schneider: Musical Taste and talent should always come for numbers algorithms or follower counts.
EG: What kind of project would have to land in your inbox today for you to think, “This scares me a little, so I probably have to do it”?
Anja Schneider: I’m planning a new album or concept album for 2027. Right now, I’m exploring different ideas, gathering inspiration, and trying to bring everything together in my head. It’s something I’m really excited about, but it also challenges me creatively, which I love.
EG: Thanks for the time and for being part of our fundraiser!
Tickets for the Electronic Groove & Listed ADE Fundraiser, taking place October 23rd at Duke of Tokyo in Amsterdam, are available here.
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