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Features Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters!

Entering the world of Waldfrieden in Germany with DJoanna Reported by Agnes Klos / Submitted 10-07-13 06:17 DJoanna is one of the longest-serving female DJs of the German psytrance scene and the iconic figure of Waldfrieden (Wonderland) Festival in Germany. Only a year after she started spinning records at the age of 18, her talent was quickly recognised by the local party promoter of Waldfrieden and before she had even time to notice, she'd joined the festival crew as a resident DJ. The exciting news of the DJoanna phenomenon rapidly spread all through the scene with bookings coming from the open air festivals in North Germany as well as big parties and huge festivals in more than 10 different countries all around the world. With releases under her belt such as Waldfreakuenz 2 and projects on the side with Alicia D and techno project with Kiddo, DJoanna proves that even though she is well known for her progressive beats, she is a very versatile DJ, who can truly spin a wide array of tracks. I got a chance to sit down with Joanna Herrman ahead of Waldfrieden Festival in Germany on 9-11th August 2013 and find out more about the person behind ‘DJoanna’ that we know of today. Hi DJoanna, thank you for finding time to answer some questions for HarderFaster. Could you tell us when your journey with music began and how you got into DJing in the first place please? When I was younger I had always many friends at my place because I was lucky to have a big room and a nice mom. In that period of time I made my first moves into the direction of DJing, when I tried to play the right music for every moment and every single friend. I don't really remember why but somehow I ended up always having 2 record players at home, so naturally with time I ended up buying a mixer and some vinyl and I started making my first mixing experiments. Then half a year later, my friend Olli made a female DJ Party at Waldfrieden in 2002 and he forced me to play there. After that I felt a strong pull in that direction and could not stop doing it again and again. Was it hard starting out as a female artist on the scene dominated so many by men at that time? On one hand it was not difficult at all; on the other hand it was a little bit difficult to get accepted on the male dominated scene. Since at that time it was real exotic to be booked and perform as a female DJ, it was very easy to get famous quickly. People would always remember a girls DJ name, much easier than a boy’s one. And also many promoters were of the opinion that it would have been good to have a girl on the line-up (until today). On the other hand, as a girl you never knew, if you were really good or if the reason for your bookings was just that you were female. Especially, when male DJs started becoming jealous and telling around that most girls were just booked because of their ‘tits’. What did you used to listen to when you were younger and how does it affect your musical taste today? I started listening to Techno when I was 13 years old. Much earlier when I was still a real kid I listened to Guns N´Roses, Nirvana, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys etc. This was the musical taste of my older sister and the music everybody listened to during that time. However, I cannot really say that the early influences have affected my taste in music and preferences as it is of today. The only thing which has never changed is the fact that I never liked music that was too soft or kitschy. Do you remember the moment you fell in love with psytrance? I just remember the moment I fell in love with electronic music. This was just a classic techno-drug-story which I don't think is something new for most of the people who like electronic music. During that time, I couldn't really make a distinction between Techno and Goa (the term that was used in that period). Later with time, I started having preference towards Goa Parties with its people and the atmosphere which started fascinating me. As a resident DJ at Waldfrieden, you have become one of the most recognisable figures of the festival, could you tell us how this amazing adventure has started in your life? The Organizer of Waldfrieden events is a very good friend of mine. So he always gave me an opportunity to play there and later, when I finished university, I started helping him out with different things around the parties. Can you tell us more about Wonderland festival and Waldfrieden events and what exactly your job duties are? Many people are talking about the 'Waldfrieden Festival', others think it is just the Wonderland Festival happening there. But the place is called Waldfrieden and one of the two festivals we do every year is Wonderland. The other and smaller one is 'Hai in den Mai' at the beginning of May. But we are doing a little party every month in the indoor club and in the summer time we also use the little cosy backyard floor for those events. The club parties also have a little Techno Floor and the main floor with progressive and psy trance sounds. We have always some resident DJs playing as well as bigger names from outside. My main job at Waldfrieden is to book the artist and to take care of them. I do the stage manager shifts and I also do some of the stage managing. I help at the office with many different things and now I have started to coordinate the shops a little bit as well. Sometimes I exchange ideas and seek for the advice with the boss when it comes to making any big decisions. But running and coordinating the festival is in the hands of the boss and of course he needs us/the team to get the festival running. 'Us' means the team of about 15-20 people who are working together every year. There is the office, with its team, answering every little question coming in, organizing the shifts, printing, copying and so on. The office is something like the brain of the festival where most of the information is getting exchanged and where everybody comes to get answers or to just get helped with anything. Another big role is being fulfilled by the team that looks after everything 'outside'; building the bars, the dance floor, the camping area and every little thing which makes that place so special. Another team is just for the light show and the next one is for the sound system. The sound system we have at Wonderland and Hai in den Mai is specially constructed by Arigo (the Sound System Manager) for our dance floor, as it has a form of a snake and not as usual dance floors but as a circle. After all the years everybody knows his job really well and that is the reason why it has been running so well. The most special things about the place is that it is surrounded by a forest, that we try to build as much as possible from wood and that it feels there a bit like a big play field. Music wise I can say that Waldfrieden is dominated by progressive sounds. This does not mean that you will never hear anything else there. Especially at the festivals by night there is always some psytrance and on the alternative floor we have some techno sounds. All in all, we always try to keep the line up filled with as much various as possible. Building a line up and with it a Timetable is mostly the same as building a good DJ set. There must be a good flow in it while it should never be too monotonous. Who did you take inspiration and influence from when you started out DJing and who inspires you today? In 2000 when I started buying vinyl, there were only two subcategories of this genre accessible on the market; full on and progressive. I preferred progressive and there weas just a little on offer from which you had to choose. In that time, I liked Atmos, Feuerhake, Beat Bezarre etc. but I think these were the artists that everybody liked during that period of time. Today the scene is very different. There are so many different styles just under the label of psy trance that even many psy trance DJs don't know all of them. As I like to play different styles, I would say that there is only one thing that I'm always purely inspired by and it is the music. If the scene is dropping out, then I select what I like and what I do not. But every single day there comes another very talented artist, so I cannot say that I'm inspired by only one, two or ten . . . I would describe it is more as the waves of styles that inspire me. How would you describe your sets to someone who has never heard you play before? Actually, I have to admit that I don´t really like to describe how I play because I think you can never talk about electronic music without somehow getting tangled in misunderstandings. What I am trying to say here is that we cannot say in fact that there is or that there exists a concrete vocabulary for the different sounds, styles and especially feelings you get while listening to it. Describing electronic music or electronic DJ sets is something very very difficult. As I'm playing different styles I can only say, my sets are never kitschy. But even that you can get wrong. You also play as a duo together with your friend Alicia D. In addition, you have a techno project on the side with Herrmann Stöhr. Tell us more about these two initiatives. I love to play back to back, because it is always a lot more fun and many more ideas coming out of two people compared to just one. Alice D & Joanna is a project that has already been running for 10 years now. Alice and I have always had the same musical taste. Therefore, it was kind of logical and natural that in very early days we came up with the idea to build a team. Herrmann Stöhr is another project that is now 5 years old. In this case, it was my friend Kiddo who had the idea to play techno with me. Today I am really happy to have this other project as for me it is very important to play various styles of electronic music so that I do not get bored from one single style. In the end, it is very helpful to have a partner and not to be alone as a DJ. How did you get involved with Spin Twist Records – the label that you represent at the moment? There was a time when I played a lot of music from the style that Spin Twist is representing and people told me, I should have a label. So I chose Spin Twist. How have you as a DJ grown over the years and what achievements are you the most proud of? The feeling to be proud about any achievements has stopped with the course of time. At the moment, I am mostly happy about the fact that I have a job which I really like. It is a present to be able to earn the money you live from with things you love to do! And of course, I am always thrilled when I get nice gigs. But it is not the feeling to be proud about any achievements any more. I am just happy about my job and even happier when I feel that I completed a given good job well. Could you name your top 5 tracks of all times that in your opinion would rock the dancefloor at any place in the world? I cannot name them as in my opinion there are no tracks which would fit anywhere because dance floors are too different. I would feel arrogant while trying to make such a decision. What are highlights and lowlights of a life as a DJ? Highlights are when you feel that you helped many many people simultaneously to really enjoy their lives for a while. Another highlight would be when you are invited to great parties in other countries that you perhaps wanted to explore anyway. Also, when you have a lot of new music you would freak out about and you can play it loud while noticing that it is not just you who wants to freak out. Lowlights are, when you don´t feel like partying but you have to and in the end, the party is not nice at all. This robs a lot of energy. Another lowlight is, when you feel alone. It happens sometimes when for example, you have to travel for a long time (without the DJ partner) to a party and then you don´t know anybody there and nobody really interests you. Would you say that being a psychedelic trance DJ has changed you as a person? Are you perhaps more spiritual or maybe more involved in the environmental issues that are very often intertwined with the psytrance festivals? No, I would not say that. It is because I have always been involved in environmental issues and also spirituality has always been something natural in my life, as my family was one of the alternative ones. So maybe, I chose the psytrance scene because it also includes these aspects. What message would you give to a new female artist just starting out on the scene? I think there is no universal message I would give because this really depends on the Person. As everybody in the world can become a DJ, it can be very different for each individual. Thank you so much for your time, it was an immense pleasure talking to you. See you on the dance floor at Waldfrieden (Wonderland)! For bookings, news and updates about DJoanna: Facebook Soundcloud For more info about Waldfrieden Festival in Germany, check out: this and this Photos courtesy of Udo Herzog, Waldfrieden Festival, "Shoot your shot" Photography. Not to be reproduced without permission. Waldfrieden Wonderland 17 - Open Air Festival 2013 On: Friday 9th August 2013 At: Planet Waldfrieden - Stemwede - Wehdem [map] From: August 9 at 1:00pm until August 11 at 10:00pm Cost: Presale: 55€ + 5€ (rubbish deposit) On the door: 65€ + 5€ (rubbish deposit) Ticket Info: http://wonderland-festival.de/ http://www.wald-frieden.de/kiosk/ Buy Online: Click here to buy tickets More: Opening by Spielmannszug Wehdem Free shuttle bus from Lemförde / Rahden train station NEW ! Chill Out Area am See ! 2 Outdoor Floors // Psychedelic - Progressive // Alternative - Techno Surround Sound by Tongallerie Indoor Club Feuerwerk Feuerkünstler Seifenblasenkünstler Fire Space Market Area Organic Food fresh fruits for free Friseursalon Speakers Corner kostenlose warme Duschen Drug Scout Leipzig originell verkleidete Gäste erhalten eine Überraschung an der Cocktailbar! FOREST PEACE EVENTS: The wooded music organizer Stemwede - Wehdem. What is actually the forest peace? Forest peace is a party venue in Stemwede and as the name suggests, a beautiful location surrounded by forest. The forest holds an annual open air festival called Wonderland plus other events throughout the year including Goa parties. For these occasions the most attractive and decorated club is used in the "forest peace-building". In fine weather, you can dance in the sand in the back yard in the morning. The second open-air dance floor is used exclusively for the two major festivals in May and the Wonderland dance. The area round the "forest peace-house" has various surprises to explore such as the popular view tower with slide, and with its many cozy corners and the large meadow on the slope for a chill out in nature. So come and listen and look at it to yourself! We look forward to you. General Information Contacts: http://www.wald-frieden.de/impressum The musical event organizers in Stemwede - Wehdem DecoClickwork [facebook.com] Der Waldbeleuchter [facebook.com] Liquid Sky Dimensions Provisuell [facebook.com] LocationWaldfrieden Events Bergstrasse 32 32351 Stemwede-Wehdem Flyer: Region: International Music: Psy Trance. House. Minimal Techno. Techno. DJ's: LIVE Aho // Antu Records//Chile https://soundcloud.com/ital-1 Breathead // Solar-Tech Records // Mexico https://soundcloud.com/breathead D.Kuhl // Varianz Records http://www.facebook.com/d.kuhl.music E.V.P. // Wildthings Records // UK http://wildthingsrecords.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27%3Aevp-&catid=15%3Aartists Expect // OV-Silence Music https://www.facebook.com/EXPECTMusic Flow Job // Iboga Records // Danmark http://www.facebook.com/flowjobmusic Ital // Antu Records // Chile http://www.facebook.com/daniel.ital.12 Jiser // Spin Twist // Mexico https://www.facebook.com/jisermusic?ref=ts&fref=ts Lani // Naturall Productions // Belgium https://soundcloud.com/naturall/lani-live-waldfrieden-2011 Nobusan // Listen & Enjoy http://www.facebook.com/Nobusanmusic Nok // Bluetunes Records http://www.facebook.com/noksound Rinkadink // Alchemie Records // South Africa http://www.facebook.com/rinkadink.net Querox // Prog On Synticate http://www.facebook.com/queroxmusic Shekinah // Mosaico Records // Brazil https://soundcloud.com/shekinahlive Sonic Tickle // Zenon Records http://soundcloud.com/sonic-tickle Zane // Prog On Syndicate http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZANE/202912699771959 DJs Alice D Joanna // Waldfrieden http://www.facebook.com/djoanna.h Anneli (Techno Set) // Phantasm Records // Sweden http://www.facebook.com/djanneli Apnea // Maharetta Records // Magic Phangan Records // Belgium https://www.facebook.com/Dj.Apnea Atmos // Iboga Records // Sweden http://www.facebook.com/atmotech Bakke // Echoes // Iboga Records // Sweden https://www.facebook.com/bakkelite Capowne // Listen & Enjoy https://soundcloud.com/capowne Conrad & Schuster // Universum Hamburg https://soundcloud.com/conrad-2 Daniel Krau // Plastik Park http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daniel-Krau/513435812032392 ElekTrigger // Waldfrieden http://www.facebook.com/djElekTrigger Herrmann Stöhr // Varianz Records http://www.facebook.com/HerrmannStoehr Ishtar // Atmosphere Records // Belgium http://www.facebook.com/Ishtardj Ital // Antu Records // Chile http://www.facebook.com/daniel.ital.12 Jazzmine // Blue Hour Sounds // Italy http://www.bluehoursounds.com/ Jiser // Spin Twist // Mexico http://www.facebook.com/jisermusic Kevin Schubert // YSE http://i.mixcloud.com/CCHRGX Kokmok // Hadra // France http://www.facebook.com/djkokmok Lucy & her Diamond // Waldfrieden http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucy-and-her-Diamond/214237318681221 Lufttrockner // Waldfrieden https://soundcloud.com/lufttrockner Magic Star // Waldfrieden http://www.facebook.com/DJMagicStar Murus // Landmark Recordings http://www.facebook.com/olaf.murus Nok // Bluetunes Records http://www.facebook.com/noksound Querox // Prog On Syndicate http://www.facebook.com/queroxmusic Raoul // Blue Hour Sounds // Maharetta Records // Waldfrieden http://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-RaOuL-Blue-Hour-SoundsMaharetta-Records/308747379173607 Rocksteady & Bebob // Listen & Enjoy http://www.facebook.com/djsrocksteadybebop Schnuppchen // Chromatic Sphere http://www.facebook.com/Schnuppchen Shekinah // Mosaico Records // Brazil https://soundcloud.com/shekinahlive Sascha Flux // Attitude Records // Waldfrieden http://www.facebook.com/SaschaFlux.Artistpage Shove // Vagalume Records // Brazil // Mexico http://www.facebook.com/shove28 Tussi B (Alice D Techno Set) // Waldfrieden http://www.facebook.com/pages/Djane-Alice-D/181718135205414 DEKO & VISUALS :::::::::::::::::::::: SURPRISE SPECIALS :::::::::::::::::: - Free shuttle bus from Lemförde/Rahden train station - NEW ! Chill Out Area am See ! - 2 Outdoor Floors // Psychedelic - Progressive // Alternative - Techno - Surround Sound by Tongallerie - Indoor Club - Feuerwerk - Feuerkünstler - Seifenblasenkünstler - Fire Space - Market Area - Organic Food - fresh fruits for free - originell verkleidete Gäste erhalten eine Überraschung an der Cocktailbar Who's Going? (0) :   Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By Agnes Klos: Back2Basics - 10 Years of Party Productions & Tomorrowland Stage Hosts Atmosphere Records - The opening of IBIZA 1936 Piracy is not a crime – sail away with Feestgedruis! Progressive flavours with DJ R'Deem ahead of Neelix party Discovering the tropical island psychedelic festival - The Experience The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable. Comments:

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