Anfisa Letyago

This little lady is on the movers and shakers list for 2019! Hailing from the cold clutches of Siberia, now residing in Sunny Napoli, she’s skyrocketed on to some of the worlds biggest festival line-ups playing alongside the DJ Elite. Now with the eminent release of her new Bright Lights EP on Nervous and further releases lined up on Intec, DMCWorld checks in for a natter… 

 

 

A warm welcome to DMCWORLD Anfisa, where on planet earth are you today?

Hello guys, thanks, I am currently in the studio in Napoli, it’s my last couple of days for selecting promos and then off to my new tour.

What is the best piece of new music you have heard recently?

Good question, I listen to lots of music in general, difficult to find one single track, each song has its motivatio. If I have to pick one it would be ”Pick Up” by DJ Koze as I really like it a lot.

How was your Christmas and New Year?

It was a great a combination of work and spending time with friends.

Please tell us a little about how you first got into making dance music?

It’s been a natural path, I was just a young woman passionated about music who wanted to share her musical choices with friends and suddenly I turned into a Dj working round Europe and Italy. I got started 10 years ago and after 6 years being just a musical selector I felt like starting producing music. I am really satisfied about it all.

Who or what inspires your sound?

My city of adoption inspires me a lot, besides my origins and experiences, along with many years spent as DJ selector in the clubs.

You’re originally from Siberia, but now adopted by the city Naples, how long have you been living there and how is the Naples dance scene?

I was born and raised in Siberia until the age of 18, in a tiny city of the Tundra in the extreme north where winter temperatures are -60 degrees! Then for weird and illogical reasons I arrived in Napoli for a holiday and I decided to stay. I love this charismatic city permeated by art music and culture. Besides that, the Neapolitan electronic music scene is really huge. I got the chance to listen to many international underground DJs playing in Napoli, which has always been a great venue for best music from all over the world. Furthermore, many local artists are nowadays famous all over the world, so I am happy to have reinforced my musical path from here.

You’re about to release your brand new Bright Lights EP on Nervous Records, please tell us a little about the 4 tracks and what we can expect to hear?

I am really happy to release this on Nervous, it means a lot to me to be on such a prestigious label that I’ve followed for so many years. ‘Bright Lights is a high hat driven stomper with a spoken word that talks about underground club culture. ‘Go Back’ has a retro vocal hook, with a low bass groove and menacing stabs and along with a big breakdown. ’Yessa’ is intense and more driving with plenty of tension on the breakdowns, and ’Shot’ is deep and hypnotic with sweeping synths that glide over a deep groove. I really like it and I can’t wait for it to be out.

Your productions have been championed by Carl Cox in his DJ sets recently, you must be pretty excited about that? 

It has been an incredible, emotional and indescribable year. The EP’s will be out on Carl’s Intec Digital label and I am really proud of them too! My professional relationship with Carl is  a very important one for me, where the only thing that has been said between us has been purely all about music.

What was your highlight gig of 2018 and where are you most looking forward to playing in 2019?

A difficult to find one to answer, because each place I go to brings lots of different emotions. Playing in Napoli always touches me the most for sure, because it’s home. I can’t wait for the summer to start again and as Ibiza is in my heart.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most, writing and producing or performing?

Performing is my first love, having started my profession as a DJ, but I can’t deny playing my own music to a crowd is the best feeling ever. A perfect combination.

As a young woman in the music industry how hard has it been breaking through and what in your opinion needs to change in the industry for the better?

There are many difficulties as in every profession, its maybe even more difficult for women in this business with being it being so male dominated in the past, so succeeding for a woman in a largely male environment requires a tougher effort, but professionalism always pays whatever you do. My hope for the future is to see more professional women djs available to show more of their actual talent rather than ‘the other’, so to increase our credibility in the biz.

We come to raid your record collection, which embarrassing record do you chuck out the window before we arrive? 

Julio Iglesias – Se Mi Lasci Non Vale XD XD

What record makes you say ‘damn, I wish I made that’?

Oxia – Domino

Three big tunes in your record box this weekend…

Anfisa Letyago – Take It Easy (Original Mix)

S-File – Right On (Original mix)

Winx – Don’t Laugh (a classic that never fails)

What’s your new year’s resolution?

I want to take what I have done so far and get the maximum out of it. There are many releases already scheduled including for Nervous in January with a four-track EP – 4 tracka! That’s a lot. Then I have two EPs forthcoming on Carl Cox’s Intec label, so I want to keep my concentration and capability to continue to produce and work according to my passion.

 

‘Bright Lights EP’ will be released on January 18th 2019 on Nervous Records

https://soundcloud.com/user-anfisaletyagodj/anfisa-letyago-shot-original-mix

http://www.anfisaletyago.com