NFISA ETYAGO

Talented, charming and charismatic, Anfisa Letyago rapidly became one of the new stars in the techno firmament. Her musical journey began almost fifteen years ago in her home town of Naples, where she started experimenting with DJ’ing and producing, driven by pure passion and a love for electronic music in the broadest sense. Proving her prowess behind the decks from the get-go, Anfisa has performed around the world alongside some of the biggest names in the game, and today she’s set to write her own name in the story of Tomorrowland, right next to those of her heroes. We had the chance to have a chat with her right after her set at the Mainstage yesterday, where she blasted away the rain and opened up a clear blue sky. “I’m still shaking a bit,” she entrusted us. And so were we.

With a vivid club scene thriving on techno in Naples, electronic music has always been very close to Anfisa, and she touched base with the genre’s many faces early on. “When I was younger I had the opportunity to witness many electronic artists, bringing in sounds from Detroit, New York and the UK – so I had a full treatment of all kinds of music. However the first one I recall that utterly and completely blew me away was Jeff Mills. I remember when he played ‘The Bells’, I was nailed to the ground by that groovy sound, so straight yet so strong and trippy at the same time. I fell in love immediately.” Citing the classic Chicago house and Detroit techno greats as here first and foremost influences, the bare basics of dance music are what got her going in today’s direction, as soon after the Mills encounter, she took her first steps in DJ’ing and producing.

The start of Anfisa’s tale reads like a sort of modern fairytale. “That story actually made me believe that you can never say never,” she explains. “Years ago Carl Cox was playing a show in Sicily. Being a huge fan, I bought tickets to the show, went there and took a USB drive with my own music with me. You never know, right? I waited outside his hotel for five hours under the scorching sun when he finally came out. I stepped up to him, introduced myself and gave him the drive with my music. Luckily he was in a relaxed mood, looked me up and down and just said: wow, you’re so young! Later that night, during his set, I noticed that I knew the music he was playing. He was actually using all those tracks of mine that I just gave him! I mean, it’s such a cool gesture to not only listen to those tracks but also play them. It takes real craftsmanship to incorporate some new music into a set just a couple of hours after you’ve heard it for the first time.” Over the following years, Carl Cox became not only her most fierce supporter, but also a great mentor to Anfisa. “There’s a connection between us that is unique. If I would ever do a back-to-back set, Carl would be my very first choice. You have to be like-minded for that, you have to communicate on a metaphysical level. A set like that is so intimate and requires a certain amount of synergy – Carl and I definitely have that going on.”

Since meeting Carl, life has been a rollercoaster for Anfisa, playing shows all over the world, in the sweatiest clubs as well as at the biggest festivals. Last year saw her become one of techno’s leading artists, but this year she’s made a resolution to find a better balance: “Last year I played most days for almost three months, which was fun but exhausting. This year I intend to find harmony between hitting the road and having the space to clear my head. Every week I have at least a couple of days to rest and dedicate myself to the studio.” While touring and traveling the globe for shows, she can luckily always rely on her second love: food. “I just love to eat. Eating is my absolute favourite moment to relax. When I travel I look out for some great restaurants or places where you can eat local food. It helps me relax and inspires me at the same time.”

Talking about what inspires her, Anfisa is a true wolverine. Inspiration is everywhere. “As a teenager I used to listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, The Prodigy and UK breakbeats. They all have that big fat feeling on stage, you know? They all have that same energy in their music that grabs you by the throat.” Anfisa’s followers may have noticed that she’s been incorporating some trancey sounds in her sets lately. That comes from yet another influence that helped her become the artist she is today: “I just love trance music, as I imagine most people who were born in the eighties or nineties do. It’s so dreamy, yet sometimes a bit creepy, which is what fascinates me. I play techno, and techno can go ‘boom boom’, but when I mix it with some trancey drops it seems as if the music starts to breathe and live. There has to be a dynamic like that or I’ll easily get bored. And music can never be boring.” Anfisa also cites Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle as a big influence, drawing a connecting between dance and dance music. “I grew up as a classic dancer, so I can see Roberto is a true maestro, but more than anything he’s fully inside his art. He incorporates different styles and approaches into his work and that’s what makes him one of the greats. That’s actually the very thing that all the great artists have in common: they keep an open mind, they’re not afraid to experiment, they keep evolving and lifting their art to the next level.”

On the production side of things, Anfisa is taking big steps with her N:S:DA label, releasing work by other artists besides her own traks. She’s always been very productive, but the outcome often depends on the mood or the moment she is in.

“I don’t necessarily come up with tracks with a live environment in mind. During the lockdowns I was at home composing ‘softer’ music, with soothing vocals, because I was so far away from the dancefloor. You work a bit towards what you are feeling at that time or moment. When I go into the studio to finish my tracks, however, I do imagine myself on stage. I’m always having a lot of fun playing, I cannot resist dancing while I’m on stage.

I’ve been criticised for that, though. In the opinion of some older DJs, you cannot mix and dance at the same time… but why not? We have all this technology on our hands that helps us a lot, and I just cannot play without moving. If I’m not having any fun, then there’s no point in doing it, is there?

Dancing helps me get into the vibe, feel the people, hear the people – it keeps me in the rhythm. Even on a rainy day or when I’m feeling a bit off. When I listen to music, my life changes instantly. Music can turn rain into shine.”

The marriage between Tomorrowland and great food and drink is one of the longest-standing traditions in the festival’s history. You can score an awesome bite or a surprising drink at every corner – and all the better, since research shows that partying on an empty stomach, or with a dry throat, is about ten times harder compared to dancing when your hunger and thirst are satisfied. This year, the focus is even more on drenching all the food around the grounds in that special Tomorrowland magic, to absorb the People of Tomorrow in the atmosphere as they eat, drink and have a great time altogether.

From the MESA Restaurant in front of the Mainstage, to the MESA Garden, back to Brasa with its lakeside view, you can get yourself gastronomic treats all over the festival. Tomorrowland and food, name a more iconic duo. We’ll wait… But in the meantime, join us on a tour of some of the finest tastes and drinks of the world. The only thing we like better than talking about food is eating it, so here goes.