Women Shaping the Next Generation of Techno

An editorial collaboration with Exibeat on music discovery

Last week, I published an article exploring ten artists who, in my view, represent some of the most compelling voices shaping the next generation of techno. It was never intended as a definitive list, a ranking or an attempt to define the scene. It reflected the artists whose work has resonated with me and who, through their sound, embody a particular vision of where contemporary techno is heading.

This week, I wanted to continue that exploration from a different perspective.

This time, I decided to collaborate with Exibeat, a music-tech platform founded in 2024 to support a fairer and more connected electronic music ecosystem. The platform brings DJs, producers and labels together through music discovery and the exchange of unreleased music, but what interested me most was the community of artists already forming around it.

When discussing this week’s topic with the Exibeat team, I suggested curating a selection of women shaping the next generation of techno whose work reflects the same artistic depth, musical identity and commitment to the culture that inspired last week’s article.

The goal wasn't to separate artists by gender or to suggest that the previous selection had been incomplete. It was simply an opportunity to broaden the conversation through another group of artists whose work deserves the same attention. As with every article I publish, the criteria remain unchanged: the strength of the music, the originality of the artistic vision and the contribution each artist makes to the evolution of contemporary techno.

The artists featured below are part of that ongoing conversation.

JakoJako

Before becoming one of Berlin’s most respected live performers, JakoJako (Sibel Jacqueline Koçer) followed a very different path. She moved to Berlin in 2012 to study nursing, spending long hospital shifts reading books and manuals on synthesis, sound design and modular systems. What began as a fascination with how machines generate sound gradually became the foundation of her artistic identity.

That curiosity eventually led her to SchneidersLaden, Berlin’s legendary synthesizer store, where she worked for several years while continuously expanding her understanding of hardware and modular synthesis. The environment became far more than a workplace. Surrounded by instruments, engineers and producers, she developed a creative language rooted in experimentation, precision and an almost scientific approach to sound, while sharing her knowledge with the city’s growing community of musicians.

Today, JakoJako is recognised as one of the leading artists working with modular synthesis in contemporary electronic music. Whether performing live or DJing, she builds tension through evolving arpeggios, looping structures and subtle rhythmic shifts, moving effortlessly between hypnotic techno, ambient and experimental composition. She approaches machines as instruments capable of generating entirely new musical possibilities, extending their role far beyond that of tools. Her work spans releases on labels including Leisure System, Mute and NovaMute, alongside contributions to compilations on Tresor, while her Berghain residency has established her as one of the defining voices of Berlin’s current electronic landscape.

Recommended listening

Polygonia

Long before electronic music became the centre of her artistic practice, Polygonia (Lindsey Wang) was immersed in music through years of classical training. She began playing the recorder, before expanding into violin, piano, saxophone and flute, developing a broad musical foundation that continues to shape her work today. She carried that background into a contemporary electronic language built on curiosity, experimentation and intricate sound design.

Based in Munich, Polygonia has developed a recognisable sonic identity within the contemporary scene. Her productions move freely between hypnotic techno, ambient, bass music, electro and IDM, resisting straightforward categorisation while remaining remarkably coherent. Organic textures, intricate rhythms and a strong sense of movement define her work, with nature serving as a recurring source of inspiration throughout both her music and visual practice.

Beyond her solo output, Polygonia has played an active role in building creative communities. She co-founded the IO collective and label in 2018 before launching her own imprint, QEONE, in 2022. Her interest in collaboration has also led to projects beyond the traditional boundaries of techno, including the jazz-electronic trio Lyder and her ongoing work with drummer Simon Popp, exploring the intersection of acoustic performance and electronic composition. Since 2023, she has held a residency at Munich’s BLITZ while regularly performing at venues including Berghain and Tresor.

Recommended listening

Isabel Soto

Born in Venezuela and now based in Berlin, Isabel Soto developed her artistic identity inside Montreal’s underground electronic music scene. Her connection to that world began long before she became a DJ. From 2012, she worked as a graphic designer and photographer for local events, gradually becoming familiar with the people, spaces and visual culture surrounding the city’s nightlife.

Her relationship with techno became more focused in 2016, after discovering Montreal’s scene through Stereo, one of the city’s defining electronic music institutions. Shortly before the pandemic, she bought her first controller and began learning to DJ. Production followed soon after. During the months spent at home in 2020, she studied Ableton, production and post-production, while also working remotely with Buenos Aires producer Michel Lauriola. What had previously existed around her as a visual and cultural environment became the centre of her own artistic practice.

Montreal gave Isabel the space to develop a sound rooted in hypnotic repetition, abstract textures and percussion. Her music builds tension gradually through deep rhythms and carefully controlled movement, creating a physical atmosphere without obvious peaks or aggression. That approach connects her work to the deeper, more spatial side of contemporary techno.

Her early development was closely linked to Montreal collective Arder and the Georgian platform DifferentSound. At the same time, she began releasing music through labels including Diffuse Reality, Second State, Occultech Recordings and Concrete Tbilisi. In 2022, she founded NYXII Records, creating a platform for her own productions and for artists sharing a similarly hypnotic and rhythm-focused approach.

Her move to Berlin marked another stage in that evolution. In December 2025, she released Morphosis on Ostgut Ton, her first EP produced in the city. The record retained the hypnotic language that had defined her earlier work while reflecting the personal and creative changes that followed her relocation.

Recommended listening

Ana Rs

Born in Montenegro and now based in Germany, Ana Rs (Ana Zizic) has steadily established a distinctive voice within contemporary hypnotic techno. Her artistic practice is rooted in continuous experimentation, moving from DJing into music production while refining a sound built on tension, atmosphere and sonic detail. Her work favours hypnotic progression over dramatic peaks, allowing rhythm and texture to evolve gradually while maintaining a strong sense of emotional depth.

Her breakthrough came in 2023 with Take Me There, an EP released on Ben Sims’ Symbolism imprint, introducing her music to a much wider international audience. Since then, she has continued to deepen her artistic identity through releases on labels including Semantica, Float Records, Illegal Alien, Observant and AC55ID, developing a catalogue defined by refined sound design, subtle tension and an unmistakable sense of atmosphere. Alongside her studio work, Ana has performed throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas, appearing at venues including Tresor Berlin, RSO Berlin and Vent Tokyo.

Beyond her own music, Ana is the founder of Interakt, a platform she launched in 2019 to curate forward-thinking techno events and bring together artists who share a similar artistic vision. Through Interakt, she has hosted names including Psyk, Svreca, Adriana Lopez, Lars Huismann, Tommy Four Seven and CONCEPTUAL, extending her contribution beyond performance into community building and artistic curation.

Recommended listening

Jin Synth

Based in London, Jin Synth has developed an artistic practice where technology, visual arts and musical expression exist in constant dialogue. Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, her transition into electronic music deepened during a pivotal stay in Berlin in 2018, where she began capturing field recordings and processing her own vocals. Working extensively with hardware synthesizers and modular systems, she approaches electronic music through experimentation, treating sound design as an essential part of composition, not as a separate technical process.

Her productions move fluidly between hypnotic techno, ambient and experimental electronics, favouring evolving textures, spacious atmospheres and subtle rhythmic development. Her music unfolds gradually, allowing tone, repetition and carefully sculpted frequencies to shape the emotional direction of each piece.

This approach has led to a growing body of work released through labels including Semantica, On Board Music, Fractal Phenomenon, and Konstrukt.

Alongside her production work, Jin Synth extends her artistic practice into visual design, creating her own vinyl artwork through Kolophonium Design Studio. As a performer, she brings her deep, immersive sets to platforms and venues like UNFOLD at FOLD, while also collaborating on official podcast mixes with Monument. She approaches sound, image and technology as interconnected elements of the same creative practice.

Recommended listening

GLIA

Originally from Slovenia and now based in Berlin, GLIA (Maja Čeh) has spent nearly a decade developing a musical identity rooted in rhythm, movement and emotional intensity. Before establishing herself internationally as a DJ and producer, she studied audio engineering and sound production, building a technical foundation that continues to shape the precision of her studio work.

Her sound combines hypnotic, groove-driven techno with tribal influences, deep basslines and carefully sculpted textures, creating sets that balance raw, peak-time energy with subtle progression. While her productions are firmly aimed at the dancefloor, they avoid predictable structures, relying instead on evolving rhythmic patterns that build tension gradually without dramatic shifts.

Her discography spans labels including Suara, Bipolar Disorder, Adroit, Diffuse Reality and Entourage Concept. As a performer, she has become a regular presence at Tresor, RSO Berlin, HÖR Berlin and Amsterdam Dance Event, bringing the same focus on hypnotic progression and rhythmic precision to both clubs and festivals.

Alongside her solo career, GLIA has remained actively involved in the wider scene. She co-founded Mozaix, a collective and label supporting contemporary underground techno, before launching Human Nature Records, an imprint that reflects her own artistic direction and approach to hypnotic, groove-driven techno.

Recommended listening

ZANDOLY

Based in Berlin, Franco-Caribbean DJ, producer and art curator ZANDOLY (Zoé Agnoly) has built an artistic identity rooted in dub techno, hypnotic rhythms and a deep appreciation for vinyl culture. Originally from Paris, she approaches electronic music through atmosphere and gradual progression, allowing groove and texture to evolve organically throughout her sets. Moving fluidly between hard groove, minimal and dub techno, her sound is defined by carefully layered rhythms, spacious textures and subtle tension.

Alongside her work as a DJ and producer, ZANDOLY has remained actively involved in collaborative and cross-border projects. She has participated in the BriDJing Womxn programme, a European initiative supporting the professional development of women in electronic music, while expanding her work beyond performance into curatorial practice.

This commitment took shape through Altra, a cross-border cultural platform she co-curates, connecting underground electronic music communities across Berlin, Prague and Košice while creating space for FLINTA* artists. ZANDOLY approaches performance, curation and community as complementary parts of the same artistic practice, reflecting a broader vision of how contemporary underground techno can evolve through collaboration, cultural exchange and carefully cultivated local scenes.

Recommended listening

Gloria Rose

Before establishing herself within London's underground techno scene, Gloria Rose (Gloria-Rose Mackaya) developed a musical vocabulary shaped by very different worlds. Years of classical piano introduced her to structure and composition, while growing up surrounded by the music her mother loved, from Fela Kuti, Miles Davis and Jean-Michel Jarre, exposed her to rhythm, improvisation and electronic experimentation long before she entered club culture. She gradually absorbed those influences into a sound that feels fluid, patient and deeply groove-oriented.

Today, her productions and DJ sets occupy the hypnotic end of contemporary techno, favouring rolling percussion, subtle shifts in tension and carefully layered textures. She builds momentum through restraint, allowing rhythm and space to guide the dancefloor without relying on speed for intensity. That balance between precision and musicality has become one of the defining characteristics of her artistic identity.

Alongside a growing catalogue of productions, Gloria Rose has become a regular presence within London’s underground circuit through her residencies at FOLD and M.A.S., while performing at venues including Tresor, Else, Drumsheds and Radion. As her career continues to evolve, she represents a generation of artists whose work is shaped as much by musical curiosity as by club culture, bringing together influences that extend beyond techno while remaining firmly connected to its hypnotic foundations.

Recommended listening

Roulita

Based in Paris, Roulita (Rouli) belongs to a new generation of DJs who have built their careers around a clearly defined artistic identity. Her relationship with techno began as a clubber before becoming a profession, with a visit to Awakenings in 2022 and a set by Rødhåd marking the moment she decided to dedicate herself fully to electronic music. Only a few years after her first bookings, she made her Berghain debut in February 2025, sharing line-ups with artists including Sterac, Steffi and Yanamaste, while also becoming a resident on Rinse France.

Roulita describes her sound as deep techno, further defining it as bouncy, driving, mental and dreamy. Drawing from techno, breakbeat and minimal, her sets remain focused on storytelling without relying on constant escalation. Built around hypnotic progression, carefully layered textures and rhythmic precision, they unfold patiently, creating a sense of immersion that reflects a strong understanding of dancefloor dynamics.

Alongside her club performances, Roulita has expanded her practice through projects including her ongoing mix series, Race Against the Mind, and Orphita, a collaborative multidisciplinary project launched in 2024 that explores musical and visual influences beyond the dancefloor. As her profile has grown, appearances at festivals including Fusion Festival and memòri Festival have reflected the same thoughtful, narrative-driven approach that defines both her DJ sets and her broader creative practice.

Recommended listening

Some of the artists featured in this article were already familiar to me, while others were entirely new. It reminded me that discovery has always been one of the driving forces behind electronic music. There is no shortage of talent or great music being created today. The real challenge lies in helping that music reach the people who will genuinely value it.

What resonated with me about Exibeat wasn’t just its approach to discovery, but the ecosystem taking shape around it. By bringing together emerging artists alongside established DJs, producers and labels, it creates opportunities for meaningful connections across generations.

The future of techno won’t be shaped by algorithms alone. It will continue to be shaped by curious listeners, dedicated artists and the communities that create space for new ideas, new collaborations and new voices to be heard.

Special thanks to Boris and Maja for their perspective and contribution to this selection.

If you're a DJ, producer or label interested in becoming part of the Exibeat community, you can join the waitlist here.

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