DJ MARIA. is one of the most compelling names on Japan’s electronic music scene, and this summer she is returning to Croatia. Last year, she joined the lineup for a boat party hosted by Vodice-based collective Metz Attack as part of Dekmantel Selectors. This time around, she will be performing at Dimensions Festival.
Originally from Osaka, the young DJ has been based in Tokyo for several years. She discovered club culture at the age of 13, watching DVDs of legendary Japanese psytrance raves such as Solstice and Vision Quest. Just a year later, she stepped behind the decks for the first time, while also working at the record store Face Records.
She soon established herself as one of the key figures pushing the boundaries of Japan’s contemporary techno scene. Her sets are energetic and dynamic, blending groovy techno rhythms with psychedelic sounds. Every now and then, she shifts gears with downtempo, house or ambient, turning each performance into an intimate dialogue with the dancefloor.
Maria has performed at some of the world’s most iconic clubs, including Berlin’s Berghain, Tbilisi’s Bassiani and the now-closed De School in Amsterdam. She has also played at festivals such as La Nature, BOOM, Nation of Gondwana and Draaimolen.
Alongside her festival appearances, she also co-organizes two of them with a group of friends. Transcendence takes place in the mountains of Nagano, while Moment is held in the village of Tenkawa.
Maria is also active as a producer. In 2022, she released the EP Acid Sunrise on Beyond the Galaxy, followed two years later by Silver Lining on Katharsis Recordings. She has also contributed to charity compilations by Deep Fundraisers and Bassiani Records supporting humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
Before heading to Croatia, Maria is taking some time off in Japan with her son, family and friends. During this short summer break, she spoke to us about her impressions of the Adriatic, the Japanese electronic music scene and festivals, while also sharing some of the music that holds a special place in her life.
Last summer, you played at a boat party hosted by the Croatian collective Metz Attack, alongside their residents and Mama Snake. How was it?
It was amazing! Being on a boat surrounded by the sea, with nothing else around us, made it feel like everyone was sharing the same moment together. I really loved that feeling. The weather was perfect, the sea was so beautiful – it honestly felt like paradise.
We’re excited to see you play at Dimensions Festival this year. Who are you most looking forward to hearing there?
There are so many things I’m excited about! First, I’ll be playing B2B with Konduku at the Transmission boat party, which I’m really looking forward to. I love his music and his approach to DJing, so I’m very curious to see where we’ll go together. Then, early Monday morning, I’ll be closing the Olive Grove stage. I’m really excited about this too. I want to create a beautiful morning set that feels like the final destination after a long journey we’ve all shared together. And of course, I want to hear as many of my favorite artists as possible!
Did you have a chance to explore our coastline? What stood out to you the most?
Last time, I didn’t really have enough time to stay and explore properly. But Croatia was really beautiful. I especially remember opening the window of my hotel and seeing this incredible sea stretching out in front of me. The color and clarity of the water really stayed in my memory. I live close to the sea in Japan now too, so being around the ocean always makes me feel calm. This time I hope I can make a little more time to swim and explore!
How would you describe the Japanese scene?
The Japanese scene isn’t as big as the European scene, but I think it has a lot of character. It’s not just Tokyo. Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Hokkaido, Nagano, Oita and many other places across Japan all have their own communities and cultures. Even small clubs and local parties have their own unique character depending on where you are.
One thing that feels very Japanese to me is this craftsman-like mentality. Not only in music, but in Japan in general, there are so many people who dedicate themselves to one thing for a long time and go incredibly deep into it. DJs, promoters, sound engineers, decorators — everyone can get so deeply into what they love that sometimes, in a good way, I think, “Do you really need to go THAT far?” haha. But I really love that about the Japanese scene.
Right now, the weak yen also makes it really difficult to bring international artists to Japan, and there aren’t as many young clubbers as there are in Europe. So as a promoter, there are definitely moments when I think, “How are we supposed to make this work?!” haha. But people keep doing it because they genuinely love it. People dig deeply into what they love and build their own culture in their own places. That’s how I see the Japanese scene.
Which music purchases excite you more: the records you buy to play in your sets, or the ones you buy just for listening at home?
89% the records and music I buy to play in my DJ sets. Nothing excites me more than finding something and immediately imagining how I want to play it on a dance floor.
How different is your taste today compared to when you first started DJing?
I don’t think the core of my taste has really changed. But I’m constantly absorbing things from different experiences and experimenting, and I think I’ve become much less attached to genres. Psychedelic music has always been somewhere at the center of my taste, but what “psychedelic” means to me has become much broader over the years.
Rather than my taste itself changing, I think I’ve stopped feeling like I need to explain or find a reason for why I like something. If I hear something and it feels good to me, then that’s enough. Why does everything need a reason? So now I try to play more by feeling and intuition, without thinking too much about how something should be categorized.
Besides music, you’re also involved in organizing two festivals – Moment and Transcendence. What is your role there?
I was born in Osaka, so Moment is something I started with my friends from the Kansai scene. It takes place in Tenkawa Village in Nara, where my great-grandmother actually has a house. It’s a very special, almost mysterious place surrounded by mountains, rivers and forests. Honestly, it’s difficult to explain — I always feel like you have to actually come and experience it to understand it!
Transcendence started in Tokyo, where I’m based, and now we mainly hold the festival in the mountains of Nagano. It started with more of a focus on rave music, so Moment and Transcendence have different identities, but both are very important to me.
My role in them is… honestly, almost everything, haha. Of course, I do it together with a small team of friends. Curation, artist care, transportation, social media, graphic design, merchandise, planning – basically whatever needs to be done. There’s too much to list!
We’re all artists ourselves, and when we started, none of us really knew how to run a festival. We learned everything through trial and error. It’s been six years now, and I finally feel like I understand how to do it and how to balance it with producing music and being a DJ.
How has organizing festivals influenced your artistic expression and the way you perceive the rave experience?
Organizing festivals has completely changed the way I see parties as an artist too. As a DJ, I used to arrive and everything was already there, almost as if it had appeared by itself. When I was younger, I never really thought about everything happening behind the scenes. But once I started organizing festivals myself, I realized how many people had been working for months to create something that might only exist for a few hours or a few days.
It made me much more grateful, especially to all the people working behind the scenes who the audience may never see. I’ve also learned so much from visiting festivals around the world. They’re all incredible, and at one point I actually got depressed thinking, “There’s no way I can ever make something this good!” haha. But eventually I realized that I don’t need to make someone else’s festival.
For both Moment and Transcendence, nature is a really important part of the experience. I want the place, the music, the people and the environment to all come together as one experience. There’s one scene I’ve always had in my head: everyone completely lost in the music, smiling and dancing like nothing else exists, almost in a trance-like state. Whether I’m DJing or organizing a festival, that’s the scene I always want to see. For me, nothing is more rewarding than that. After everything we’ve learned over these six years, I’m really excited to see what we can create next with more people who genuinely love music.
Alongside everything else you do, you’re also a mother. Is it exhausting to live at such a fast pace?
Of course, it’s insanely difficult to balance touring, organizing festivals, and producing music. Every year there’s a moment when I think, “Why am I doing this to myself?” haha. But the second the festival starts, I remember exactly why. In the early years, I was also raising my child, working a part-time job, making music, DJing and organizing festivals, often sacrificing sleep to make everything happen.
Eventually, the pressure, stress and lack of sleep affected my health. It was a difficult experience, but it taught me something very important: taking care of myself is also part of being able to continue creating. Now I understand my limits and how to manage my energy much better. We’re also building a structure where I can trust other people with more responsibilities instead of trying to do everything myself.
Share three track that instantly remind you of the best parties of your life.
System 7 – Alpha Wave (Plastikman Acid House Remix)
Around 12 years ago, I saw System 7 live at Re:birth Festival. When they played this track, the break completely blew my mind. Even now, whenever I hear it, I’m instantly taken back to that moment.
Wata Igarashi – Moonlight
The first time I heard this track, I remember thinking, “Someone making music this incredible is Japanese?!” I felt so proud.
Oprofessionell – Pause (Morning Mix)
I still absolutely love playing this track. Every time I play it, it brings back memories of so many beautiful, dreamlike dance floors, while at the same time making me appreciate the scene unfolding right in front of me. It’s such a special track to me. I really love it.
If you could play us something right now, what would you put on?
Golden Brown – Infinite Kindness
I came back to Japan between tours to spend some time with my family, and these little everyday moments have made me really happy. I think this track captures how I’m feeling right now.
Photo: press, private album