Moderna has carved out a distinctive niche in the contemporary dance music landscape, blending EBM with dark disco elements to create a sound that’s both nostalgic and futuristic. With roots stretching back to Utah’s underground hardcore scene and a journey that took her through California’s DJ culture before landing in Berlin nearly a decade ago, Moderna’s path to electronic music mastery has been anything but conventional. Her latest remix of Dina Summer’s “Nothing To Hide” for Iptamenos Discos showcases her ability to transform original material while maintaining her signature aesthetic. We caught up with Moderna to discuss her creative process, the influence of Berlin and Mexico City on her sound, and what’s next for her label Brave New Rave.
1. Can you take us back to the beginning? What was the moment or experience that made you realize you wanted to create electronic music professionally? Was there a particular track, artist, or event that served as your catalyst?
As I have mentioned in many other interviews I am a child of the 80’s and both of my parents were music lovers with extensive vinyl collections so I already had an ear and passion for music especially new wave and rock. During the 90’s I got involved in the underground scene in Utah throwing Emo and hardcore shows where I joined a noise band for a short while called “The Static Cult” I then moved to California and became involved in the Dj scene in San Diego and Los Angeles. I ran a music magazine called RE:UP in the early 2000’s and then became involved with record label Ghostly International in Detroit and NYC. It was then when I decided to really focus on my own art and music so I created Moderna and for the past 13 years I have been slowly developing that sound and aesthetic as you know and hear today.
2. Walk us through your creative process when approaching Dina Summer’s “Nothing To Hide.” What elements from the original track did you want to preserve, and where did you see opportunities to inject your own artistic vision?
The vocals of course are my number one go to with most remixes I make and Dina’s vocals are one of my absolute favorites. So that was the first imprint and then of course the super cool guitar riff and the synth melody was all something I knew I could work with, I changed the bass line and added a new snare and some other percussion, I changed the arrangement structure to make it feel more like a building love anthem while giving it an EBM / Dark Disco vibe. It’s a very Moderna track and was really inspiring to remix and to play. It gets so much amazing feedback from the crowd I absolutely love playing it out.
3. How did your relationship with Iptamenos Discos begin?
I met Max and Dina when I first moved to Berlin almost 9 years ago we had a few different mutual connections one being Luca (Curses) and also the Mexico crew (Theus Mago, Andre VII, Mijo) so we had so many friends and artists in common it was an easy automatic friendship. I invited them on my radio show Brave New Rave for KCRW Berlin and they invited me to play a few of their parties like T.O.F.U and their Dina Summer Berlin Debut so we have already had quite a beautiful history in just these past few years, and there will be more to come.
4. Being part of the Berlin electronic music ecosystem, how has the city’s rich musical heritage and current scene influenced your approach to making music?
Berlin was really the place that helped me articulate the “Moderna sound” as well as Mexico City. Both places were very influential to me as an artist. Mainly because both cities have a like minded scene and an openness to my sound while fostering my creativity. There really aren’t many places that can do this and I have lived in over 10 cities and 3 countries. So I can honestly say that Moderna would not exist the same way without Berlin and Mexico City.
5. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly present in music creation, what’s your perspective on AI’s role in electronic music? Do you see it as a tool, a threat, or something else entirely for artists like yourself?
AI has been prevalent in music production for a very long time already, there are many programs, plugins and DAW that uses AI and has been for quite some time. But now AI is becoming a regurgitator, a copycat so to speak so instead of complimenting and collaborating with the artist it has gained a new role on how people can use it and whether we like it or not it’s happening however they choose to. In a perfect world we would have a regulation or moral stance in place but there is no way of controlling that so for now it is solely up to the user. And I feel the way it will be used puts it in two categories of either collaborating and creating or hacking and stealing.
6. For upcoming producers trying to make their mark in the electronic music scene, what advice would you offer? What mistakes should they avoid, and what opportunities should they pursue?
Patience and persistence is key. Never compare yourself to other artists. It’s a very typical thing to do as an artist and actually very hard not to do especially with social media, I mean its human nature. But the grass is not always greener trust me if you can try to stay on your own path and focus on you and your art it will help alleviate some of the distraction, no artist’s creativity or career is the same so try to embrace that you are your own force and will create your own path in due time..
7. Beyond this remix, what’s next for Moderna? Are you working on original material, planning more collaborations or shows this year?
I am now planning my fall tour dates in the Americas and Asia and working on a few new tracks. We will also release a few remixes later this year on my label Brave New Rave from my last album ‘The Future Is Among Us’ with artists Neu-Romancer, Metrika, Kimshies, Karassameon, and Almost Falling. I also have a very exciting secret collaboration coming out soon but you will have to wait for the surprise..