Some artists wait to be discovered, Dominique Jardin decided she’d rather build something on her own. Growing up in Austria she taught herself the rules of the game by breaking most of them. After years cutting her teeth in New York’s unforgiving club scene, she returned with sharper instincts, a clearer sound, and a vision that went well beyond the DJ booth.
Today, she’s releasing music on her own imprint BON VOYAGE!, curating intimate location-based events under the same name, and pushing a melodic house and techno sound that refuses to stay in one lane. Her latest track “Got Them”, a confidently executed crossover between atmospheric club music and raw rap energy is proof that the architecture she’s been quietly constructing is starting to speak for itself.
She talks about creative independence, the hard lessons of running a label, and why she thinks the best thing any young artist can do right now is stop asking for permission.
Your new track “Got Them” is a really interesting crossover between melodic house / techno and rap, where did the concept for the track come from, and what was the creative process behind it?
“Got Them” came from the idea of breaking small genre boundaries without overthinking it. I’ve always been inspired by house music and techno because of the emotional depth and atmosphere they create, but at the same time I grew up listening to a lot of rap. That raw attitude and direct energy has always stayed with me. “Got Them” represents where I’m at musically right now. Emotional but confident, driving but controlled. It’s a crossover, but it still feels cohesive and that was the main goal.
You released it on your own label, BON VOYAGE! What does it mean to you creatively and professionally to have full ownership over how your music reaches the world?
Having full ownership gives me the freedom to move at my own pace. I don’t have to adjust my sound to fit into a label’s current direction or wait for the “right timing” according to someone else’s schedule. If a track feels right, if it represents where I am artistically in that moment, I can put it out exactly the way I envision it. I’m involved in everything from artwork to rollout strategy to how the record is positioned in the market. It forces me to think beyond just being a DJ and producer. I have to think long-term, about identity and sustainability and this is how I came up with BON VOYAGE!
Running your own imprint as an artist comes with a whole new set of responsibilities beyond just making music. What’s been the steepest learning curve on the business side?
As an artist, you naturally focus on the music. You want to be in the studio, in that flow state. But running your own imprint forces you to zoom out. You have to think about timelines, distribution, contracts, marketing, cash flow things that don’t feel glamorous, but are essential. Another big shift was delegation. At the beginning, you try to control everything. But I realized quickly that leadership doesn’t mean doing it all yourself it means building the right structure and trusting people who are better than you in certain areas.
When you’re wearing the A&R hat, whether for your own releases or potentially others down the line, what does a record need to have for you to believe in it?
A record doesn’t have to be perfect technically. It doesn’t even have to follow a trend. But it needs to feel honest. When I press play, I want to hear a perspective. Something that tells me this artist knows who they are or at least is brave enough to explore that. Energy is another key factor. As a DJ, I immediately imagine how a track will translate in a club. Does it create tension? Does it move people? Does it hold a moment? Some records don’t scream for attention, but they slowly pull you in and that’s often even more powerful.
You launched BON VOYAGE! as both a label and an event concept, intentionally intimate, location-based experiences rather than massive festival stages. What made you want to create something that deliberately goes against the scale most artists are chasing?
In today’s scene, everything is getting bigger, louder, more spectacular. And don’t get me wrong, massive festival stages are incredible experiences. But at some point I started asking myself: where does the real connection happen? With BON VOYAGE!, I wanted to create something immersive. Location-based, where music, atmosphere and community blend into one experience. When it’s more intimate, every detail matters more. The sound, the design, the lighting, the flow of the night. It becomes less about spectacle and more about emotion. I love see people dancing, enjoying themselves and just forget about their problems for a moment.
You grew up in Austria, which isn’t always the first country people think of when it comes to electronic music, how did the local scene shape you, and do you think it gave you a different perspective than artists who came up in more obvious dance music hubs?
Austria is definitely not the capital of electronic music. There isn’t this massive industry infrastructure where doors automatically open for you. If you have the idea of becoming a DJ, it’s not like there’s a clear roadmap laid out in front of you. For me, it started as a vision long before it became reality. I had this strong feeling that I wanted to be part of that world and not just as a listener, but as someone creating moments for people. But turning that idea into something real was the hard part. There weren’t endless opportunities or big platforms waiting. I had to play small shows, build connections from scratch, prove myself over and over again. You send demos and don’t get replies. You invest in equipment, in music, in travel without knowing if it will pay off. Coming from a country that isn’t seen as a global electronic hotspot means you have to work twice as hard to get noticed internationally. Going from “I have this dream of becoming a DJ” to actually standing on stages internationally wasn’t an overnight transformation. It was years of consistency, self-belief and pushing through moments of doubt. And honestly, I’m grateful for that path. Because when you build something from the ground up in a place where it’s not obvious, you don’t take it for granted. You understand the value of every opportunity and you protect it.
You made the move to New York early on to develop your craft. Looking back, what did that chapter teach you that you couldn’t have learned staying closer to home?
When you grow up in Austria, the scene feels smaller and more contained. New York was the complete opposite. Fast, intense, competitive, inspiring. It throws you into the deep end immediately. No one cares where you’re from. No one is waiting for you. You have to prove yourself every single night. That pressure was something I couldn’t have learned staying close to home. In New York, you’re surrounded by artists from all over the world who are incredibly driven. Looking back, that chapter toughened me up. It expanded my perspective beyond Europe and showed me that if you can survive and grow in a city like New York, you can build anywhere. It gave me resilience and a much bigger vision for what’s possible.
Touring and studio work demand completely different versions of you. How do you protect your creative energy when you’re constantly moving, and how do you transition back into a productive headspace when you do get studio time?
Protecting my creative energy on the road comes down to boundaries and routines. I’m very intentional about carving out quiet time, even if it’s just a few hours in a hotel room without distractions. I try not to overconsume whether that’s social media, constant networking, or even too much music. If you’re always taking input, you don’t leave space for original ideas. When I transition back into studio mode, I don’t expect magic on day one. I usually start by listening back to sketches, reorganizing sounds, or rebuilding my template. Something technical to ease into it. It’s like warming up before a workout.
The conversation around gender representation in electronic music has been ongoing for years now, do you think it’s still a genuine barrier in 2025, or has the industry shifted enough that it’s becoming less of a defining factor for female artists?
The industry has definitely improved. There’s more awareness and more support for female artists than before. But we’re not fully there yet. If you look at some festival lineups, you still see maybe three women on a lineup with fifty male DJs. That shows there’s still work to do. Representation matters and not as a trend, but because the scene should reflect the diversity of the people who are part of it. At the same time, I don’t want to be booked just because I’m a woman. I want to be booked because of my music and the experience I create. But for that to happen fairly, there need to be more real opportunities. I think we’re moving in the right direction, but we need more women on lineups, more women in decision-making roles, and more normalisation overall. The goal is simple: talent first, but equal chances for everyone.
For a young producer or DJ trying to build something right now, what’s the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you earlier that you had to learn the hard way?
I wish someone had told me earlier that consistency beats talent in the long run. When you start, you think one big track, one big show, or one big connection will change everything overnight. But real careers are built slowly. It’s about showing up again and again even when nobody is watching, even when it feels like nothing is happening. I also had to learn that comparison is dangerous. Especially now with social media, it looks like everyone is moving faster than you. But you don’t see the full story behind those moments. Focus on your own path and your own growth. And maybe the most important thing: don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait to be discovered. Organize your own events. Start your own label. Release your music. The moment you stop waiting and start building, everything changes.