Dianthe swung by to delve into her artistic roots, explore how she crafts her dark, cinematic soundscapes, and discuss where she hopes her journey will take her next.
Dianthe has been championing a techno sound that’s rooted in darker, cinematic soundscapes. Originally from Novosibirsk, Russia, but now based in San Diego, this rising artist in the scene has carved out a niche for herself since launching the project in 2022. Since then, she’s brought her signature sound to labels like Shadow Wulf, Solid Audio, Alula Tunes, Subios Records, Lucid Kat, and more, all while taking the stage at venues throughout California.
This year has seen Dianthe continue her rise through the scene’s ranks with plenty of energy propelling her forward. She’s dropped off some fantastic tunes like “Eyes Closed,” “Last Words,” and “Signal Lost” that are dripping with layers of captivating melodic moments, quality synths, and booming basslines that thud into the depths of the night. Additionally, she’s recently taken the stage at Avalon Hollywood in support of Fatima Hajji, Halcyon SF in support of Weska, and EQ during its recent Techno Jungle event.
While Dianthe’s sounds might be dark and brooding, the future is clearly bright in the techno community. She sat down with EDM Identity to chat about her roots, her rise, and where she’s headed next, so listen to her exclusive guest mix and read on for the full conversation!
Stream EDMID Guest Mix 472 || Dianthe on SoundCloud:
Let’s dive into your musical roots to kick this off. Tell us about your background in classical piano and metal, and how those genres and living in Russia influenced your journey as a musician.
Thank you so much for having me! Absolutely, let’s go back in time a little bit. One of my first memories is playing the piano at my grandmother’s house. My parents were listening to a variety of classic rock at the time, and at five years old, I was playing Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” on my grandmother’s piano – by ear. They took that as a sign that I have a natural inclination towards music and put me in piano lessons.
Within a few years, I was playing Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart in recitals. There was a major emphasis on classical music and musicality for Russian kids in the ’90s, so the style and complexity of classical made a strong impression in my mind. I also always enjoyed music that has a haunting, emotional feel – minor key signatures, emotional melodies, and intense, driving grooves. I think the combination of hearing rock at an early age and the piano training created some type of solid foundation for me. When I became a teenager, I found some of my favorite bands of all time: Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, and Metallica, to name a few. This style of metal music to me mirrored the elements that I enjoyed from classical – moody, emotional, complex, and intense.
I stopped playing piano at that time and started playing electric guitar for a few years, and then bass guitar for a year or two in my later teens. I also always loved European trance because they played it at the beaches in Russia, so some of my best childhood memories were associated with electronic music. Even many years after moving to the US, whenever I heard any sort of trance-like stuff, I would recall all those happy beach memories, which naturally drew me to this vibe as well.
Was there a moment you realized you had fallen in love with the underground sounds of techno and psytrance?
Well, my love for techno actually evolved out of listening to melodic house music for a couple of years. I have attended Burning Man several times, and my favorite projects there were always the “playa tech” or “organic deep house” sound-based projects, such as Mayan Warrior, Robot Heart, and Pink Mammoth, among others. I started listening to Bedouin, Hrach, Davi, and Lee Burridge – these artists are amazing melodic dance music producers.
Somewhere along the way, I found older Afterlife and Steyoyoke, two melodic techno labels which had the melody but also the darkness I was looking for at the time – this was one of my greatest turning points of inspiration. That is when I started producing and taking learning to DJ a little more seriously. I went down the dark melodic techno rabbit hole for a couple of years and eventually found deep hypnotic techno, and shortly after that, I found the dark minimal / psytech sound that I make now.
So I suppose that the sound exploration and falling in love with the music I make now was more of a gradual process that stemmed from my experiences at Burning Man and the continuous search for that haunting, dark, and ethereal/otherworldly vibe that lives in my musical vision. I think I’m still developing it and continuing to search for it after all these years.
Your take on the genre is deep, dark, and driving, giving each soundscape an incredible atmosphere. What’s your approach in the studio when crafting tunes like “Eyes Closed” and “Last Words”?
My production process is a bit chaotic! It takes a while for an idea to develop. I start with the kick, bass, and drums… and after that, I go through my sound and synth libraries to find a spark for an idea. Sometimes that spark takes the form of a melody… Other times, I find a cool bass stab preset and manipulate it three different ways to create an impactful drop synth.
If the stabs and bass effects come to me first, I will make a pattern that can be evolved throughout the track to keep things groovy and interesting. Usually, the main hook is one of the last things to come together – I go through several ideas, sometimes taking breaks and coming back to the track, before something sticks. The main “hook” or idea takes me the longest to develop, but once that comes together, it feels like the track writes itself and comes together very quickly. I do listen to other techno for inspiration, but I feel like the majority of what inspires me comes from reading books, being in nature, and other styles of music.
Subios Records, Nothing But, Shadow Wulf, Lucid Kat, and Alula Tunes are just some of the imprints you’ve dropped releases on. How have these labels impacted your growth as an artist?
Some of them were my goal labels when I started making the style of music I make now – Alula, Subios, and Shadow Wulf being the main ones I was originally set on. I was playing tracks from these labels for a couple of years before I was able to release on them, and was rejected with my first few demos! Luckily, I have wonderful support from many people, and I knew that was to be expected, so I did not give up.
Rejection is inevitable in this industry, and the only way to make it through is to learn not to take it personally, accept constructive feedback, and continue to improve your work. So yes, it feels great to have released on some of my goal labels!
Lucid Kat is a little bit of a different story. Other than Shadow Wulf (based out of LA), I did not know any US-based labels that released dark minimal/psytech, so when I found Lucid Kat on Instagram, I was so excited to find out that they were also based out of LA, and hosted underground parties. I instantly sent them a demo and shortly after became part of the core label crew. Since this happened over a year ago, we’ve thrown several parties, planned countless releases together, and are continuing to grow as a label.
You’re fresh off performances at Avalon Hollywood, Halcyon SF, and EQ in San Diego. Do you find yourself adjusting your style to match the venue’s vibe and the energy of its crowd? How much planning takes place?
I absolutely have to adjust to the crowd and venues. Since hard techno is all the rage right now, I end up regularly playing with hard techno artists – opening or direct support roles. The most recent of these was my opening set at Avalon Hollywood for Fatima Hajji. If I am part of a hard techno lineup and I play 128 bpm groovy dark minimal, the crowd usually wants more energy. So I find tracks that are in the peak-time or hypnotic categories that are higher BPM and a little heavier, but still have the same darker/cinematic/haunting vibe that I aim for in my productions.
I also recently played direct support for a hardstyle/hard techno artist at an underground event over at Inland Empire (in Southern CA) a couple of months ago. I started my set at 137 bpm playing fun peaktime tracks with vocals – the crowd loves these – and worked my way up to 142 bpm hypnotic. This was one of my favorite sets I’ve played all year.
Being adaptable as a DJ, while still maintaining my signature sound, is a very good learning experience and helps me discover new music and become a better artist. When I played at Halcyon SF, I was able to play more of my 128 bpm groovy stuff, which was nice. Weska was headlining after me, and he doesn’t play hard techno.
What’s been the biggest struggle you’ve faced in your career so far? How have you taken steps to beat it or overcome it entirely?
The biggest struggle for me has been having very niche tastes in an industry that usually favors artists who follow trends. I’ve never been able to just do what’s “in”, even if that meant having more opportunities. I had to learn how to promote myself, run advertisements, and find ways to get my music heard by more people without the advantage of having the larger platforms/labels/events that usually pick artists based on how well they fit into existing trends.
I’ve often heard that originality and authenticity in art are good, but the business side of the music industry often sees unfamiliar sounds and brands as risky investments. I’ve been very fortunate to have supportive people in my corner because of my uniqueness – I know that as long as I keep going, growing, and learning, this will work very well for me and my career in the long run.
You’re originally from Russia, but now based in San Diego. What prompted you to head to the States? Did you experience any culture shock after the move?
I was six years old when my family moved here. My father is a software engineer, and was invited to come to the Bay Area (CA) on a work visa in the 90s. Since the Russian economy was in bad shape post-USSR and the tech industry of California was just starting to grow, this was the move that made most sense for my family at the time. It was a little bit of a culture shock, but we found many other Russian families in the Bay Area that immigrated for the same reason. I was able to go back and visit almost every summer during my childhood – I saw my grandparents, kept in touch with my friends, and even went to school there on and off while growing up.
The biggest culture shock may have been going to elementary school and not speaking any English, but even that was not too shocking because there were other kids in my grade who were going through the same thing. I would come home, and my mom would have me study the Russian-English dictionary. After I became fluent in English, she switched to having me study from Russian textbooks so that I wouldn’t lose my first language, which is very common with immigrant kids. I am very grateful for that now, and am still fluent in Russian.
What’s your favorite thing about the local scene in San Diego? Is there anything you’d like to see change in the future?
Definitely the people! I’ve lived in several cities on the West Coast now, and San Diego is by far the friendliest and most welcoming. My first weekend living in SD was back in October 2023, and I went to a Deep Tech on the Bay x Afternoon Umbrella Friends collaboration boat party. I had no friends or even acquaintances here, and was instantly welcomed into the community. I went out to different parties, clubs, and showcases every weekend during my first several months living in San Diego. Everybody I met was very kind, supportive, and invited me to more events where I met even more awesome people. My theory is that warm weather makes people warmer, too.
Finally, with half of the year in the rearview mirror, what goals do you hope to achieve throughout the rest of 2025?
So far, 2025 has been full of milestones, growth, and discovery! I plan for this to continue – gigs in exciting new places (to be announced soon), a couple of collaborations on both the event and music production fronts, and completion of some personal production projects. I am in the process of making a four-track EP right now for a new goal label, so I aim to have that finished by the end of this summer. I am co-hosting a couple of parties in both San Diego and Los Angeles in September, and the planning for these is well underway.
My main goal is to spread awareness and appreciation for the darker and groovier styles of techno, and this is being slowly achieved through the events I am planning with Lucid Kat Recordings and my friends from Mioli Music. There are a couple of other projects that are in the initial stages right now that will be announced later this year! Also, I am going to ADE (Amsterdam) and am very eager to play in Europe sometime soon. I am highly looking forward to seeing how the rest of this year unfolds.
