The Crowd Stays Close / Jowi

Keeping the chaos controlled and the crowd inside it.

Jowi doesn’t settle into one frequency. Dropping her master’s to go all in, grew from local floors to festival stages and never stopped feeling like part of the crowd rather than above it. We talked about controlling energy without flattening it, about hard kicks and gabba and what the scene still gets wrong.

There was no doubt a point in your life where you transitioned your career to music, when was this, and how did you achieve a career in music initially? Tell us about the early days of JOWI before music.

Well, good start so you get to know me a bit. I was born in Poland and lived there for 13 years. Then we moved to Germany because my dad was already working here and my parents didn’t want to stay separated. It was a hard age to move, no language, no friends, completely new life. But music was always there for me. It was the easiest way to connect with people.

I’ve been listening to electronic music since I can remember. My dad is a big trance fan, so we always had music playing in the car. When I was around 10, I was already listening to Basshunter, Pakito or C-Bool.

In Germany I discovered festivals like Tomorrowland on YouTube and completely fell in love with the dance scene. I was into everything, dubstep, Melbourne house, hardstyle, the classics EDM teenager. At 18 I found techno and that was the moment I knew this is it. Not just being in the crowd but being the one playing.

I started raving almost every weekend and really looking up to DJs like Dax J, Amelie Lens, Rødhåd and many more. In 2019 a friend of mine, ElMefti, sold me his mixer and two weeks later I played my first set at a small rave I organized in the woods for my birthday. It was honestly not good at all, but I loved it.

Then the pandemic came so I stayed home, practiced and recorded sets and started producing. After the pandemic, things slowly started to grow – from small local shows to my first big festival stage at Verknipt in the Netherlands, which was a huge turning point for me. I told myself after my bachelor I go all in and that’s what I did. I had to make a real sacrifice and let go of my master to fully focus on music.
I think I also disappointed my family a bit (they’re cool with it now though). That was the turning point where I gave 100 percent, and somehow everything started to fall into place. I also only surrendered with people who believed in me, no competition no bad blood, they gave me the energy I needed as well. But without the ravers I wouldn’t be here.

Was it the surroundings of where you lived that have helped carve your sound, or was it more that discovering other music, and learning about the dance scene that shaped how and what you play today?

Both for sure. Germany had a huge impact on me. The dark, groovy energy in the clubs really taught me how to feel techno and the respect inside the scene. Raving every weekend, talking with people for hours about music, that shaped me a lot.

At the same time, bigger events and harder styles influenced me just as much. Massive venues, heavy sound systems, strong kicks, long emotional breaks, that energy really stayed with me. That’s where my love for harder and more intense sounds comes from.

So, it’s really a mix of underground club culture and those bigger, harder experiences.

We heard that you intentionally keep your music diverse, to explore new and unexpected ideas. Can you share some of those with us?

I could never play one straight style the whole set. For me it’s about variation, different kicks, basslines, percussion and especially different moods.

I like playing with expectations and controlling the energy in the room. Giving people something they didn’t expect but still making it feel right in that moment.

I want people to leave my set thinking wow I didn’t see that coming, but it made sense. Not just that I played what they already knew.

Sometimes I go harder, sometimes groovier, sometimes I even slow it down at the end. I really love finishing a set in a different energy than I started.

Of course, I also have some tracks that describe my style well, but my signature is, that I have certain elements that always run through my sets – fast, driving grooves, emotional breaks and a slightly chaotic but controlled energy, with a signature that blends all the harder shades of techno into one.

“Music was always there for me. It was the easiest way to connect with people.”

What do you think it takes to make it as a female DJ in todays landscape? Do you think it has become easier or harder for women after a lot of conversations about equality?

It’s still not equal, even if it’s slowly getting better. I feel like women in this scene are judged way more and in a completely different way. No matter what you do it’s always too much or not enough. Too sexy, too boring, too hard, too soft. People always find something.

There is still this idea that women get bookings because of how they look, which is honestly outdated. And if you look at male DJs, image also plays a role there, but it’s not questioned in the same way.

You often have to prove yourself more. Again, and again. That you know what you’re doing, that you deserve your place. And that can be exhausting.

At the same time things are changing. More strong female artists, more awareness, more conversations. But still, in 2026 we shouldn’t even have to talk about this anymore.

In the end it should be about music, energy and connection, not gender. But we are not fully there yet. I try to be a good example, I think it’s a good way to start

What does an average day for you look like, when not on the road, and not making music? I feel many fans always think that every DJ, lives and breathes music, do you feel this is an accurate way to describe yourself?

Honestly, I still live and breathe music a lot. There is always something to do, emails, planning tours, calls with my team, calls with my manager, traveling, producing.

But I try to have at least one day where I really switch off. Usually Monday. I don’t touch my phone much, I stay in bed, order food and just do nothing. Best case the neighbourhood cat comes to visit me.

On other days I enjoy simple things, being in nature, cooking, meeting friends, going for coffee, going out for food. Sometimes I even convince myself to go to the gym or for a hike. I even started doing puzzles recently.

When it gets warmer, I will probably spend most of my time outside at the lake, just staying in the water until my skin gets wrinkly and I don’t even notice how much time passed. I also want to buy motorcycle soon.
And since I live with Jazzy, we do a lot of these things together.

Your upcoming release “Game Over” seems to merge different sides of your sound. What worlds are you bringing together in this track?

With this track I’m bringing together two different worlds. On one side my love for more playful, bouncy gabba vibes, and on the other side a really hard industrial kick.

I’m still learning a lot when it comes to making proper hard kicks, so this track is also part of that process. Trying things out, pushing myself and understanding how to make them hit the way I really want. For me it’s not about choosing one direction, it’s about combining different energies and growing through it.

Your music often leans toward very hard, intense energy. What draws you personally to that sonic direction?

It’s hard to explain, it just feels addictive. There is something very special about these moments when everyone is dancing, smiling, losing control in a good way. It feels like we are all connected. It also gives me a feeling I can’t really find anywhere else. Pure energy, no overthinking, just being in the moment.
I always feel like I’m part of the crowd, not separated from it. That’s why I love when people are close to me, around me, in front of me. It becomes one shared energy. I just know I could be friends with them all and we could hang out.

The hard techno scene has been facing increasing scrutiny lately, especially around certain artists. How do you personally reflect on the current state of the scene and what do you think can be done to improve it?

I think it was necessary that certain topics came to light. Some artists forget that they are in this position because of the people. There needs to be more respect. The scene should never be used to take advantage of others.
It’s important to talk about these things and to support people who experienced any kind of assault. And people need to understand that it already starts with small things like unwanted touching, kissing or sending unwanted d*** pics. There is no place for that in this scene.
At the end it should be about music, respect and a safe space for everyone.

The Crowd Stays Close / Jowi

Credits:

Artist: Jowi / @jowijane
Interview: Irina Klisarova / @its.irka.bitch

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