Hailing from California, rising techno talent ONYVAA lands on Charlotte de Witte‘s KNTXT label with a splendid four-track EP, Lost Angeles.

Operating out of Paris before recently moving back to her hometown to be closer to her family, the record is a collection of supercharged techno rollers inspired by her sudden migration back home. Having appeared on imprints like Plus 8 Records, Pushmaster Discs, and her own label, Passeport Records, ONYVAA’s induction into the KNTXT family indicates that big things are on the horizon for this young and promising techno talent.

Having already received support from Marcel Dettmann, Richie Hawtin, Chris Liebing, and more, the Lost Angeles EP is in a position to become one of the year’s most memorable techno releases. Check out the tracks below.

We quickly caught up with ONYVAA to learn more about her friendship with Charlotte de Witte, how she got her start producing and DJing in Europe, her time back home in LA, and what her hopes and plans are for 2021. 

ONYVAA’S ‘Lost Angeles’ EP is out now via KNTXT. Purchase it on Beatport.

How did you first strike up a friendship with Charlotte de Witte, and how does it feel to be releasing on KNTXT?

We first met at a show in Athens in December 2018, and we immediately hit it off, so the next day, we hiked to the top of Acropolis and bonded. After that, I started playing with her at her KNTXT shows, we always have such a good time together, and the rest is history. I love what they stand for and what they are about. Charlotte and the KNTXT team are the coolest and most down-to-earth squad I’ve met in this industry, so I’m extremely grateful to be a part of this label that feels like a family.

Tell us about how you first got started DJing and producing. How did your sudden departure back home inspire the sound and name behind your latest EP?

I started producing and DJing in Paris in 2015, so I didn’t have much exposure to the techno scene when I lived in Los Angeles before I moved to Europe. I was too young to go to clubs and parties in Los Angeles since I was underage at the time I lived there. So once I moved to Europe, a whole world of underground music opened up to me that I never had a chance to experience in the States. 

I first started learning music production at a school in Amsterdam called Beatfabriek. I went back to Paris to continue learning through private lessons and YouTube tutorials and experimenting independently. Eventually, after I started releasing my music on my label Passeport Records, I started to get booked for DJing gigs, and eventually started to perform live with machines and my modular setup, which was all inspired by being in Europe. So far, my only experience performing in Los Angeles was performing Live before Richie Hawtin at The Palladium for his last CLOSE LIVE performance, which was an amazing experience and incredible debut for me.  

I only recently moved back to Los Angeles in March 2020 because of COVID to be near family since no gigs were happening. I didn’t have a reason to be in Europe during these times. Like many other DJs and artists, our world was basically flipped upside down since the pandemic, so that is what inspired the name Lost Angeles. Being here for such an extended period of time felt surprisingly foreign to me, and the state of Los Angeles has progressively gotten worse since I used to live here. It is really sad to see all the homelessness everywhere around the city. However, I know that I am exactly where I need to be and appreciate every moment here before the industry is back in action and I return to Europe. It’s been great to be back home, and I am looking forward to seeing how the techno scene progresses here in the states. And it definitely feels like it’s a growing scene here, and more and more people are discovering techno here in LA.

What are your hopes and plans for 2021?

I hope our industry is back on full force so we can all reunite on the dancefloors around the world and share our love for music again in the physical realm. Meanwhile, I am taking each day by day, enjoying the time in the studio at home working on music, trying to learn new production techniques, and taking care of my physical and mental health. I am optimistic everything will work out eventually, so making the most of each moment no matter what.