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Headstrong and in her own unique way, she found herself in the world of DJing. This week in the series MY FIRST GIG: Swedish DJ/producer Menja Lindblad, a.k.a. Menja Mist. “I’m known for always doing things my own way.”
“I definitely grew up with music. My father played double bass in a jazz band during his student days. At home, we listened to a lot of classical music. My favorite when I was about ten years old was Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte“. I had it on vinyl and played it to death. Later on, I started playing classical flute myself.”
Progressive Rock
“When I got a bit older, my older brother Lars introduced me to progressive rock, think: Genesis and Peter Gabriel. During my teenage years, I also listened to that kind of music, along with artists like Level 42. I wasn’t a fan of most radio music; I found the full, rich sound and dynamics of that melodic rock so much more interesting.”
American School
“My father is a diplomat, so we moved around a lot when I was growing up. When I was only three days old, we moved to Germany. After that came Pakistan, my home country Sweden again, then Germany once more, and my father also spent some time in Angola. I mainly attended the American school in Bonn, which basically meant I lived like an American, not a German. Absurd.” (laughs) “I did visit my father in Angola, but since there wasn’t any proper education available for me there, I returned to Germany and later Sweden.”
No Judgment
“All that traveling and moving around taught me not to judge others, culturally or otherwise. The same goes for music. Good music is good music. Period.”
Thousands of Hours of Practice
“During high school in Germany, I started playing classical flute. I joined the school band and took it very seriously. I practiced for thousands of hours, and it wasn’t light material either – more Bach and Beethoven style. I learned that playing an instrument helps you understand what music truly is and what it means.”
Bed & Breakfast
“In Sweden, I met my then-husband, whom I married at eighteen. Together we ran a nature film production company. Later, over 25 years ago, we moved to France. My partner was a professional paraglider pilot, and together we started a bed & breakfast for paragliders in Annecy. In winter, most of our guests were skiers.”
Revelation
“That’s where my music career began. I started making deep house compilations for our guests, which they could take home after their stay. I made thirteen in total. People loved those CDs. They often played them in the car and later told me how much they enjoyed them. Gradually I realized that the way I recorded and arranged the tracks created a vibe that could actually move people. That’s when it dawned on me that I could influence people’s moods. It was a real revelation! That’s when I wanted to learn how to mix.”
Crashing Every Ten Minutes
“I’m known for always doing things my own way.” (laughs) “So, I bought a small Hercules mixer that allowed me to work with CDs. I could also connect it to my computer, I think through a program called Firewire. Around that time, I was one of the first people to start using Traktor. Everyone thought I was crazy. ‘That program’s crap,’ they said. And they were right back then; it crashed every ten minutes and was awful. But I’ve stuck with it ever since, and of course, it’s a totally different story now.”
A Whole New World
“At some point, I started DJing a bit for our bed & breakfast guests. That’s how I practiced. I realized it wasn’t just about choosing and ordering the tracks, but that I could do so much more with it, like using the transition between two tracks to create a kind of third one. That opened up a whole new world for me.”
Loungy Hangout
“In winter, my partner traveled the world for paragliding, and I often went with him. One day, I was asked to play some music at the launch area. And that’s what I consider my first real gig: the Nordic Paragliding Championship in Annecy. There were two areas: one at the launch and one at the landing site. I played at the launch, a loungy hangout where everyone gathered at the end of the day for drinks. I’d say there were about a hundred people from all over the world.”
Know Your Music!
“I was really nervous and carefully selected my tracks beforehand. I went back to the music from those compilations since I knew those tracks inside out. I can name a few: “Drum Study – Afrilounge Remix” by Zoka Matic, which I still play whenever I can, “Gotta Be Deep – Aki Bergen Remix” by Dale Howard, and “Playin’ Jazz – Kirby Remix” by Ross Couch. That night, I learned something I’ve never forgotten: know your music! It makes everything so much easier.”
Aware Of Technical Side
“I was nervous for two reasons. First, you never know if the crowd will like your music. Second, I was still very aware of the technical side of things. There are so many levels of mixing, but I kept it simple: clean transitions, no fancy tricks, no “musical aerobics”. Just good tracks I was comfortable with.” (laughs) “I mainly played deep house and Café del Mar-type tracks, but a bit more upbeat.”
Proud
“Of course, my partner was there, though he needed a bit of time to get used to the idea of me taking this musical path. But he always supported me in the background. When he saw how I was progressing, he was really proud.”
Encouraged
“Did I make mistakes that first time? Nothing catastrophic, at least. The only problems came from Traktor crashing. After my set, several people came up to me to say how much they liked it and congratulated me. Maybe the fact that most of them already knew me – and that I was a woman – played a small role. But overall, people were genuinely enthusiastic. That motivated me to keep going.”
Beeps Became a Local Hit
“That gig led to many more around the world, both at launch and landing sites for paragliding. I even played for 750 people during the Paragliding World Cup in Brazil. For that event, I produced a track together with local DJ João Pinaud called “The Vario Song”. There’s a fun story behind it. In paragliding, you use devices that beep-one sound when you’re ascending and another when descending. The beeps sound completely different. We decided to include those beeps in the track, along with high-pitched vocals. Believe it or not, it became a local hit! When I played the track again at the same spot later, people came up to me saying, ‘Oh wow, you’re the DJ from that track!’” (laughs)
Humvee
“After that, I produced quite a bit more music. I collaborated with a Brazilian percussionist on a techno record called “The Calling” (Menja Mist, Marcelo Vig), which also features me on flute. I even designed the cover myself. I played a lot in France too, held several residencies in small clubs and bars, and performed at private parties. Eventually, I’d had enough of that scene and bought an American military vehicle, a humvee, with a built-in sound system. I was single by then and drove to various events, sometimes sponsored by companies like Heineken. I’d either DJ myself or host another DJ playing from my humvee.”
Right Place, Right Time
“About six years ago, I wanted to be closer to the music scene and had to choose between Berlin and Amsterdam. I sold the humvee and first came to the Netherlands, where I could stay for a month at a friend’s house while he was traveling. Coincidentally, that friend was good friends with Mr. Awakenings himself, Rocco Veenboer, who introduced me to him. So yes, I really landed in the right place at the right time! Rocco encouraged me to start producing more and to reassess my style. After all, what works in France is totally different from what the Dutch scene wants.”
Residency
“I quickly landed a residency at a club on the Rokin called The Tara, which, unfortunately, no longer exists. It was a huge venue with a restaurant, dance floor, and cocktail bar, mainly aimed at tourists. I played there every Friday night for a year and a half. Since then, I’ve often played at Techno Tuesday. I also host a monthly show on DI.FM called Binary Fusion with Menja Mist, which airs right before Drumcode Live with Adam Beyer. On top of that, I had a two-year residency on EJR Radio with a show called Sentinelle with Menja Mist.”
Universo Paralello
“My biggest performances have always been in Brazil. In 2019, I played at Universo Paralello, where a few thousand people were in front of me. And how about Carnival in Rio? Our stage was at the end of a one-way street, which completely filled up with people – at least fifty thousand of them. I’m now preparing for a Brazil tour. The details are still being worked out, but I’ll be playing gigs from now through March in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Curitiba (in southern Brazil). And of course, I’ll be performing during Carnival again. I can’t wait!”
“Since last year, I’ve been a resident DJ for Amsterdam Nights & Dark Disco, where we play techno, acid, and hard techno. You can catch me performing on December 28 at Club John Doe in Amsterdam.”
This interview with Menja Mist was originally published in January 2023 on This Is Our House.
Who is Menja Mist?
Menja Lindblad a.k.a. Menja Mist, the daughter of a Swedish ambassador, brings a touch of class and mystique to the rejuvenation of the Dutch techno scene. Performing under the name Menja Mist, she has carved out a unique musical identity that blends deep-rooted Scandinavian folklore with modern techno rhythms.
The name Menja refers to a giantess from an ancient Norse poem. She was a woman who broke free from slavery. That symbolism of strength and independence runs like a thread through her music. In her recent release, “Zeta’s Journey”, she weaves sounds from Nordic folk traditions into a heartfelt ode to her late companion, a Berger de Savoie, a rare French shepherd breed. The track reflects her ability to translate emotion into soulful, melodic techno.
Menja Mist calls her style “native techno”. Not only as an homage to indigenous musical traditions but also as a way to reconnect techno with its own ritualistic roots. In Menja Mist’s sets, she seamlessly weaves harmonic influences together, creating musical journeys that are both powerful and immersive.
Menja Mist’s approach to mixing reveals experience and confidence: she doesn’t rely on abrupt transitions but prefers to let tracks flow naturally into one another. The result is a progressive narrative that draws the audience into an unfolding sonic experience.
Menja Mist spent twelve years living and performing in France, where she built a loyal cult following. Touring in a custom 8,000 lb Hummer fitted with 5,000 megawatt speakers, she performed across the country and shared the stage with respected names such as Levon Vincent, Dan Ghenacia, and Mr. C.
Today, Menja Mist brings that same adventurous spirit to the Netherlands, where she continues to develop her concept of Native Techno. Her music builds bridges between worlds, between the ancient and the modern, nature and machine, emotion and energy.
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