IN CONVERSATION WITH TONY y NOT

Interview by Samo Šajn

Tony y Not is a rising German DJ and producer known for her powerful sets and unique mix of house, disco, and acid sounds. She’s played at major festivals like Time Warp and released music on top labels like Kompakt and Nervous Records. She also hosts a podcast about mental health in the music world.

You’ve had a big year with shows like Time Warp NY and new music on Kompakt and Nervous Records. How are you feeling about everything that’s happening right now?

Honestly, I feel satisfied with what I’ve been working on. Playing these amazing shows this year has been great and putting out music on Kompakt and Nervous Records still feels a bit unreal. Things have been a little quieter than in past years, but that’s on purpose. I wanted to slow down a bit and be more thoughtful about what shows I say yes to and when I release music. I’m not trying to do everything all at once – just the things that really feel right. It’s more about quality than chaos right now.

Your new track “I Got It For You” is fun but also a bit emotional. What inspired it, and is it based on a real story?

Ah, the mystery! Let’s just say… I’m not naming names, but yes, there might be a real story behind it. With “I Got It For You,” I wanted to make something that felt fun and light on the surface, like a glittery pop banger but there’s a little ache underneath it. I was inspired by that early 2000s UK pop sound, kind of cheeky, kind of bold, a little dramatic, but still catchy. 

Even when I'm trying to be playful, the emotion always sneaks in. I can’t help it, I think all my tracks carry a bit of heart, even the ones that sound like they’re just there to make you dance. Maybe that’s the trick: make people move and maybe cry a little in the bathroom later. 

You brought your own voice back into your music with “Have You Lost Your Mind?” What made you want to sing again?

Honestly? I just felt like it. One day I was working on the track and thought, “You know what this need? Me.” So I grabbed the mic and went for it. It wasn’t some big master plan, it just felt right.

I’ve been changing how I make music lately. I’m less in my head and more in the moment – letting the feeling lead instead of overthinking every little sound, including my imperfect voice. There’s something kind of raw and real about using my own voice even if it’s not perfect, it’s mine.

Your music always makes people dance, but it also feels meaningful. What do you want people to feel or think about when they hear your tracks?

Yes, I want people to dance – absolutely. I want you to sweat, smile and lose track of time. But I’m also very serious about what dancing means. For me, music isn’t just about fun, it’s about freedom. It’s a way to shake off all the stress, the roles we play, the voices in our heads, and just be.

I want people to feel like they can be their weirdest, truest selves on the dancefloor – no filter, no pressure. That moment when you’re fully in your body, moving without thinking too much.

And there’s something powerful about doing that together, it’s about connection. Music brings people together across all the differences, and I think that’s meaningful. 

You mix a lot of styles—house, acid, disco, even pop and darkwave. How do you find the right balance when you’re making music?

I don’t really sit down and think, “Hmm, how do I balance all these styles?” I just kind of throw sounds at the wall and see what sticks. I follow my mood, and my mood has a very wide music library.

Some days I feel like making something sparkly and poppy, other days it’s acid basslines and drama. I don’t overthink it and I just go with what feels good in the moment. 

People sometimes ask if I’d ever create a separate alias for different genres and sure, maybe that would make marketing easier. But honestly, it’s all still me. I’m one human with many sides, and I think it’s more fun to let them all come out and party together.

You also host a podcast about mental health in music. Why is that important to you, and what have you learned from doing it?

Nightlife can be amazing. Full of creativity, freedom, connection but it also comes with a lot of pressure, exhaustion, comparison, loneliness, and let’s be real... not the best sleep schedule. And for a long time, no one really talked about that part. It was all “good vibes only” – which sounds cute on a flyer but doesn’t help when you’re silently falling apart behind the booth.

Doing the podcast has taught me that so many of us artists, dancers, promoters, everyone are going through similar stuff. When someone finally opens up, you can almost hear the sighs of relief from people listening. Like, “Wait, it’s not just me?” And that’s what I want: to help create a space where people feel seen, not judged, and maybe even laugh a little about the chaos while they’re healing through it.

You’re originally from Zurich, now based in New York, and playing all over the world. How have these places shaped your sound?

Europe in general has this deep musical history, you can feel it in the clubs, the festivals, even in the way people listen. It taught me how to build a proper journey in a set, how to dig deep and keep people locked in.

And then you have New York, a beautiful, chaotic, inspiring mess. It’s loud, it’s diverse, it never sleeps, and somehow it gives you permission to be whoever the hell you want to be. Being in NYC opened me up creatively in a different way. There’s always someone doing something wild here, and that kind of energy pushes you to try things you never thought of before. Traveling and playing around the world just keeps adding more flavours.

When you made “Utama,” you said you pictured people dancing at 4AM. What kind of energy were you trying to create with that track?

I wanted to make something that would keep the energy up when people are deep in the night. The middle-of-the-madness kind of vibe. That hypnotic, primal, “this might be church” kind of energy.

So yeah, I definitely aimed for a dancefloor banger.

When you're in the studio, do you usually start with a mood, a beat, or an idea in your head? What’s your creative process like?

Honestly, the idea never shows up when I’m actually sitting in the studio already to work. A lot of my music starts on my laptop, wherever I happen to be airports, cafés, hotel rooms, friend’s couches. 

When I finally do sit down to build the track properly, it goes one of two ways: either I jump on the idea right away and try to capture the feeling fast, or I start by building a groove – drums, bassline, something with a pulse. I need a beat that makes me want to move my head a little before anything else makes sense.