Sound Advice: Anastasia Kristensen

Join Anastasia Kristensen on Sound Advice, the weekly interview series covering artists’ journeys and their creative process. In this episode, we discuss the Copenhagen-based DJ/producer’s latest album and its experimental, textured techno sound, as well as learn more about how she crafts her live show and stays grounded as an artist in 2026.

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Welcome to Sound Advice, the series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers and creatives are leaning into everything SoundCloud offers to elevate their sound, get heard and catapult their careers. Sound Advice is now available in audio format on the SoundCloud Stories profile.

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On this episode of Sound Advice, we’re joined by Anastasia Kristensen, DJ, producer and the head of the absorb emit record label. She dials in from Copenhagen, Denmark to talk about the making of her latest album, ‘Bestiarium Sombre.’ Released on Intercept Records in May 2026, the project is a collection of unusual, anthropomorphic techno tracks inspired by dark beasts.

Elsewhere in our exclusive conversation, Anastasia shares more about her process of creating deeply textured, unconventional music, which involves using field recordings, considering the physics of objects, and testing the limits of various effects and reverbs. We also talk about Anastasia’s viewpoint on music production and DJ sets that test the boundaries of the dancefloor. Plus, she shares how she uses SoundCloud as a DJ and label head, and gives some advice on how to make your demo submission stand out from the rest. 

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LISTEN TO THE AUDIO EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE FEATURING ANASTASIA KRISTENSEN

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LISTEN TO ‘BESTIARIUM SOMBRE’ BY ANASTASIA KRISTENSEN ON SOUNDCLOUD

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Things We Talked About In This Episode of Sound Advice

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The Fantasy Techno and Field Recordings of Anastasia Kristensen’s 2026 Album, ‘Bestiarium Sombre’ 

• We begin the conversation by diving into the concepts behind Anastasia’s latest album, ‘Bestiarium Sombre.’ Focusing on textures and unconventional rhythms with her preferred genre of techno, she started to put together the “universe” of the album. After using field recordings to make the first track of the collection, “Magpie Song,” she found her footing in this “imaginative fantasy world.” 
• She explains how the themes, track titles and artwork all came together, how mechanical and natural field recordings play an especially important role in the production process and in capturing memories of her life through music. “Because we have so many virtual things at our disposal now, I think we want to go back to the physical,” she says. 

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Anastasia Kristensen on Discovering Electronic Music and Growing Her Community on SoundCloud

• Anastasia first got into electronic music in 2006, when she moved from her hometown of Moscow, Russia, to Copenhagen, Denmark, where she’s since lived long term. The move exposed her to a broader variety of music and gave her a community to belong to — which was crucial to her, as a teenager moving to a new country.
• Here, she talks about being exposed to Warp Records, the kinds of electronic, IDM, techno and industrial music that she grew to love, and how she got involved in the local DIY dance music scene. “That was my era of really learning and understanding the music, and SoundCloud played a big role in that,” she says.
• Since the platform’s inception, Anastasia has been using SoundCloud to discover new music, listen to DJ sets, build playlists and follow underground artists. Here, she talks about how she uses the platform features — from hashtags to people’s follow lists — to go into deeper music discovery rabbit holes, but also how she brings her in-person community onto the platform too.
• “It starts with building with your local knowledge, like adding your friends or big name artists that you know,” she says. “The more you dig, the more you create this user database of what is interesting to you, then suddenly, you have 1,000 people to follow.” 

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Anastasia Kristensen on Bridging Experimental Productions and Crowd-Pleasing DJ Sets 

• As Anastasia moved into DJing and production, she started working towards a sound that felt unique to her. Here, she talks about her early releases on record labels like Arcola and Houndstooth, how their left-field rosters inspired her to not want to replicate the commercial labels of the time, and how that in turn inspired her own record label, absorb emit. 
• One way in which Anastasia developed her distinctive sound was through practicing her music-making — even when she’s not making something as left-field as her usual output. 
• Through daily practice, she’s been able to tap into her creativity without putting undue pressure on herself; to not need to have a finished product by the end of every production session. Here, she goes into that mindset deeper and why she finds it so useful for discovering her own sound.
• As Anastasia explains, part of the journey has been to experiment with playing out her own productions in her DJ sets, and seeing how far she can push the boundaries of a techno crowd — at festivals, clubs and live performances alike.
• “This is where the DJ craft fully opens up to me as a very interesting challenge,” she says. “Because I can still play weird music in a danceable manner.” Here, Anastasia talks about bridging that gap between the experimental underground and how to present your music to the public as appealingly as possible. 

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Tip For Artists on Production, Demos, Label Submissions and More

• Since she launched her own record label, absorb emit, Anastasia has developed a process of accepting and listening to demos from artists — and SoundCloud plays a major role in it. Here, she talks about how she’s drawn to producers who understand using textural variation while keeping the listener engaged through rhythm and storytelling. “When we speak about weird, unusual or distorted things, it doesn’t mean that it has to be completely deconstructed,” she says. “I think you can still use those words for music that is very danceable.” 
• As an artist interested in field recordings and sound design, what words of advice does she have for new artists starting out on this journey? Here, Anastasia encourages producers to “explore the production environment that you’re already working in, because there’s often a lot included in your software that you’ve not really got familiar with yet. Duly, you don’t need to invest significant sums of money in equipment or mentorships. What you need is “some self trust.”
• Here, she goes into more detail about how she explores certain genres and sonic palettes more deeply, including how she’s learned to pay more attention to how movement and sound operate in her everyday listening — not just in music. “Understanding how objects behave in the real world will naturally draw you to the right instruments that you need to produce,” she says.  

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Anastasia’s Music Plans for 2026, From Supporting Local Artists to Going on Tour 

• After launching her album, Anastasia is looking forward to better connecting with her local music scene, which features breakthrough indie-electronic acts like Erika de Casier and Smerz, among others. Alongside that in-person enjoyment of music as a listener, she’s also working on shaping the next iteration of her live show, which she’ll be touring in Asia and India later in 2026. 
• So how has she worked on translating songs from the new album, ‘Bestiarium Sombre,’ into a live performance? Here, she talks about how there are differences between the recorded tracks and performed versions, and speaks honestly about how she’s often found the process a challenge. One element of the live show that’s evolved is her collaboration with a dancer. Here, she details the role of the dancer, and how she frames the music in ways that allow the dancer to flourish. 

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Reflections on Resistance, Music Creation and Staying Healthy as a Touring Artist

• Anastasia Kristensen has been on a long journey in music, but also in how she sees and presents herself as a person and artist. Here, she talks about the seemingly high professional stakes of working in electronic music, and how true experimentation requires an acceptance that you’ll likely fail at some point.
• “It’s a constant gamble,” she says. “But you have to examine your motivations; like, ‘Am I doing this to be famous?’” One of her motivations, she explains, is to stay connected to the physical world and other people in a time of heightened anxiety about technology; in this, she sees her tactile music creation as an “act of resistance.”
• Giving advice to fellow artists, Anastasia says that “being able to put your worries away is very important.” Going into more detail she talks about how she’s tapped into spiritual and philosophical ways of living that have allowed her to grow, and shares practical advice to fellow artists on how you can prepare for performances with a good state of mind. “Explore the wellness mechanisms before you become a full-on touring DJ,” she says. “Keep an eye on what triggers you, and how you feel.”

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Anastasia Kristensen on Using SoundCloud to Grow Her Record Label and Connect With Artists

• Since launching her record label, absorb emit, in 2023, Anastasia has been guided by a sonic principle: to make and push “texturised, dance-orientated music” that pushes production boundaries while still being “danceable and physical.” One of the artists on absorb emit, Rask, also based in Denmark, connected with Anastasia through SoundCloud. So what’s the best way to approach a record label on SoundCloud to maximize your chances of getting feedback?
• Anastasia’s advice is to make your profile information and tracks as accessible as possible. When submitting demos through direct messaging, it’s worthwhile to submit multiple tracks in a single playlist catered to that label. She also recommends labelling your tracks correctly and making your tracks available for download. From there, a better conversation can flow.

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Links and Extras

Follow Anastasia Kristensen’s journey on SoundCloud.
Press play on Anastasia Kristensen’s 2026 album, ‘Bestiarium Sombre.’ 
Hit play on one of Anastasia Kristensen’s latest tracks, “Magpie Song.”
Listen to “Secretary Bird,” Anastasia Kristensen’s latest single from March 2026.
Check out ‘Cheese Interface,’ the collaborative release on Anastasia Kristensen’s absorb emit record label, by Nikki Nair, Thys and Kelbin.
Explore some of Anastasia Kristensen’s wide-ranging influences, including Warp Records, Special Request and Underground Resistance, to name a few.
Listen to the New Era Techno playlist on SoundCloud.
Never miss an episode and follow the official Sound Advice playlist on SoundCloud.

Getting The Most Out of SoundCloud

Learn more about using DMs to connect with fellow artists and potential collaborators.
Learn more about how to make a custom playlist on SoundCloud.
Learn more about unlimited uploads, available with an Artist Pro subscription.
Learn more unlocking access to unlimited distribution, available with Artist Pro.
Learn more about getting heard with SoundCloud’s updated algorithm, available to Artist and Artist Pro subscribers.

To discover additional features a SoundCloud Artist or Artist Pro subscription offers, visit here. To catch up on past installments of Sound Advice and make sure you don’t miss out on future episodes, visit here.

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_{CREDITS Host: Vivian Host, Executive Producer: Mike Spinella, Producer: KC Orcutt, Audio Engineer: David “DibS” Shackney, Coordinator: Trevor McGee, Editorial Associate: Lauren Martin}