The women of progressive house and melodic techno are a formidable bunch. Not only are they inspired, but they’re innovative, evocative, and impressively industrious. These women are from all over the world and come from a menagerie of influence and inspiration. If it were possible, we’d celebrate every single one of them.




The 11 women on our list are an inspiration to fellow females and all burgeoning young producers in the genre. Between the lot of them, they’ve graced the biggest festival stages in the world, released magnificent music on the industry’s biggest labels, and made a name for themselves doing what they love. Let’s hear it for the girls.




1. Miss Monique

The eclectic mix of techno, trance, and progressive house that Miss Monique creates has racked up a severe online fanbase. The producer turned to her YouTube channel through the pandemic to connect with fans and play music. There, her Livestream sets have racked up millions of hits. She also has a fan-favorite podcast, Mind Games, where listeners are treated to a fresh DJ set every month.




2. Gioli and Assia

As two multi-faceted, creative women, Giolì & Assia started as an artist/manager duo. Assia was the practical, get-it-done accomplice to Giolì’s burgeoning sound as a DJ and producer. After opening their label, Diesis Records, and finally landing on a clear direction forward as the melodic techno / electro-pop duo Giolì & Assia. Their music is often flavored with a bit of the Middle East, adding hand pans, steel drums, and other fun instruments.






3. Korolova

Born in Kyiv, Olga Korolova is a rising superstar in melodic techno. Her visually stunning YouTube videos and intimate performances have earned her a mass of dedicated fans and critical acclaim. Melodic techno is a somewhat new direction for Ukranian artist who started her career in EDM. She feels that she's truly found her dance music calling now, evidenced by her domination of the club charts and support from industry luminaries. She even recently went back to back with Gordo on one of her livestreams.




4. Maya Jane Coles

Maya Jane Coles is usually involved in every aspect of her work. From writing, production, engineering, mixing, and even cover design. She has a vision. The London-based producer / DJ has collected a staggering three million followers on Soundcloud, 20+ magazine covers, and countless worldwide fans thanks to her effortlessly chic take on house and techno.




5. Sinca

Sinca has a multicultural and vastly artistic background. The Montreal native is a fast-emerging DJ and producer whose already been named a rising star in her field. Her debut release, the instrumental progressive house track “Mancora,” was picked up by UK label and global tastemaker Anjunabeats.




6. Anfisa Letyago

Anfisa Letyago debuted on the iconic Dutch label Spinnin’ Records in 2016 with “Stop Talking.” Her style is a mix between hard-hitting melodic techno and deep house grooves. In 2021, she officially launched her label, N:S:DA. Toss in a BBC Radio 1 Residency, an official Moby remix, and a digital Mixmag cover, and it’s apparent Anfisa is here to stay.




7. Giorgia Angiuli

Giorgia Angiuli is a classically trained musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from Italy. Through her solo productions, she moves seamlessly between techno, house, and electro-pop. She’s also a big fan of toys. In addition to her dreamy vocals, during her live sets, she uses a theremin, toy flute, sax, trumpets, and just about any instrumental toy she can get her hands on.




8. Eli & Fur

This London-based duo created a truly mesmerizing sound. Eli & Fur marry mysteriously moody melodies with evocative vocals and cascading synths with a flair for dark, emotive dance anthems. With a steady stream of releases on their own NYX Music and seminal imprints like Anjunadeep and Sony RCA, they’ll undoubtedly continue to mesmerize dancefloors for years to come.




9. Dinka

Tamara Hunkeler, better known by her stage name Dinka, describes her sound as “Multicultural Dance Music.” The Swiss DJ taps influence from world music to add to her uplifting brand of progressive house. From 2007 - 2017 she couldn’t be stopped, snagging deals with both Anjunabeats and A State of Trance. Though we haven’t heard much from her since then, she’s still earned a well-deserved spot at the top.






10. Eleonora

The genre palette of Eleonora almost reads like a drink menu: dark pop, cold wave, downtempo, and trip-hop. And much like a good bartender, she blends it all seamlessly together. Her chill variety of techno lends itself well to her sultry voice, as apparent in tracks like “Awake.” Besides her experimental electro, she’s also fronted several inspired jazz projects.



10 Women of Progressive House and Melodic Techno

Ultra’s return to historic Bayfront Park in Miami gets a touch sweeter today with the announcement of the Resistance lineup. The underground house and techno off-shoot of Ultra has a well-documented reputation for curating forward-thinking lineups. And next March 25-27 they’ve upped the ante with an impressive array of world-class talent that spans the expansive diversity of the underground community.


The Resistance lineup gives some context to some of the incredible artists already announced on the Phase 1 lineup.  Melodic techno duo and Afterlife Records head honchos Tale Of Us join progressive titans CamelPhat, veteran and legend Dubfire, and Resistance champion Carl Cox who debuts his all-new three hours hybrid performance exclusively for Ultra Miami 2022.

What’s truly striking is the diversity in the rest of the lineup. The representation of fantastic women in house and techno can’t be undersold. And this year’s lineup includes venerated acts alongside exciting rising stars. Amelie Lens, ANNA, Anfisa Letyago, Nina Kraviz, Sama’ Abdulhadi, Ann Clue, Georgia Anjuli, and Nala will all take the stage.



The lineup is also diverse in sound with a broad sonic footprint, from the grooving bassline of Dom Dolla and John Summit to the sweeping melodics of Hannes Beiger’s live performance. The pounding beats of Adam Beyer to the sun-soaked Beatport topping tech house of Solardo and the legendary progressive sonics of Sasha | John Digweed. The Resistance lineup overflows with talent. There’s so much there that you’ll never have to leave the revamped Resistance area of Ultra Miami.



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Resistance will take residence in a new section of Ultra’s fabled home on the park's northern perimeter. The new location allows house and techno fans to spread amongst multiple areas, including the Carl Cox megastructure and an all-new concept called The Cove. Beneath the palm trees overlooking Biscane Bay, Resistance fans will feel a hint of nostalgia for 2019’s Resistance Island.

Tickets on sale now at https://ultramusicfestival.com/tickets/miami/

Ultra Miami Unveils the Resistance Lineup for 2022

Classic techno with an extraterrestrial bent, Anfisa Letyago is using her unique sounds to quickly build steam as one of the genre’s new tastemakers. Especially in recent years, her underground-adjacent musical quality is hitting the mainstream in a major way: in May 2022, she graced the cover of MixMag and she’s also gearing up for major shows in Ibiza and at Exit Festival in Serbia.

Born and raised in Naples, Italy, Letyago has always had music in her veins. In her MixMag interview, she says, as a child, she was surrounded by music. She cites her grandmother’s extensive collection of vinyl as an early inspiration, as well as her father’s prowess on the bass and guitar.

She got her start as a DJ/producer experimenting with the equipment and with making beats, and ten years after that, she released her first track, “Stop Talking,” on Dutch powerhouse label Spinnin’ Records. Since then, she’s performed all across the world, from Argentina to Berlin.

She’s been hailed by DJ Mag as their 2019 breakthrough DJ/producer and by Carl Cox as a ‘really talented performer.’ Cox also signed three of her EPs—‘So Good,’ ‘Catch the Spirit,’ and ‘Hypnotic’—to his highly regarded label, Intec. Her productions have earned nods from Adam Beyer and Charlotte de Witte and she’s remixed tracks from the likes of Pan-Pot and Tube & Berger. And—as many artists do when they’ve reached the level that Letyago has—the DJ/producer has minted her own label, N:S:DA Records.

Anfisa Letyago

Articles

Sierra Vandervort

Alexander Dias