"I Was an Outsider Girl": How Lilly Palmer Went from Loving Death Metal to Deep House and Techno

An Inside Look at Lilly Palmer's Techno Imprint, Spannung Records

Watch Lilly Palmer Serve Techno Journeys at the Eiffel Tower, a Rotterdam Hotel, and More

5 Techno Bangers from Germany's Lilly Palmer

Lilly Palmer, an eminent German DJ, has been stirring the techno scene for the last decade. Palmer has developed a reputation for delivering high-energy performances that captivate audiences around the world. Raised in a small town near Nuremberg, Germany, she discovered minimal techno at 17 years old, and the genre has had a hold on her ever since.

Making a major leap in her career while living in Zurich, Switzerland, Palmer's early days were spent spinning for local crowds in bars and clubs. It was in Zurich where she honed her craft, immersing herself in deep house and carving out her distinct style. Since 2015, she's been fixated on the underground scene, using it as a platform to expand her musical horizons.

We Control

Palmer relocated to the vibrant city of Amsterdam, broadening her cultural experiences and musical influences. As part of her worldwide summer tour in 2023, Palmer showcases her skills on stages in diverse countries, including major performances at Mainstage Tomorrowland and Airbeat One.

When she's not performing, Palmer manages her label, Spannung Records. The label, which is also home to several other artists, including 

, and more. In 2023 Palmer released two tracks “I Am Machine,” and “Crave” with 

 on her label and her latest release “You Are My Guide” on Tomorrowland Music. 

Outside of music, Palmer is a nature enthusiast and enjoys spending her free time exploring the great outdoors. She also maintains a significant online presence, particularly on Instagram, where she has amassed over 1.2 million followers. Her YouTube channel, where she shares her techno sets, has gained over 65,000 subscribers, allowing fans to experience her performances from the comfort of their homes.

BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix by Lilly Palmer May ´22 by Lilly Palmer

Lilly Palmer’s career showcases her talent, hard work, and dedication. As she continues to push boundaries in the techno scene, house music fans eagerly anticipate her next moves. Given her track record, it's clear that Lilly Palmer is an artist to watch.

Germany

Lilly Palmer

Italy

Marco Carola

Switzerland

Black Circle

South Africa

Caiiro

United States

Calussa

Denmark

Christian Nielsen

Greece

Da Mike

Earth n Days

United Kingdom

Eli Brown

Netherlands

Franky Rizardo

France

IRENEE S

Kawtar Sadik

Brazil

Maz (BR)

Notre Dame

Saib

Sebjak

Simo Jettou

Morocco

Zakem

Taghazout Bay

Otium Festival

Chile

Ricardo Villalobos

Luciano

Spain

Mar-T

FJAAK

Amnesia Ibiza

Pyramid Closing Party Part II

Enzo Siragusa

Deborah de Luca

Luca Donzelli

ONYVAA

Gianluca Pegoiani

Pyramid Closing

Pyramid

Sweden

Adam Beyer

ANNA

Bart Skils

Kölsch

Layton Giordani

Ireland

Rebūke

Drumcode Amnesia

Ilario Alicante

Pan-Pot

Gashouder

Awakenings Adam Beyer Presents Drumcode ADE - Gashouder

Archie Hamilton

CAAL

Eats Everything

Jamie Jones

LALA

Maceo Plex

Marco Faraone

Marcel Dettman

Russia

Nina Kraviz

Seb Zito

Squire

Patrick Mason

Amnesia Ibiza Opening

Shay De Castro

Medina

Gray Area's new venture, "Debut," aims to bridge the international house music community by bringing established and emerging artists to cities they've never performed in. This initiative seeks to expand artists' fan bases and provide fans with fresh, exhilarating musical experiences. Having played a role in introducing major artists and brands like elrow and Awakenings to new audiences in the past, Gray Area believes in the magic of first-time experiences. By promoting artists in new venues and cities, they hope to cultivate a thriving, unified house music ecosystem. Debut is not merely a marketing strategy but embodies Gray Area's commitment to fostering collaboration, unity, and musical discovery.

Debut

Superior Ingredients Roof

Debut: Lilly Palmer with Shay De Castro & Medina

Hiroko Yamamura

Colombia

The Consciousness

JSMN

Musica

Lilly Palmer w. Hiroko Yamamura, The Consciousness, JSMN

Alan Fitzpatrick

Kobosil

Pyramid with Adam Beyer, Kölsch and Alan Fitzpatrick

Jean Pierre

Amy Unland

Inner City

DJ HEARTSTRING

Monolink

David Penn

Viot

Honey Bun

Lee Burridge

Nic Fanciulli

Lilly Palmer plays with tension and release in her songs "

" from her label Spannung Records. The German techno artist likes to explore dissonant realms. 

 has two meanings. On the one hand it means voltage, and on the other hand it means tension," she explains, smiling. "I love this wordplay because tension can be either positive or negative. But it also reminds me of the job of a DJ – you're always under tension." 

Temptation - Original Mix

' sleek logo resembles the power cell in an electric circuit. She promotes the label through a new webshop with original designs, including an elegant unisex bomber jacket. As a techno artist, Lilly fully believes in rocking different shades of black. 

Raised in Nuremberg, Germany, Lilly Palmer came of age in Berlin, exploring the techno scene. As a teenager, she was a metalhead until she began clubbing at 17. 

"It was in Switzerland (that) I really fell in love with deep house especially," she says. Every week she had favorite tracks to share with friends, and one day they suggested she start DJing. In 2015 Lilly made her debut, releasing an EP 

on Natura Viva Records, including the sizzling track "Before Acid." 

Lilly lives in the dance music mecca of Amsterdam with her boyfriend, DJ Egbert, and a Bengal cat named Dirk. While taking things slowly at home, she set time aside to learn kitesurfing. Despite a few faceplants, she gets back up and keeps flying. 

Similar to making music, she overcame the challenges that come with developing new skills. "If you don't understand how to break or speed it up, sometimes I went faster, faster, faster and couldn't stop anymore and fell," She describes. "I hit the water, and yeah, you're a bit shocked at first, but then you're going to do it again." Lilly is determined to go with the flow, and as a DJ, she has a masterful control of the environment. 

"I have this energetic side in me, and that took over," Lilly says, recalling her beginnings with deep house. "My sets are sometimes still melodic. Now I prefer hard techno even though a lot of people wouldn't consider my music as hard techno as there is in Berlin. There, it's much harder than what I do." 

check out our 5h extended b2b set at Ritter Butzke!! enjoyed it so much to play with Thomas, have fun listening!!

Lilly Palmer b2b Thomas Schumacher @Ritter Butzke Berlin 27/08/21 by Lilly Palmer

She isn't far removed from the early-career jitters. "I remember very clearly, the day I opened my Facebook 'Lilly Palmer' fan page. I was sitting in front of the laptop, and I was shivering." But once she launched, she was relieved with the support of friends and, eventually, new fans. 

Coming up and getting support from friends within the scene was even more difficult than initially expected. In fact, she lost friends and wasn't immediately bolstered. 

"As soon as I started, I kind of lost all of those male DJ friends I had before," who didn't seem to approve of her artistic debut. However, her worries faded with each sign of encouragement. Lilly jumped the hurdles of entering a male-dominated scene and saw the bright side of being a female DJ, "You get to reach a lot of people very fast because you're very unique."

Become a Gray Area member for access to exclusive perks!

And had she listened to every piece of advice, she wouldn't be a DJ with the traction she has today, so she knows not to take everything personally. Instead, curious and ready to explore the world, she would tell her younger self to "Keep going, go on with that." 

Lilly Palmer's resilience and independence comes from a do-it-yourself mindset. She invested in her setup and skills to produce 15 live streams without relying on a big team during the pandemic. She beams, "I love that feeling - I feel really independent."  

Online, Lilly Palmer DJs amidst gorgeous backdrops, including rooftop sunsets and the 

. The sounds are dark and industrial. ice-cold 

 and scorching techno. A Lilly Palmer track wouldn't be complete without thrashing snares and chilling vocal samples.

Excess

Building anticipation is what Lilly Palmer does best, and fans are left shaking with excitement and satisfaction. Soon, Lilly hopes to have her visa to play in North America. 

She wants to add more tracks and artists to the Spannung Records roster, valuing quality over quantity. Singles merit their own releases, and they have to be something she'd play in a Lilly Palmer set, she says. So she plans to keep building. 

"If I came home from a gig and thought, 

 then something is wrong." Lilly explains, "It's in us artists that we always want to develop and always do better." 

Lilly Palmer plays with tension and release in her songs "Temptation," "Aether," and "Vertigo" from her label Spannung Records. The German techno artist likes to explore dissonant realms. 

"In German, Spannung has two meanings. On the one hand it means voltage, and on the other hand it means tension," she explains, smiling. "I love this wordplay because tension can be either positive or negative. But it also reminds me of the job of a DJ – you're always under tension." 

Spannung Records' sleek logo resembles the power cell in an electric circuit. She promotes the label through a new webshop with original designs, including an elegant unisex bomber jacket. As a techno artist, Lilly fully believes in rocking different shades of black. 

Raised in Nuremberg, Germany, Lilly Palmer came of age in Berlin, exploring the techno scene. As a teenager, she was a metalhead until she began clubbing at 17. 

"It was in Switzerland (that) I really fell in love with deep house especially," she says. Every week she had favorite tracks to share with friends, and one day they suggested she start DJing. In 2015 Lilly made her debut, releasing an EP Teaser on Natura Viva Records, including the sizzling track "Before Acid." 

Lilly lives in the dance music mecca of Amsterdam with her boyfriend, DJ Egbert, and a Bengal cat named Dirk. While taking things slowly at home, she set time aside to learn kitesurfing. Despite a few faceplants, she gets back up and keeps flying. 

Similar to making music, she overcame the challenges that come with developing new skills. "If you don't understand how to break or speed it up, sometimes I went faster, faster, faster and couldn't stop anymore and fell," She describes. "I hit the water, and yeah, you're a bit shocked at first, but then you're going to do it again." Lilly is determined to go with the flow, and as a DJ, she has a masterful control of the environment. 

"I have this energetic side in me, and that took over," Lilly says, recalling her beginnings with deep house. "My sets are sometimes still melodic. Now I prefer hard techno even though a lot of people wouldn't consider my music as hard techno as there is in Berlin. There, it's much harder than what I do." 

She isn't far removed from the early-career jitters. "I remember very clearly, the day I opened my Facebook 'Lilly Palmer' fan page. I was sitting in front of the laptop, and I was shivering." But once she launched, she was relieved with the support of friends and, eventually, new fans. 

Coming up and getting support from friends within the scene was even more difficult than initially expected. In fact, she lost friends and wasn't immediately bolstered. 

"As soon as I started, I kind of lost all of those male DJ friends I had before," who didn't seem to approve of her artistic debut. However, her worries faded with each sign of encouragement. Lilly jumped the hurdles of entering a male-dominated scene and saw the bright side of being a female DJ, "You get to reach a lot of people very fast because you're very unique."

Become a Gray Area member for access to exclusive perks!

And had she listened to every piece of advice, she wouldn't be a DJ with the traction she has today, so she knows not to take everything personally. Instead, curious and ready to explore the world, she would tell her younger self to "Keep going, go on with that." 

Lilly Palmer's resilience and independence comes from a do-it-yourself mindset. She invested in her setup and skills to produce 15 live streams without relying on a big team during the pandemic. She beams, "I love that feeling - I feel really independent."  

Online, Lilly Palmer DJs amidst gorgeous backdrops, including rooftop sunsets and the Eiffel Tower. The sounds are dark and industrial. ice-cold acid and scorching techno. A Lilly Palmer track wouldn't be complete without thrashing snares and chilling vocal samples.

Building anticipation is what Lilly Palmer does best, and fans are left shaking with excitement and satisfaction. Soon, Lilly hopes to have her visa to play in North America. 

She wants to add more tracks and artists to the Spannung Records roster, valuing quality over quantity. Singles merit their own releases, and they have to be something she'd play in a Lilly Palmer set, she says. So she plans to keep building. 

"If I came home from a gig and thought, wow that was the best ever, then something is wrong." Lilly explains, "It's in us artists that we always want to develop and always do better." 


Interview by RYDEN

Lilly Palmer

Past events

Other artists