_{Photography credits: Julian Loopstra, Charlotte van der Gaag}

_{Artwork: Alice vink (dirty dms)}

This October, Amsterdam Dance Event celebrates its 30th anniversary, and what better way to mark the occasion than spending an unreasonable amount of time on a dance floor? Thankfully, there is RAUM whose 55 hour SPIELRAUM weekender promises exactly that.

Somewhere in the packed line-up is mul/ANNA, the moniker of Anna-Sophia Stöver, a DJ from The Hague whose approach to music is equally imaginative as instinctive. Drawing inspiration from everything from biology to the creatures of an imaginary underwater world, she approaches her sets as an exercise in worldbuilding, translating the intangible into something we can hear, feel, and most importantly, dance to.

Ahead of her ADE appearance I caught up with her to discuss her musical beginnings, the evolution of her sound, the end of her event series BUMBU and the the inhabitants she is preparing to bring to RAUM.

I have been following you since you liveD in The Hague & I remember finding your music on SoundCloud and totally loving it. Looking back, how did your journey with music begin and how do you feel where you are now?

I started during COVID out of boredom, with nothing to do. I found an ad on Instagram offering a free DJ class and decided to sign up. I took the course and managed to bond with the teachers over our shared love of music.

My dad had a big collection of CDs with old trance and techno, and that inspired me to want to play something like that. I didn’t know that being a DJ was even possible. I thought that you could connect with music by only being in a band or playing the piano. My teachers introduced me to ghetto house, and my roommate introduced me to ghetto electro. I started out playing this sound, which was popping off in The Hague at the time because it was groovy, sexy, and fun. 

From there, I slowly started organising events myself, and I enjoyed the movement in the sound. As time went on, the music I played began to change, along with my taste and what resonated with me.

When I started studying biology 3 years ago, I realised that my sound was shifting from electro towards bass. I also noticed how the connection between biology and music was becoming more organic for me, while the hectic sound of ghetto no longer clicked in the same way. 

How would you say studying biology has influenced the music you play?

It’ s more about how I visualise the sounds I hear. For example, with bass music I can see worms moving to this type of music. It is how different sounds connect to different animals and species and this made me connect more sound and everything that lives in the world.

Can you share two tracks or musicians that you would like to draw more attention to?

One of them is 𝙔𝙗𝟯𝙇, who’s a friend of mine. She recently showed me some of her new tracks. She is a great producer and she makes tracks where you are allowed to feel what you feel. Her sound is spacious, dreamy, raw, and alive. 

The second one is Rosa van Rooij. There is a lot of movement and greenery in her set. She also hosts the Rooibos event series in Brabant. 

Speaking of event series, can you tell me more about BUMBU?

I started BUMBU in The Hague with the collective HGS (Het Gestrande Schip), initially as a podcast series connected to illegal raves. Later, we moved into organising events.

I wanted to create a platform for ghetto and electro because I could see how much people enjoyed that kind of music. I thought BUMBU, which means a blend of spices, was a nice name because of my Indonesian heritage and the spiciness of the music.

Two of my friends, Lewie and Brian, joined me to help host and organise events. Last year, we decided to stop because it wasn’t working for us anymore. This is actually the first time we’re announcing that.

It was great to create a space where people who shared the same passion for music could come together.

Are you planning to start something similar to BUMBU?

I’m currently focussing on my own development as a DJ, producer,  and my studies. But I have a couple of nice concepts in my mind which I want to work out in the near future.

ADE is turning 30 this year, do you remember your first ADE?

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I never went to ADE before I started DJing because Amsterdam felt way too far away from The Hague.

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The first time I went was with PIP for their event at Skatecafé, PIP Goes Skatecafé. I played a back to back set with Jeans, and at 19:00 everyone was screaming, shirtless. It was quite insane.

You are playing the 55-hour SPIELRAUM Weekender on October 23rd. How do you prepare for a night like that?

It’s my third time playing for SPIELRAUM in a year and a half, and I’m very grateful for their ongoing support. Playing at the ADE weekender feels like a milestone, and I’m honoured to be part of the lineup.

I’m a visual thinker. I imagine an underwater world called Atlantis, and I try to listen to what kind of elements would fit into the world of RAUM.

For example, RAUM and the studio where I play exist in the darker parts of Atlantis. I relate it to a forest.

All the elements are protected by a big stone guardian. I try to imagine what kinds of creatures live there, what they look like, and then select tracks that could become the soundtrack to that world.

The worms are more bass, while green lizards are halftime. RAUM will be a forest filled with snakes, fast insects flying around, frogs and flies circling overhead.

No swamp, though. It will be dry and hot.

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RAUM is a dreamy world with metallic fish flying through the air.

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You’ve mentioned how important it is for people to feel safe and comfortable being themselves on the dance floor. What role does a DJ play in creating that environment?

For me, safety means being able to express yourself on the dance floor, take up space and dance however you like.

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With the music I select, I want to give people the feeling they’re looking for. You can stand in a corner and soak it all in or be right at the front, as long as you feel safe doing it.

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The DJ works in symbiosis with the awareness team, who make sure there’s no unwanted behaviour and offer support when needed. Everyone has their own role in making a space safe.

For example, intense lighting can make a room overwhelming for some people. As a DJ, my contribution is the sound selection, and I hope that together we can create a safe bubble for everyone.