There’s no more iconic way to come back from a five-month break than an all-nighter at Garage Noord. But then again, you wouldn’t expect Amsterdam’s own YoungWoman to return to the scene with anything less than a bang. After all, her go-to track when self-doubt creeps in is Skrillex’s “Bangarang,” so it’s safe to say she has a thing for all things banging.
Her sonic universe follows suit. Her sets pit genres like dubstep, EDM, hyperpop, trance, and drum & bass against each other, a repertoire that keeps shifting and expanding. This year’s theme is rock & roll: music that “causes mania on the dancefloor,” that you “can’t be indifferent about.” Leaving you with exactly one choice: dance, or dance.
As we gear up to watch this new chapter of YoungWoman unfold on Friday night, we caught up with Alma to talk about the journey that brought her here, the one that lies ahead, and everything Amsterdam in between.
Anastasia: Hi! How are you feeling today? 🙂
YoungWoman: Heyy! I’m feeling great and excited about life in general.
Can you briefly introduce yourself to those who might not know you?
My name is Alma, aka YoungWoman: DJ, producer, and one of the girls behind Los Angles Collective.
I’ll dive right in, what’s your first musical memory?
Let’s go! The first song to leave an impression on me was Wasn’t me by Shaggy! I still remember hearing that song for the first time and trying to figure out how to listen to it again.
What was your first experience with nightlife, and what made you decide you wanted to work in the industry?
It wasn’t love at first sight at all! I HATED the music and I did not enjoy being in a club and I remember telling my friend “I don’t like this boom boom music” but I guess I had to find my own people and parties and then became addicted. And my decision came from seeing other Arab and trans DJs play and thinking to myself, maybe I can do this!
How did the alias YoungWoman come to be?
One of my friends told me Alma means young woman (in Hebrew I think ?) and she saved me on her phone as such. And after quite an embarrassing search for names, I realized it was staring me in the face all along: YOUNGWOMAN
How is your artist persona different from your true self?
Good question! I never thought of YoungWoman as a persona — It’s a very personal project whether it’s mixing, singing or making music, it’s been a direct reflection of my state of mind at the time.
You can really map out all my moods with everything that I do… You can probably guess in which mix I was feeling confident in which one I just went through a breakup and in which one I wanted to punch a hole in the wall.
And this goes both ways because even without an audience in my home I’m jumping screaming and running around lol so yeah, it’s all one package haha.
Your sets blend many genres and references, a testament to a vast musical knowledge, who are your biggest sonic influences?
Thanks! Hmm I feel like I can talk about this forever so I’m gonna keep it short: When I was younger I was obsessed with David Bowie and I think this planted in me the idea of constantly evolving and drawing inspirations from different media. Then came Skrillex lol ( jk that’s my goat ) , everytime I’m doubting myself I just listen to Bangarang and I know it will be okay. And right before I started DJing I was in a big jazz and blues wormhole — I’m inspired a lot by Nina Simone and how to be bigger than life and hold a crowd’s heart in your hand.
How do you discover music? Online or in the real world, what platforms or methods do you use to find new artists and tracks?
I go digging for new music almost every day, it’s a very organized system, alternating between soundcloud, youtube, bandcamp, online radios, and just keeping my ears open to the universe ( it actually works! )
You recently started a series of mini mixes that you set up entirely by yourself, how did that come about, and why?
Late 2025 I became obsessed with adding a visual/lights dimension to my sets and during my break I had a lot of time to think so I thought of getting a strobe, a couple of lights and just started recording my mixes at home to see if I can portray what’s in my head.. It’s very fun but it’s still work in progress!
Can you tell us a bit about Los Angles collective? How did it start, and what’s your role in it?
Los Angles is me, Val (smother) and Maria. And we started it cause we were over the underrepresentation of trans talent in nightlife so we decided to do things ourselves! We hosted parties of all shapes and sizes, live music events, and we’re now hosting several international artists for 10 days as part of an exchange program by the Prince Claus Fund!
You’ve had a five-month break, why did you decide to take that time off?
Mainly REST
Your comeback set is an all-nighter at Garage Noord this weekend. What can we expect?
EVERYTHING! It’s my first time playing for this long and I wanna give homage to the music that I’ve been playing but also the music that I’ll be playing more. It’s gonna be a journey through all the music that I love, starting from ambient music and ending up with DnB and nightcore 🙂
Where is your sound heading next?
If there’s one theme to my sound this year it’s Rock&Roll! I wanna cause mania on the dancefloor, something people can moshpit over but also hug and shed a lil tear, something you can’t be indifferent about, either you dance or you dance.
Are you planning to delve into music production in the future?
Yes! 2026 is the year of music production inshallah. My first original track was just released on Exude records, I’m very happy with it and I’m working on two EPs, one solo and one in collaboration with NAKANO BLU.
What are your goals for the rest of the year?
More music, more dancing, more everything! I’ve been hungry for the world these past few months and I want it all again.
What are your top 3 Amsterdam parties / collectives (beyond Los Angles ofc ;)?
PYXLS and Tempo Marauders were a personal highlight for me last year. b3tter irl is doing something very different from the rest! And I got my eyes FRXCTOSE , it feels punk and fresh!
Where can one find YoungWoman in Amsterdam?
Usually you have a high chance of bumping into me in West (BOLO forever!)
BUT if you really want to find me: Garage Noord April 17th, I’ll be the one behind the decks.
Any Amsterdam artists we should keep an eye on? Last words for the people joining your all-nighter on Friday?
I’m not trying to upset people here so let’s say keep an eye on YoungWoman, and go see her Friday cause it’s gonna be a blast!
Pre-sale tickets for YoungWoman’s all-nighter this Friday, April 17th can be purchased through this link. See you on the dancefloor!
