Machine Woman

As Machine Woman, Anastasia Vtorova crafts gritty experimental techno by threading minimal rhythms with distortion and unusual sonic effects. The music captures both the exhilaration of nightlife and the isolation of solitary evenings, while her playful wit surfaces in titles such as "If Actress Was an Actress" and "But It Was Like 30 Intros in a Row," the latter drawn from a dismissive comment about one of her sets. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, she studied at university in London, where she performed with several punk and noise ensembles. Growing weary of group dynamics, she shifted to solo electronic production yet preserved an irreverent, rule-breaking approach. Beginning in 2014 she issued several experimental cassettes; her first vinyl EP, For Sweden, appeared on Peder Mannerfelt’s self-titled label in late 2015, after she had moved to Berlin. Where to Now? released her most dancefloor-oriented project to date, Genau House, in 2016. Ninja Tune put out a Machine Woman remix of Illum Sphere’s “Paradise” the following year, and the label’s Technicolour subsidiary followed with her third vinyl EP, When Lobster Comes Home, whose opening cut is “Camile from Ohm Makes Me Feel Loved.”