Anyma News
“Let’s not confuse what real techno is:” Nicole Moudaber talks the evolution of techno music, her diverse background & more aboard Groove Cruise 2025
Who says techno music can’t be tropical? Certainly not techno queen Nicole Moudaber, who brought her percussive, loopy style of techno to the stages of Groove Cruise 2025. EDMHouseNetwork caught up with the techno icon about the evolving state of the genre, her affinity for racing, and more onboard Groove Cruise 2025. Read the full interview below:
Q1: “Just to start off, what’s the unique experience of playing at Groove Cruise compared to your typical festival? Your Tomorrowland, or where you got to play with Carl Cox earlier this year? Playing those sets in a typical club or festival setting?”
Moudaber: “It’s a city on the sea. It’s almost like Vegas on water, so I don’t know. I’m just gonna check it out later, today and tomorrow and get a feel for the place. I’m not gonna probably play my typical kind of techno on this boat. I’m just gonna keep it a bit groovier and sexier. And a bit lighter.”
Q2: “How does the atmosphere kind of change your set in that sense? Compared to when you’re playing in a club setting, or playing in a London or Ibiza nightclub, compared to playing on a cruise ship. How does that kind of change your set selection and building process?”
Moudaber: “The music that I’m gonna play is the same. It’s just the way that I’m gonna put it together, really. So, yeah, if I know if I’m gonna play tech house, I will be going through certain records. I’m gonna be doing a back to back with Layton [Giordani], and so that’s going to be a bit of melodic techno, and I have all the ammunition. I just need to put it together basically, and for it to make sense.”
Q3: “How incredible has it been to kind of see a resurgence in techno this year? Whether it’s Anyma playing in The [Las Vegas] Sphere with melodic techno or even, you know, with women? With Sara Landry being the first hard techno artist on the Tomorrowland mainstage, and you this year with the back-to-backs with Carl Cox killing it in your own right. How great has it been to kind of see techno get a little bit more of that mainstream attention?”
Moudaber: “It’s got so many different styles. Now, let’s not confuse what real techno is. What I played with Carl Cox at EDC is like the real underground techno. Melodic techno, it was definitely Prague, what we know as Prague. And what Sara is playing is pretty much hard pop, probably. Which is good in its own right. And I love to listen to it, and she’s excellent. I love that girl. But, yeah, let’s not confuse techno with the other stuff, because they’re not the same.”
Q4: “How great has it been to kind of in your own right, preserve that true style of techno. You know, with these other genres of techno kind of popping up, being able to really represent that old style that really still rings true.”
Moudaber: “It’s not really old, because there are tons of new records like that at the moment with incredible labels releasing that sort of music. It’s just for me, I prefer that, you know, the big kick, kick drums and the loopy kind of hypnotic, heady kind of techno. You know, not the massive drops and the fluffy stuff. You know, we need to keep it serious a little bit in techno.”
Q5: “I know the only thing that rivals your passion for techno music is racing. How is it kind of similar, you know, the thrill of being behind the wheel on a race track and being, you know, up on the decks in front of 1000s, 10s of 1000s of people?”
Moudaber: “It’s actually the same kind of adrenaline rush when I’m on the wheels. Probably, it’s more intense than being on stage, being on the wheels, going at 300 miles an hour, you know? Yeah, you can’t beat that. That is the ultimate rush. But, yeah, obviously being on stage with all this energy coming back at you, it’s just an incredible feeling and that’s what I live for, really.”
Q6: “Just to finish off, also, I know you come from a lot of diverse backgrounds. Growing up in Nigeria, Lebanon, and now being based in London, how do all those unique backgrounds really show in your style of music and kind of blend in the influences in your production?”
Moudaber: “It has influenced me a lot, especially my childhood in Nigeria, where I grew up with a lot of rhythmic and percussions and all about beats and grooves. You can hear it in my production. [It’s] Very percussive in a way, and it’s got funk and soul in it. Even if it’s like the hardest techno that I play, it’s always soulful in a way, and it’s got that sexiness in it. You know, even if I’m playing at 145 BPM, you can still dance to it, so it does reflect in my music. And I’m quite lucky to have experienced all sides of these worlds, and I’m still learning wherever I go all over the world. I absorb their culture, and I try to, I don’t even try. It just comes naturally to me, and I hear it.”
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EDM Events Held At The World’s Most Historic Sites, from the Great Wall and Petra to Versailles and the Pyramids
EDM events held at historic sites have become one of the more interesting ways major artists and promoters are taking electronic music beyond standard clubs, arenas, and festival grounds. The strongest examples are not just famous locations with a stage placed nearby, but performances where the site matters to how the event is filmed, produced, and remembered. Anyma and Tiësto have brought major electronic productions to the Pyramids of Giza, Bedouin performed for Cercle at Petra, Nina Kraviz played a sunrise set on the Great Wall of China, and Adriatique filmed a Cercle set at Hatshepsut Temple in Luxor. The same idea also appears through POSITIV Electronic Festival at the Roman Theatre of Orange, Charlotte de Witte at Ancient Messene, and Nifra at Masada Fortress, where historic architecture, ancient ruins, desert landscapes, and protected heritage sites become part of how each performance is experienced. These events show why historic locations are becoming a serious part of electronic music’s destination-event culture, especially when the artist, production, and setting all make sense together.
Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Events:
Anyma presents Quantum Genesys
@anyma
The End Of Genesys | Pyramids of Giza
Tiësto at the Pyramids of Giza
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The Great Pyramids of Giza have become one of the clearest examples of how far large-scale electronic shows can go when the location is part of the story. Anyma presents Quantum Genesys took place at the pyramids on October 10, 2025, with the night split between his Quantum DJ set and The End Of Genesys audiovisual show across two stages. The production leaned into the contrast between the ancient site and Anyma’s digital world, using large visuals, lighting, and a long nighttime format that ran from 5 PM to 3 AM near the Giza Plateau. Tiësto at the Pyramids of Giza followed on December 19, 2025, with a PRISMATIC set that brought another major electronic name into the same setting, adding to Giza’s recent place in destination EDM events.
Petra, Jordan
Events:
Bedouin at Petra for Cercle
Medaina Festival
Petra is one of the most recognizable historic sites connected to electronic music through Bedouin at Petra for Cercle, filmed at Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, in 2022. The set was not a public festival, but a controlled early-morning performance with no crowd, placing Bedouin’s hybrid live sound directly in front of the sandstone monument. That format worked differently from a standard stage show because the production did not need a large audience setup to make the location central to the performance. In 2025, Medaina Festival gave Jordan a wider electronic music moment across Petra and Wadi Rum, with a lineup that included Âme, Bedouin, HVOB, Jimi Jules, Mind Against, Patrice Bäumel, and Sonja Moonear. With Petra already listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the location adds one of the article’s strongest examples of electronic music being presented in direct connection with an ancient landmark, while Medaina Festival extends that connection into a broader destination event across Jordan’s desert and heritage settings.
Masada Fortress, Israel
Event:
Nifra Live at Masada Fortress
@nifraofficial Do you know this track? ❤️ My new live set recorded at Masada Fortress is now on youtube #nifra #trance #trancefamily #trancefamily #trancemusic #tranceclassics #raver #femaledj #dj #edm #trancecommunity #masada #delerium #silence ♬ Silence – Andrew Rayel & Achilles Remix – Delerium
Nifra Live at Masada Fortress placed the Slovakian trance artist at one of Israel’s most dramatic historic sites, high above the Dead Sea in the Judaean Desert. Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its desert plateau, Herod the Great’s palace complex, and the remains connected to the Roman siege of 73 A.D. For the 2023 set, Nifra performed from the clifftops of Masada Fortress in partnership with Tiede Night’s, with the sunset timing giving the performance a direct visual connection to the desert landscape around the site. The result fits the article because it connects a known trance artist with a protected ancient fortress, without stretching the angle into a normal festival or unrelated event space.
Great Wall of China, China
Event:
Nina Kraviz at the Great Wall of China
Nina Kraviz played a sunrise set at the Great Wall of China in May 2018, turning one of the world’s most famous historic landmarks into a stripped-back techno performance with no need for festival-scale production. The set was filmed on the wall in the early morning, with the mountain landscape and stone watchtowers framing the performance as the light changed across the site. For an artist closely tied to underground techno, the location gave the set a very different feel from a club or warehouse show, placing her sound against a landmark known for Chinese history, military architecture, and centuries of preservation. The Great Wall is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, which makes Nina Kraviz at the Great Wall of China one of the most direct examples of a globally known electronic artist performing at a protected historic site.
Roman Theatre of Orange, France
Event:
POSITIV Electronic Festival
@saralandrydj POSITIV FESTIVAL B2B WITH BESTIE 💫 After 6 years of friendship it was insane to do a show like this together @Nico Moreno 🥹 Such a crazy venue at the Théâtre antique d’Orange and it was completely full from front to back! 🤯 Thank you Positiv for making this happen 🖤 #electronicmusic #hardtechno #techno ♬ original sound – Sara Landry
The Roman Theatre of Orange brings POSITIV Electronic Festival into a venue that was already made for live performance more than 2,000 years ago. Set in France’s Rhône Valley, the UNESCO-listed theatre is known for its preserved Roman stage wall, which still rises behind the crowd and gives the festival a setting that feels completely different from a standard outdoor stage. POSITIV Electronic Festival has used that space for major electronic lineups, with recent names including Amelie Lens, Argy, James Hype, Sara Landry b2b Nico Moreno, Anfisa Letyago, Paul Kalkbrenner, Mind Against, Joachim Pastor, and KAS:ST b2b Space 92. The event also makes strong use of the theatre’s architecture through large-scale lighting and video mapping across the ancient stage wall, turning the preserved Roman structure into part of the show without losing the historical weight of the venue.
Ancient Messene, Greece
Event:
Charlotte de Witte at Ancient Messene
Charlotte de Witte at Ancient Messene brought the Belgian techno artist into the ancient theater at Messene for a 2021 live DJ set presented by Onassis Stegi. The performance was streamed through the Onassis Channel and placed her sound inside one of Greece’s major archaeological settings, with the stone theater, open-air site, and surrounding ruins giving the set a very different frame from a club or festival stage. The project was based on a concept by ADD Festival, with Onassis Foundation directing the stream and presenting it as a filmed electronic performance from the ancient theater rather than a public festival. With Charlotte de Witte already recognized as one of techno’s biggest names, the Messene set gives the Greece section a stronger link between a major electronic artist and a historic site.
Hatshepsut Temple, Luxor, Egypt
Event:
Adriatique at Hatshepsut Temple for Cercle
Adriatique at Hatshepsut Temple for Cercle brought the Swiss duo to the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Luxor, one of Egypt’s most striking ancient sites on the west bank of the Nile. The temple sits within the wider Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis UNESCO World Heritage property, giving the set a direct link to Egypt’s ancient history beyond the usual destination-show setting. Adriatique performed in front of the temple’s long terraces and limestone cliffs, with the Cercle format keeping the focus on the duo’s melodic techno, the architecture, and the scale of the site. The result placed a major electronic act inside a location already known for ancient Egyptian history, making the performance feel closely tied to Luxor rather than just filmed in a scenic location.
@cercle_music Somewhere in the world, at the Hatshepsut Temple, with @ADRIATIQUE. #cercle #cercleshow #adriatique #hatsheput #electronicmusic ♬ original sound – Cercle
The strongest historic-site electronic events are the ones where the location has a real role in the performance. Anyma at the Pyramids of Giza, Bedouin at Petra, Nina Kraviz at the Great Wall of China, Adriatique at Hatshepsut Temple, and POSITIV Electronic Festival at the Roman Theatre of Orange all show how different that can look, from large audiovisual productions to filmed DJ sets and full festival formats. The site changes the way the performance is seen because the architecture, history, lighting, crowd setup, and filming all become part of the final result. That is what separates these shows from normal destination events, where the location is often secondary to the lineup.
Historic locations also come with limits that standard event venues do not have. UNESCO-linked landmarks and protected heritage spaces involve local approval, access rules, sound restrictions, staging limits, preservation concerns, and cultural responsibility. That does not mean electronic music cannot work in these places, but it does mean the event has to make sense beyond the photo. As more artists and promoters look for settings outside standard stages, the strongest historic-site events will be the ones where the music, production, and location feel connected from the beginning.
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EDM Festivals in August 2025 are keeping the summer alive with a number of massive events happening around the world.
From the massive 10 year anniversary of UNTOLD to the legacy that is Creamfields, here’s your guide to the top EDM festivals you won’t want to miss this August.
UNTOLD Festival
Dates: August 7–10
Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Romania’s premier electronic music festival turns 10 this year with a massive celebration across Cluj Arena and downtown spaces. Expect extended sets from Tiësto, plus Martin Garrix, Black Coffee, Don Diablo, Post Malone, and more. UNTOLD is known for its epic production, long hours, and magical vibes from dusk till dawn.
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Creamfields
Dates: August 21–24
Location: Daresbury Estate, Cheshire, UK
One of the UK’s most iconic dance music festivals, Creamfields delivers another year of powerhouse headliners. 2025 brings David Guetta, Anyma, Amelie Lens, Chase & Status, Carl Cox, and more across massive stages like ARC, Steel Yard, and Horizon.
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Sziget Festival
Dates: August 6–11
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Set on Óbuda Island, Sziget is a multi-genre mega-festival that blends EDM with pop, rock, world music, and arts. With a scenic riverside setting, cultural programming, and past performers like Calvin Harris and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, it’s one of Europe’s most diverse and vibrant summer fests.
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Hard Summer
Dates: August 2–3
Location: Southern California, USA
Returning for its second year at Hollywood Park, HARD Summer is back bigger, bolder, and bass-heavier than ever. This year’s edition leans hard into techno, with sets from 999999999, Deborah De Luca, I Hate Models, and more, while also staying true to its genre-mixing roots. Expect reggaetón, drum & bass, house, and hip-hop from artists like Kaytranada, Dom Dolla, Sean Paul, and FEID.
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ÎLESONIQ
Dates: August 9-19
Location: Montreal, Canada
Held in Parc Jean-Drapeau, ÎLESONIQ is Quebec’s largest electronic music festival. It blends international stars with immersive visuals and a passionate Canadian crowd. Notable stars taking to the stage are Alesso, D.O.D, John Summit, Oliver Heldens, and more.
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VELD Music Festival
Dates: August 1-3
Location: Toronto, Canada
Toronto’s biggest EDM festival lights up Downsview Park with a massive set of artists that make any dance music fan excited. Previous years have featured big artists and this year is no different with deadmau5, Dom Dolla, Tiesto, Third Party, and more set to take the stage.
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Weekend Festival
Dates: August 1–2
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Returning to Espoo with over 60 artists, Weekend Festival 2025 delivers two days of high-energy performances, cutting-edge visuals, and massive production. Headliners include Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, Robin Schulz, and Fisher. Known for its towering custom-built main stage and immersive light shows, the festival blends sound and spectacle like no other in Finland.
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Mysteryland
Dates: August 30–31
Location: Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands
The Netherlands’ longest-running dance music festival blends house, techno, trance, and hardstyle across colorful, immersive stages. Known for its art installations, spiritual elements, and top-tier curation, Mysteryland remains a staple for true festival heads.
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Dance Valley
Dates: August 10 (TBC)
Location: Spaarnwoude, Netherlands
Dance Valley turns 30 in 2025, and it’s going all out for its anniversary edition. Set in the iconic hills of Spaarnwoude, this one-day Dutch mega-rave spans 8 stages and 70+ artists across dance, techno, hardstyle, trance, and house. The lineup is stacked with legends: Tiësto, Martin Garrix, Boris Brejcha, Ferry Corsten presents Gouryella (25 Years), Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo, Nervo, Chris Liebing, and Radical Redemption.
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Les Plages Électroniques
Dates: August 08-10
Location: Cannes, France
Set on the sun-drenched beaches of the French Riviera, Les Plages Électroniques returns with one of its most diverse and stacked lineups yet. Headliners include Tiësto, Charlotte de Witte, Peggy Gou, Eric Prydz, Mochakk, and Booba, alongside a wave of rising talent and local French stars. With beach stages, boat parties, and after-parties extending late into the night, the festival blends deep house, techno, afro house, and reggaeton into a three-day oceanside escape.
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August may be the final stretch of summer, but the party is far from over.
With iconic brands, oceanside escapes, and late-night energy, these festivals are ready to make your summer go out in style.
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UNTOLD celebrates its 10th anniversary with a historic lineup of debuts, exclusive shows, and once-in-a-lifetime performances.
The 10th anniversary of UNTOLD is shaping up to be the festival’s most unforgettable edition yet, packed with exclusive performances, never-before-seen shows, and jaw-dropping debuts. The Mainstage will light up with global icons like Post Malone, who’s kicking off his Big Ass Stadium Tour with a debut at UNTOLD, and Metro Boomin, playing his only European festival show this summer. Fans can also catch performances from ANYMA, Becky Hill, Hugel, Rag’n’Bone Man, and CANCELLED MUSIC (Kris Fade), all bringing fresh energy to the Cluj-Napoca stage.
This year’s UNTOLD debuts and special shows are not just on the mainstage but also across all other stages. The underground Galaxy stage will host Dom Dolla, Adriatique, and a rare TOTO CHIAVETTA B2B ZAMNA SOUNDSYSTEM set brought in by Zamna. Meanwhile, the Daydreaming stage features acts like Ben Böhmer, Röyksopp, Pachanga Boys, and Bob Moses. But what truly sets this edition apart are the exclusive shows: Tiesto’s extended set, Don Diablo’s one-of-a-kind UNTOLD performance, Armin van Buuren’s special stage production, and Martin Garrix’s specifically tailored UNTOLD set.
Expect even more custom shows from Romanian stars like INNA, Delia, Irina Rimes, and Vama, all with surprise guests. And on Friday night, a mystery act will take over the Mainstage, revealed live at the festival. With this stacked lineup of UNTOLD debuts, world premieres, and unforgettable performances, the 10th edition promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime celebration for every music lover.
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