Hailing from the Netherlands, Vera Grace is one of the Amsterdam electronic scene’s viscerally impactful DJ and producers. Her signature hard techno sound – a gritty blend of industrial and entrancing soundscapes – commands attention.
Her debut album – landing on the record label of storied Berlin club night Deestricted – is inspired by Dante’s “Inferno”, the first part of his epic poem, The Divine Comedy.
The poem follows Dante as he journeys through Hell, guided by the ancient poet Virgil. Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth, each circle representing a specific sin and its punishment. The sinners encounter increasingly severe sufferings, from the unbaptized and the lustful in the lighter outer circles to traitors in the icy innermost pit.
INFERNVM is a relentless techno odyssey, sculpted with dark, driving beats that mirror Dante’s descent into Hell, with each track representing one of the nine circles. The album weaves haunting samples and dissonant synths, creating a landscape of existential dread and reflection.
With the album out now, we caught up with Vera to discuss the album’s inspirations.
What drew you to Dante’s Inferno in terms of looking for inspiration for your debut album?
During my studies at Conservatorium, I was following Art and History classes. These classes covered subjects like Avant-Garde movements and interesting stories and poems from the past. I found myself getting really enthused by these classes, as it helped me to get inspired by other forms of art and translate that feeling into music. After finishing my ‘’Manipulation’’ EP, I wanted to make something bigger – something with a real story, and I wanted to make more than 4 tracks for that. So I started exploring art and stories from the past, and that’s where I eventually found the story of Dante’s Inferno. I thought it would be a nice challenge to create a musical piece for each circle.
The album follows the journey of Dante’s descent through the nine circles of Hell, getting darker as you go deeper. I tried to capture this descent in the music; as you progress through the album the music takes on a darker and more twisted tone.
How has your continued residency at Deestricted influenced the music you create in the studio?
I’d say our shared passion for techno really motivates and inspires me. I love being a part of Deestricted because we can really talk about music and I feel like they have a similar vision on the current scene of harder / industrial techno. I think there is a lot of cheesy hard techno being released right now, which has almost replaced the current industrial techno scene. I think techno should be timeless, holding onto its essential elements like proper groove and sound design.
What do you think sets your music and sets apart from other hard techno artists?
Apart from Industrial techno, I really love artists such as DVS1, Oscar Mulero and Speedy J. This is in fact where my love for techno began, eventually I strayed off to a heavier sound. In my productions and hybrid sets I’m trying to convert the core elements of this deeper, hypnotic sound into a harder edge, to get the best of both. Raw 909 drums and trippy polyrhythms with hard kicks, this is what I’m trying to stand for.
