Johanna (DJ set)

Holly Johanna Williams, who takes her middle name as an alias, is a Bristol-based DJ.

In her early twenties, she started to truly discover her love for dance music and electronica and around this time also found herself curating an “almost obscene” amount of playlists; feeling the need to have one for almost every possible mood or occasion. Meanwhile, she had been studying French, German and Spanish at university and also spent time living in and travelling around Europe, all of which had a substantial influence on her musical identity today.

Johanna’s choice of music, whilst generally falling under the broad umbrellas of electronica and dance music, tends not to be defined by a certain genre. Rather, she curates her sets primarily based on how the tracks make her feel and where they transport the listener; be that to a remembered or imagined place. Much of the music she chooses tends to be somewhat ethereal, and often features organic elements; for example folkloric instrumentation from around the world, which is usually combined with electronic production for what she sees as somewhat of a ‘modern tribal’ sound, imbued with a sense of wonder and mystical exoticism whilst remaining decidedly rooted in the euphoric experience of the present moment which she loves so much about dance music. She now finds herself DJing semi-regularly at bars and events around Bristol, including a recent set at underground music venue Basement 45, however she’s excited about the chance to do more outdoor sets, which she feels is what her sound is really made for.