Lisbon-based producer and DJ Ecstasya, has been gone for a minute. But silence doesn’t mean stillness. While the rest of us were sweating it out in the club, she was deep in their own metamorphosis—gender transition, self-exploration, and figuring out how to make music that hits harder than a breakup at 4 AM.
Now, she’s back. And the mission is simple: Make us dance while we cry.
“I’m not about perfection anymore,” she says. “It’s about fun. It’s about feeling.” That means unreleased tracks with experimental edges, collabs with artists like João Lágrima de Ouro, and a newfound love for house and ballroom beats, thanks to Lisbon’s thriving queer scene.
Ecstasya’s always been a genre alchemist—hardcore kicks, guaracha heat, pop vulnerability—but this chapter hits different. Maybe it’s the confidence of someone who’s stopped giving a fuck. Maybe it’s the relief of finally being seen.
We talked about her hiatus, the struggle of keeping Lisbon’s first queer hardcore night (Maythey) alive, and why the best tracks come from being “sad as fuck.”
Dress – Arndes. Shoes – stylist’s own.
Hello Ecstasya! It’s been almost a year away from music production. Why was that?
Hi FY! Indeed, it’s been a year since I’ve really dwelled into making new music, and this is because I felt like I needed a break to figure out what it was that I truly wanted to do musically and where I belong in this industry. This happened to coincide with the start of my gender transition, so I had been focusing a lot on that and how to navigate the world differently, relating to people differently, and so on. This takes a lot of my energy and time, so I really did not have much space left to think of my musical practice.
What made you decide it was time to get back into making music?
I believe when you’re an artist, you will always inevitably feel the urge to create no matter what, and that feeling started bubbling up inside me as I was experiencing other things that I mentioned earlier. Also, having met and been surrounded by so many friends who are also artists pushed me to come back and slowly but surely get back on track regarding creating music.
We are very excited to premiere your new track. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
This song has been in the making for a couple of years now. I kept it in the shelf like so many others but I felt like it was necessary to release it into the world because I feel like it captures so much of my inner world and single handedly became one of the tracks I’m most proud of, while simultaneously illustrating very well my brand and sound as an artist. It’s also special to me because it is about love and my relationship to romanticism itself. I’m a hopeless romantic and hold on to specific things and feelings I’ve experienced with different people throughout my life and “My Favorite” is an ode to that feeling of being someone’s favorite person – or color – as the lyrics go.
Necklace – Ghira
Did you discover any new inspirations or influences during your time away that are shaping your current work?
I’ve definitely been inspired by so many different things throughout this self discovery journey, couldn’t have done it of course without all of my friends who I love and admire, who not only introduce me to new things, styles, genres, etc, but also push me out of my comfort zone and teach me how to see things differently and have more fun in my creative process.
How do you feel your sound has evolved since your last release?
At the moment I have a lot of music on standby, so I am planning to release those old tracks that I do think deserve to come out and be listened to, but I could also say that my sound has evolved a lot in a way that I no longer feel so trapped by perfectionism and I’m just generally more interested in making it fun for myself and everyone. I can’t let go of my emotional side that is always very present in my music but I’m trying to give it a twist so we can move our asses with tears in the club, in reference to Twigs.
Necklace – Ghira
Can you tell us about your creative process?
I wouldn’t say I’m very methodical in my creative process. It usually is very intuitive, and I work whenever I feel inspired. That has been rare lately, hence the small break in releasing new music, but I have a good support system now with people who value me and encourage my work so that definitely helps me sit down in front of my computer and get shit done. I’m also great at pulling music out of my ass when I’m sad as f***, so I’m grateful that I am able to channel those emotions into art and make something out of it. I hope I can still fit these tracks somewhere sometime in some sort of release, but right now I’m focused on making fun and uplifting music.
You’ve worked with loads of different artists. How do those collabs change how you create music? Any you especially excited about?
Yes, I have worked with some artists like Trophie, Odete, and Miss Jay. They definitely challenge me to explore new soundscapes and inspire me to go further on my own productions as well as pushing me to step out of my comfort zone. It also teaches me to meet halfway and learn how to be able to mix different styles together and sometimes that’s a very tasking job, but I’m grateful I get to do it. There are some collabs on the way, some of which I cannot speak of, but some I’m definitely excited to release are my tracks with João Lágrima de Ouro, Odete, 2AT, JLZ and ISA’AH .
Jumpsuit – Francisca Nabinho Studio. Earring – Beatriz Jardinha.
Your music’s a real mix – hardcore, pop, funk, guaracha. How do you make all those different sounds work together?
It really does come naturally to me! I just gather all these different influences and things I enjoy listening to and try to combine them all together into one. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but I enjoy the process of trying to make it work.
Where do you see your sound going next? Any new genres or sounds you would like to explore?
I think I see it gradually roaming away from the fast paces and hard sounds. As much as I love fast rave music, I feel like it’s not what my heart and mind want to focus on right now when it comes to my productions. I don’t really think there is one specific genre I want to particularly explore so I’ll just play around with a great variety of sounds, textures, emotions, and let it flow, until it feels right..
What’s the story behind some of your favorite tracks? What inspired them, and what do you hope people take away from them?
There isn’t as much of a story as there are emotions. Like I mentioned previously, they all kind of start a bit out of nowhere, following some sort of feeling I’m experiencing at the moment, but almost always with my own bouncy, trancey and ravey twist. I can’t really anticipate what people will get out of them, but as long as they have fun and feel something listening to them that’s already a big win for me. It definitely is a way to get to know me more intimately since it’s my main form of expression, so I put all of myself into them. If you want a look inside my mind or heart, just stream my music.
Dress – Dino Alves. Shoes – stylist’s own.
You’ve played in different parts of the world. How do different crowds react to your music? Any favorite gig?
Every time I play any city outside of Portugal, I am always very pleasantly surprised. Usually, they are all very energetic and open-minded about what I bring to the table in general, but I would have to say my favorite crowds were in Shenzhen, Marseille, Ljubljana, Prague and Barcelona. They are absolutely nuts and hungry for hard and crazy shit.
How do your production skills influence your DJing and the other way around?
I actually see them as two completely separate things. They don’t really influence each other because, maybe unfortunately, what I produce is not usually what I like to play at clubs, and sometimes that might surprise some people ahah. My music is usually quite emotional, although ravey at times too, while my DJing is a bit more focused on hard sounds and silliness. Sorry about that ahah!
Maythey is Lisbon’s first queer hardcore party, right? What made you want to start it, and what makes it special?
Indeed it is! The idea came to me because, to be honest, I did not really see any space for myself or this kind of music anywhere in Lisbon. There were queer parties but I was too “hardcore” for them, and there were hardcore parties but I was too much of a queer for them too, so I felt compelled to open space for these two to coexist, and to my surprise, a lot of people started coming and participating. People started telling me they had never heard this kind of music at other queer parties and didn’t know they enjoyed it so much, and with time we built a rather cute community where we, as a collective, along with my DJ daughter LAINX and co-producer Carolina, gave space for this kind of music to breathe, have its space to exist freely, and for new emerging artists to debut and explore their own sound in a fun and unpretentious way.
How important is it to you to create spaces where everyone feels welcome in the electronic music scene?
It is my priority, without a doubt, to make the clubbing and raving scene as safe as possible. You can never grant complete safety and I am always very outspoken about that but with the right mindset and measures in place, I think we can create these somewhat safe spaces and make everyone feel comfortable to be themselves and explore who they are without fear of prejudice, harassment and so on.
Coat – Arndes. Inner jacket – Pinko. Jewels – model’s own.
What’s your vision for Maythey, and queer hardcore nights in general?
At the moment, I believe Maythey has made its impact on Lisbon’s underground scene and definitely left its mark and legacy for others to follow. The party itself is not active as of today because it is rather difficult to find venues to accommodate this kind of music and it is also very draining to do everything DIY with no funding whatsoever or with very small budgets as we are used to in Lisbon. If I want to produce an event I want it to be good and memorable, with good acts and well-paid artists, and I don’t see that to be possible in the current situation we are living in, so we are giving it a rest for now. I see this happening to other fellow promoters as well, so it is not unique to the hardcore scene, but best of luck to all of the collectives still going at it!
Who are your biggest musical influences, inside and outside of electronic music?
Arca
DJ Dayeh
Irmãs de Pau
Ayesha Erotica
Sophie
Danny L Harle
FKA Twigs
Cyberkills
PZZS
Linn da Quebrada
Clementaum
Promis3
Aamourocean
Tinashe
Kehlani
SZA
Oklou
Evian Christ
Summer Walker
MikeQ
Bjork
Charli XCX
I could go on… but there are many.
What’s the electronic music scene in Lisbon like right now? What’s exciting about it?
I would say, despite the difficulties promoters face with budgets, venues, etc, it is truly blooming! Honestly, it’s very refreshing and I’m super excited to see what comes out of it. The future is definitely bright, especially with initiatives like ARVI, Furacão 17 or even SLIT Festival, which is a project I also co-produce and co-curate along with my dear friend and artist Cosmo. I’d also like to celebrate another emerging powerhouse like EXOTIKA at Lux Frágil, created by Meibi and Yuliya, who are putting together exciting line-ups along with local dancers in a way we’ve all been craving for some time now.
Jewels – model’s own.
What else are you into besides music that inspires you?
Besides music, I’m inspired by cinema (which I’m currently studying in the area of production), art history, social studies, philosophy, and politics. I’m also into spending quality time with my friends, and I believe that is something that consistently inspires me and my work.
Any advice for DJs and producers trying to get started?
Do not follow trends and it will be hard at the start but being yourself unapologetically will eventually pay off and make people notice you! I am very stuck on the perception of others or what their expectations might be of my music and sets but I’m learning to let myself go and just enjoy, because usually that’s when people truly see me and engage passionately with what I bring to them.
Listen to Ecstasya’s new track below:
