Fumi

Through the glow of a laptop screen, I could see the streets of Berlin bustling behind a warm café window. Across from me sat Fumi: sleek silver jacket, big hoop earrings- beaming, a smile so unmistakably hers. Warm and genuine.

I was elated I could catch her in her week of downtime before she flew off to Luxembourg, then Paris, Amsterdam, and Madrid.

Her rise in techno has been so rapid you’d assume she's been at it for nearly a decade. But what stayed with me wasn’t the success she had found in such a short time; it was the untold stories about her introduction to nightlife and the unspoken family roots tying to her practice- shaping how she shows up not just on the decks but in her personal identity.

1. How have you been handling constant traveling? I’m sure you’re used to it by now.

“Yeah, I would say I'm used to it. The beginning was hard when I first started touring really often because it was like training your body for something that it's not used to- like going out and doing sport.”

“The last two months I had a very very intense schedule of flying back and forth between North America and Europe every other week, so that added jet lag. It just made it much more intense on my body.”

2. When did you start touring?

“I would say it's probably been about one year now of really proper touring every weekend and having gigs. I've only been DJing now for three and a half years, so it's not been a really long time- but it's gone very, very quickly”

3. I know that your name is Fumi (foo-mee). Is that how you say it?

“Exactly, but my real name is Hannah. That’s just my artist name. I took the name from my grandmother, and when I was choosing the name she had passed away that week. I've been thinking for a really long time about what I wanted to make my name, and I wanted to incorporate my grandmother somehow.”

“I didn't really realize how powerful this woman was.” Hannah tells me, “She had this quiet confidence and strength to her. You know, she was not telling us all that she went through and all that she sacrificed to get where she was, but she did it. I think that this quiet confidence is really beautiful.”

4. I absolutely love that. How did your family end up in Berlin?

“I'm American-born and raised in the US. I moved to Germany when I was 22, four years ago. I grew up outside of Boston in a suburb and then went to Boston College and I graduated in 2021.”

“I studied abroad in Jordan. I studied Middle Eastern politics and international studies. When I lived in Jordan for six months, this completely changed my whole perspective on the world and my life and everything,” she says. “I started this program, and I got randomly placed. There were 70 Americans who were placed in different cities around Germany, and I somehow got randomly placed in Berlin and this was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.”

After immersing herself in the scene, she decided she wanted to dip her toe into the vast pool that is Berlin techno. And her journey began with none other than a dinky borrowed deck and a Bumble business account.

“One year later after I moved to Germany, I was like, ‘Okay, I want to try that and see how it is.’ And yeah, I got a really sh*tty DJ controller from a friend… and just taught myself how to do everything. I made a Bumble business profile,” she adds, "I ended up connecting with one other person, who I then started a collective with, and we began hosting raves and podcasts, inviting artists onto our label—and that’s how I first got my club gigs."

5. What’s something about the Berlin scene that people don’t realize?

“When people from outside want to come to Berlin, they're obviously thinking about the stereotype of Berghain and KitKat and all of these big-name clubs that exist there. What a lot of people don't realize is how deeply entrenched the musical ecosystem is in Berlin, and how much there is to offer. When I first moved to Germany, I was so shocked that people were not going out just to get wasted and party and find someone to hook up with… People were going out just to listen to music and dance. I think this makes up such a beautiful environment that's also really respectful and open.”

6. I'm sure all those underground shows you attended outside the big-name clubs really defined your taste. What was the hardest part about finding your sound?

“I think a lot of artists can agree with this, but I think the hardest part for a lot of us is just trying to cancel out the background noise, and try not to think so much about what other people may feel about what you're doing. When I joined my agency- 240 KMH, they're very well known for a particular sound that's very fast, very bouncy… I was the only one that was not playing the sounds that they were all playing. It was hard for me to sometimes go to these parties and play for their showcases because everyone really liked the sound that they were pushing.”

“There were moments when I thought maybe I should play the sound that they're playing because it seems to be what people like. I would sometimes play what they would play, and it felt wrong, you know? I felt like an imposter putting on something that was not me. I'm so glad that I stuck with that because I'm at a moment right now where the sound that I'm playing is also the sound that people really identify me with and come to my shows to hear.”

“I think finding your sound, I mean it sounds so cliche, it's just staying true to yourself. For me, I have this warm feeling inside my chest that I get when I play the music that I love. I think that's how I know that it's the right thing.”

7. What’s something people wouldn’t see behind your sets?

“My sets are very high energy and I think for me, when things are going well, it gives me so much energy even though this lifestyle can be so exhausting. I've talked with other artists as well who have said this is how we manage to get through the lifestyle that we have- by having these high energy exciting sets. When people see me smiling and see me enjoying a set, they can trust that I'm right there with them on the dance floor, and feeling exactly what they're feeling as well. I think that's so cool to share that experience with so many different people in so many different places.”

8. Was there a place that changed the way you show up at your sets?

“I don't know if there's one specific place where things changed for me… I think I struggled with consistency, and was not able to have a good gig every single gig. There was one show that I played in Spain, and I showed up nervous and shaky and was running late. One of the speakers wasn't working and I just let everything affect me, and I ended up playing a set that I was not happy with.”

“Now I always try to go to gigs early. I go to the dance floor before I start to get a sense for ‘What does it sound like? What are the people doing?’ If I just show up and don't have any understanding of that, and the crowd is quiet, I'm like- "Oh, they hate me." But maybe that just happens to be how the crowd is responding that night. So I try to be a lot more prepared.”

“The best places I’ve played have been Madrid, where the crowd is amazing, and Catania…”

9. When you think about your next chapter, musically and personally, what feels uncertain and what feels clear to you?

“I think it's hard for me to look into the future and think of what could come, just because my life has completely changed in the last year and a half, and in the last three years in a way that I never expected. I mean, I moved to Germany originally to do social work and study, and now I've ended up as a DJ traveling the world. This was never something that was even on my bucket list or in my plan three years ago… So I think the uncertainty of everything is the most certain thing that we can be sure of. This makes me try to do my best to appreciate the moment, especially in an industry where anything can happen and your moment can be gone in an instant.”

“In the future I want to go back and reincorporate the original purpose of why I came to Germany- I wanted to do social work with refugees. I don't know what that would look like or if that's something that I can combine. I came to Germany hoping to do one thing, and now I've ended up on a completely different path and I think it would be cool to one day try to merge the two.”

“I definitely want to continue with a label eventually. I'm also starting to try and do some community initiatives where I invite other artists to speak with me in a panel talk in Berlin, to give advice and share experiences. I think this was something I lacked in the past - having mentors in the scene and people I could talk to when things were challenging… I think it's so beautiful to have this community, and I want to support the community that I have.”

10. If someone walked away from one of your sets, what would you hope they feel by the end of it?

“I hope it's a mix of relief and inspiration. I'm thinking back to when I go back to the dance floor, not as a DJ but as a dancer myself, and I really enjoy the set. It's such a full body relief for me to go somewhere where I can feel, I can let my energy out, and also gain new inspiration.

“I think the best feeling is when you leave the dance floor and you feel like ‘Wow, okay’ so satisfied and go home with a new idea and just the relief of getting that energy out of your system.”

There is a vulnerability in the way she talks about what she loves, and it’s easily recognizable when a DJ resonates with what they play out. Embodying her roots and playing music that she feels deeply has helped foster a real connection with her audience.

It serves as a reminder that when things feel uncertain, showing up as your most authentic self is often enough for things to fall into place.

Whether it’s honoring her grandmother’s resilience or playing high-energy dance sets, Fumi leaves it all on the floor- bringing everyone with her.