Rebekah on Industrial Mind, Creative Rebirth, and Embracing the Chaos

From the early 2000s house scene to her current status as a titan of industrial techno, Rebekah’s journey is a masterclass in creative rebirth and the courage to reclaim one's narrative.

In this conversation with ANOMIE, the legendary artist reflects on the "chaotic" energy of her new album Industrial Mind, the personal challenges that sparked a fresh perspective on her craft, and her vital mission to foster accountability through the #ForTheMusic campaign.

Raw, uncompromising, and newly playful, Rebekah proves that true artistic freedom comes from letting the music breathe and always keeping an open mind.

Image by @keyistudio

ANOMIE: Thanks so much for sitting down with us, Rebekah. Before we dive in, what’s been on your playlist lately? Any records pulling you in right now?

REBEKAH: Thanks for inviting me ☺ Currently I have been listening to a variety of different music from Duran Duran to Kate Bush and a lot of old house music again; Duke, Rhythm Masters, Full Intention tracks. I've been connecting to the early 2000s and my childhood. 

ANOMIE: You’ve been spending some time in Amsterdam recently. Aside from gigs, what is it about the city that keeps drawing you back, creatively or personally?

REBEKAH: Amsterdam is a super beautiful city, full of life and character, which is a testament to the Dutch and the tourists. Whenever I am wandering around I always want to move to the city, it has that much allure. 

ANOMIE: If you had to sum up the energy behind Industrial Mind in one word or phrase… what would it be? 

REBEKAH: Chaotic comes to mind, or even erratic. It was not made for easy listening, it was made with the dancefloor in mind. Anyone that knows my DJ sets will know they embody the harder sounds and can sometimes become intense energetically and unpredictable! 

ANOMIE: Industrial Mind is described as a return to your roots, but with fresh risks. How do you balance nostalgia with evolution on this album?

REBEKAH: I think the development of an album allows room to look back and forward, so it felt easy to see where the missing pieces were when I was 6 or 7 tracks into the process. You can see that your style of production is there still but you are experimenting and pushing your own personal boundaries. I feel 'Back in Black' was a nod to my older sound and the simplicity of 'Echoes' was a new way of producing techno for me with a different sound pallet. 

ANOMIE: You've mentioned the album is "100% Rebekah", which tracks on the album feel most like “you,” and why?

REBEKAH: They all feel like me in one way or another, as they are showcasing all the different dynamics of my DJ sets where I couldn’t capture an element. The collaborations came in to fill that space and that is really the beauty of creativity. For me it was never about adding names to tracks, it was more about what we can create that would be more unique.

ANOMIE: Over the years, you’ve moved between scenes, hardcore, techno, industrial, do you ever feel confined by genre, or is it liberating to move between them?

REBEKAH: The techno scene is where I really gained my footing as an artist from 2012 onwards, and I’m truly grateful for it. The creativity and freedom it gave me developed over the years, and as I pushed harder and faster, I discovered more subgenres that exist within that framework. I suppose I’ll always be searching and never fully satisfied. Well, I can be happy for a while, but it’s that comfort zone that becomes dangerous. The moment I think I’ve arrived, my subconscious wants to sabotage it, and then I have to dive deep into a sound once more. I try to live by the rule of asking the music how it will fit, rather than searching for music that will fit. It keeps me open, curious, and always discovering.

ANOMIE: You’ve been open about facing some heavy personal challenges recently, your health scare, losing your dad. How did those moments shift your perspective on making music?

REBEKAH: It really woke me up. I felt like I’d been given a fresh opportunity to be even more myself, whether that’s because I’m at an age where I care less about pleasing others by trying to fit in, or because you just don’t know how long you’ll have your health. Throughout my 30s, I worked so hard. The sacrifice to my quality of life, even to having children, was immense. It was like I was possessed. In my 40s, everything feels much more balanced. Making music has become even more about having fun, being less hard on myself, and sharing my DJ sets in a more playful way, while still making music that has something to say from a sound design perspective.

ANOMIE : There’s a sense of rebirth on this record, was making Industrial Mind a way of reclaiming your voice, in a sense?

REBEKAH: I’d been ready to make an album for some time, but the demands of touring kept getting in the way and stopped it from coming to light. Last year, my gig schedule eased up, and the window finally appeared. Maybe a second album is about saying I’m still here and still have something to say, but more than anything, it’s about showcasing where I am musically, through my DJ sets, the influences that have shaped me over the past five years or more, and the evolution of my melodies and sound. So it’s not about reclaiming my voice, per se, but planting a flag in the sand and saying, this is me now, in my current evolution.

ANOMIE: You have also mentioned embracing femininity again, how does that show up in your sound or creative choices now?

REBEKAH:My feminine energy was so suppressed, the playing it down, playing by the rules, not wanting to be too loud or take up space. I’d allowed myself to believe that conditioning, almost to my own detriment in the end. It was all about the music, about not being seen as an artist, and that worked well in techno and earned me respect. But there was still this constant analysis and internal criticism of how I played. It was fun occasionally, but I never really let the music breathe.

So the challenge became stepping out of my comfort zone: really connecting with the audience during my DJ sets and allowing myself to feel free, playful, and curious. The more I worked on that, the more fun it became. Then I took that energy back into the studio, where you can hear those elements throughout Industrial Mind, in the melodies, in the almost-too-cheesy synth lines. It’s an "I’m not taking myself so seriously anymore" moment in my life.

ANOMIE: Do you see this album as a kind of emotional therapy, or more of a celebration?

REBEKAH: For me, it’s a celebration. It’s not trying to be clever or anything else. There’s still an attitude to it, and it has punk elements, but in a young, carefree way, which, of course, was the embodiment of original punk before the message became political.

ANOMIE : Your #ForTheMusic campaign and the short film When The Music Ends were really powerful statements. What inspired you to use your platform in that way?

REBEKAH: My own personal experiences, and the realisation that not much had changed since the 90s and early 2000s, when my own abuse took place, pushed me to campaign against this. The disconnect I’d felt over the past 15 years had made me believe that things were improving, that as more women artists gained credibility and visibility, the landscape was changing. But in reality, the price of that visibility was still too often abuse and harassment as an entrance fee.

If you look at things clearly, it’s obvious that not enough has changed. You see it at the level of social media, where misogyny is still deeply present, where there remains a belief that women artists and DJs are faking it, that they aren’t making their own music, and that they are only there for their appearance. This is the culture we are still dealing with.

ANOMIE: What kind of change do you hope to see in the electronic music world when it comes to accountability and safe spaces?

REBEKAH: The blueprint is already there. We can’t create completely safe spaces, but we do have the means to create safer ones, and that requires an industry-wide effort. Clubs, promoters, festivals, and venues need to have reporting systems in place and dedicated awareness teams. DJ contracts need to include clauses that address misconduct, with clear consequences for those who violate them. These clauses can be applied across all working environments, including record labels, corporate spaces, and DJ agencies.

We need to come together as a community and remain vigilant for each other, both when we’re out and online. Report what you see and support those who are being mistreated. Educate yourself about power dynamics and recognise what coercion can look like, because sometimes it is incredibly subtle. It isn’t always a violent act in a dark alley; sometimes it’s, “Come to my hotel, I won’t do anything, I promise.” That is the kind of situation I experienced myself as a young girl in the scene.

ANOMIE: With the new album dropping in May, what does the rest of 2026 look like for you? Festivals, remixes, more film work?

REBEKAH: This year is pretty steady with tours and festivals. I have a run of All Night Long sets in South America coming up where for some reason my energy and the Latin fire match a perfect match. I have some new artists interested in collaborating and some fresh ideas already under way. 

ANOMIE: If Industrial Mind is the first chapter of this new era, what do you hope the next one sounds like?

REBEKAH: In my head, the third album will be focused on noise and sound design, but I know I just can’t escape myself. I’m sure it will become something fun again, inspired by the dancefloor, because ultimately that’s where my heart is: the energy, the people, and the release.

ANOMIE: And finally… if you could leave readers with one mindset or mantra as they enter this new phase with you, what would it be?

REBEKAH: Just to keep an open mind! 

@djrebekah