We talk to Utrecht’s rising star Luna Ludmila on the release of her debut LP ‘Lighter Days’
Over the past two decades, Luna Ludmila aka Ashley Haak from Utrecht (Netherlands) has been studiously developing her craft as a DJ and producer. Bringing together a superbly knit tapestry of deep, atmospheric Techno, House and Electronic sounds – all infused with a healthy dose of dub in the mix. Over the past few years, she’s been making a very positive impression with discerning heads and dancefloors across Europe. Her fascination with layering sounds and experimenting with complex rhythms has already caught the attention of labels such as Nuno Dos Santos’ SoHaSo and Roger Gerressen’s Irenic, having put out a steady stream of releases for various imprints since 2020.
Having recently released her debut 8 track LP ‘Lighter Days’ on French powerhouse ‘Berg Audio’, Haak likes to continually challenge herself and push her own boundaries. Which has seen her start playing out live as well as DJ, that comes as no surprise given how much time she dedicates to working in the studio. Marking out the latest evolution in her exciting journey, we managed to track her down and talk about music, production and her latest release ….
How did you get into Electronic music?
Through my dad, he worked in Amsterdam and listened to electronic music on the radio. He talked about Electronic music DJs to me when I was about 11 years old already. He inspired me to buy my first decks and went with me to record stores (Midtown in Utrecht), which has been closed for a quite long time now. I was still really young but he most definitely sparked my love for House and Techno music!
Where and when did you get your first break playing out?
I started DJing at quite an early age to be honest, I wasn’t allowed in clubs at that point in time but used to play with my friends and classmates etc. When I was old enough to go to local bars (which at the time was 16 years old in the Netherlands), me and my best friend approached a few places in my town and asked if we could play the whole evening. They said yes, and so we did. We played regularly together, all night long. We were mostly spinning house at the time, but also a few other genres and I learned so much from it. I took every chance I got basically, signed up for DJ contests etc, which also opened a lot of doors for me.
When I turned 18, it was finally time to hit the clubs, and so I did. Both as a DJ and as a punter for the first time 😉 My first real club gigs were in Utrecht. Back in those days there were still a lot of smaller and underground parties in the city, which gave me the chance to play out. After playing out in Utrecht, Amsterdam followed shortly really.
At what point did you want to start making music yourself?
I don’t remember that well exactly, but I’d already been collecting and playing music for a long time. When I was around 16/17 years old, I started having a go at producing. Like a lot of people I know, first of all I downloaded FL studio. But shortly after that, I decided to switch to Ableton. I did a little course, and never looked back 🙂 I love Ableton, over the last few years I’ve also been using it for my live sets.
And what equipment did you get for your first set up?
Just a laptop, a midi keyboard and terrible speakers I guess… it was nothing fancy. It took me years to buy actual gear. There’s so much to learn inside the box. I think I got the first native instruments model of Maschine as my first piece of ‘’gear’’. I had everything set up in a very tiny room at my parents house. But they always let me work on my music, they never complained.
Looking back, how do feel about your older productions?
It’s funny because I’ve changed a lot, but I also can clearly hear some fundamentals that are still there in my music today. I like minimalism, I don’t like music that’s too ‘’busy’’. I want to be clear on what to focus on when I listen. And things always have a bit of a deep touch, which is still important to me.
How do you think your practice has evolved?
Overall, I feel I now have a much stronger technical understanding of what I’m doing. I also graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the University of the Arts in Utrecht, where I spent four years focusing on composition and sound design. I learned so much about every aspect of music production, from mixing to sound design to composition etc. Back then I was just messing around, with no idea what I was doing. Now I feel like my productions sound better, but sometimes I end up thinking too much about the technical aspects. Either way, I’m happy with the experience I got through my studies. I also developed my love for ambient and downtempo works there.
What’s your studio looking like these days?
I have a proper studio now, a 10-minute bike ride from my house, which is amazing to work in. I’m sharing it with another great composer. These days, I own a bunch of gear such as a Korg Electribe, Waldorf Blofeld, Novation Supernova, Behringer Deepmind, Elektron Digitone, and some cool pedals like the Strymon Nightsky and Erica Synths Zen Delay. I like to process things through my great analogue Midas Venice mixer.
Do you have any go to pieces of kit?
For pads and stabs I use my Novation Supernova a lot. I really like this beast. It’s a rack synth from ’98’. I really like how it’s designed, it’s easy to use, and has some dope presets in there. For Drums, I will never ever abandon my korg electribe. It’s so in your face, I love how analog it sounds.
Is there anything you’ve sold you wish you’d kept?
Not really, I’m not very good at selling things.
Coming on to your album, how did the idea for ‘Lighter Days’ come about?
I was supposed to release just a small EP on Berg Audio. In the process of sending music, Berg Audio offered me the idea to create a full album as they realised there were too many tracks for just an EP.
As I produce everything between Ambient, Dubby stuff, Housey cutz and also things that are more on the Techno spectrum. It felt like a good way to showcase my sound. I’m happy with the selection we ended up with.
How would you say your approach is different now, compared to how you made music in the past?
I’m thinking more, which is a good and a bad thing. I strive to achieve the best possible result, which means it takes a lot of time. For example with my sound design, I always try to improve and experiment until I have the best result, certainly more than I did in the past. So compared how I worked before, it’s a longer process. However, in the end, I believe my productions have really improved due to this approach. I also start my projects more now with hardware machines than I did in the past. I try to squeeze a little idea out of one of the machines and go from there. I still work a lot in the box as well.
And when it comes to your album “Lighter Days”, talk us through some of the tracks:
Breathe
I love composing ambient music because it feels like there are no rules — complete freedom to create. For this piece, I recorded long audio takes with my Waldorf Blofeld and processed them heavily in the box. Since my background is rooted in the realms of Dub Techno, I naturally focus on reverb and delays to shape depth and space.
Breathe is meant to calm the nerves and guide the listener on an inward journey.
Lighter Days (Deep + Original Mix)
This track was born out of a winter writer’s block. For weeks nothing seemed to work in the studio, I was stuck trying to write club tracks while feeling weighed down by the darker months. Then, when the first touch of spring arrived, my mood shifted, and so did my inspiration.
Lighter Days reflects that hopeful energy. The groove is simple and steady, carrying a sense of uplift. I created two versions: a deeper one and a club-ready mix. The original ‘’club’’ mix has more weight in the drums, and I always enjoy playing it out in my sets.
But the deep version works well on your balcony, too 😉
Human Error
One of my favorites on the album. I love how it combines deep textures with a straightforward dancefloor energy. On this record, I experimented more with ‘’raw’’ sound design than in my previous releases (also with ‘Vibe Thang’), while still keeping a sense of depth.
This track pairs that grit with warm, deep stabs. I can’t even fully remember how I built the groove, but I do remember jumping around my studio with excitement once it came together.
