In 1996, Italian born Misstress Barbara got her first booking and has gone on to play across all the major cities from North and South America to Europe, Asia and Australia alongside respected artists such as Richie Hawtin, Sven Vath, Bjork, Thievery Corporation and Carl Cox. With a sense of maturity dawning, Misstress Barbara is the first to admit that her sound has shifted. The following is Barbara's take on her music in her own words.

There is a difference between business and art.Unfortunately we call businesses most thingsthat should be artistic, like for example the moviebusiness or the music business. When things get tothis point we often forget their essence and I thinkit's very sad. When a DJ chooses to play a particularstyle of music it usually means that it's the style theDJ feels the most.

Even though I'm sure that there are a bunch of people who started being DJs just because they think it's cool without ever even having any passion for music whatsoever, I think that usually the key behind the success of a DJ is their passion and honesty, because by playing what the DJ really likes the most, the DJ becomes influential and then the essential happens: the DJ becomes the means of connection between the music and the crowd. It's how passionately the DJ plays you the music that means the crowd ends up liking it too. How many times have I heard from people during my so very hard killer techno sets, "I never liked techno but you like it so much yourself that when one watches you play it's impossible not to want to dance!" Those comments I've had have always been very touching for me as well as a big source of motivation for playing such an unpopular style of music so very difficult for the masses to understand, but I've always done it because I truly liked it and didn't care if it was not going to bring me popularity.

Funnily enough though, in my own style with my very unpopular hard music I developed a trademark: the most Relentless Hard Techno Queen. With my honesty and passion for the music I liked I created for myself a very comfortable place and I was loved and recognised for what I was doing. One of the oldest and most world famous trademarks of the world for its particular and recognisable taste is Coca-Cola. When you buy Coca-Cola, you want Coca-Cola, nothing else! I believe that people who buy tickets to hear Misstress Barbara also want the same thing that they've always known and recognised me for, and I can understand that. But one day, about a year and a half ago, I didn't feel as passionate for this hard techno sound anymore and I started feeling really worried, thinking, "oh no, am I going to become like all those boring DJs who don't even seem to enjoy what they do?"

I had two choices: becoming an unexcited and unexciting DJ who, only to save their "business", stays true to their trademark and keeps playing the same old stuff, without any passion to it whatsoever and who would eventually end up disappointing people anyway because at some point they wouldn't find in me the same excitement as before. Or becoming exciting and excited again as my excitement when playing what I really, really like is strong enough to influence even my 94 year old grandmother and make her want to dance, just like it's always been about for me since I first fell in love with techno. Anyone can viciously think that I change just to follow fashion and to be like everyone else. But even with all the malicious thoughts and the critics, being honest as I am and never having played music just for its popularity otherwise I would have probably been a trance DJ. I chose option two, even with the risk of disappointing all my fans, because I think that music is not a business but it's an art, and that you should follow your heart and not the money that popularity brings you. You should also always remember the essence behind things and for me it has always been and always will be the fun and the pleasure of playing the music I really like, no matter what risks I run. And I truly know that whoever is open minded enough to give me a chance, will love it and will dance!

MISSTRESS BARBARA'S NEW MIX ALBUM 'COME WITH ME' IS AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH CIVILISED WORLD

www.iturnem.com