INTERVIEW: PAJANE

In an era where electronic music often moves at breakneck speed, PAJANE stands out for his ability to slow things down just enough to stay honest. The German DJ and producer has built his reputation not by chasing trends, but by trusting instinct — a mindset that has carried him from early underground releases to global recognition. Breakout records like “Back Once More” introduced his raw, high-impact sound to an international audience, while follow-up successes, official remixes for artists like Tiësto and Joel Corry, and collaborations with names such as Sidney Samson and BIJOU confirmed that it wasn’t a moment, but a foundation.

With over 23 million Spotify streams, support from some of the most influential DJs in the world, and performances at leading festivals and clubs including World Club Dome, Parookaville, Bootshaus Cologne, and Papaya Croatia, PAJANE has quietly become one of the most consistent and self-aware voices in modern club music. His latest single “Crush”, released on WCD Music, distills that journey into a focused, high-energy statement — direct, physical, and driven by feel rather than formula. In this Chromatic Club conversation, PAJANE opens up about instinct over intention, the realities behind success, launching his own label OVERSTIM, and how personal experiences have reshaped both his music and his mindset.

When someone discovers your music for the first time, what kind of experience or emotion do you hope to create for them?

When someone hears my music for the first time, I want them to get a clear idea of who I am. My tracks are always about energy and emotion, but also about a certain attitude. It should feel a bit raw, direct and honest, not like something that was made just to fit a playlist. If someone finds me through a track like Back Once More or Crush, I want them to feel that mix of groove, tension and release and think, okay, this has its own character. In the best case they remember that feeling and the name PAJANE sticks with it.

How do you balance making music for yourself versus making something that works for the dancefloor?

When I’m making music, I don’t separate it into “this is for me” or “this is for the club.” I always start with something I actually feel myself, because if it doesn’t hit me first, it’s not worth finishing. But because I play so many shows, I automatically know what kind of moments work on a dancefloor. So while I’m producing, I already picture how a certain sound or groove would translate in a real room. It’s not something I calculate, it’s just instinct. For me the best tracks are the ones that feel personal but still hit naturally in a club without me forcing anything.

What was the turning point where you felt your sound truly became your own?

I think the moment my sound really became my own was when I stopped trying to impress anyone and just trusted my instincts. Before that I tried a lot of different directions, but nothing really felt like “me.” The real turning point was when I made Back Once More. It was such a simple idea, made in a moment where I wasn’t thinking too much, and suddenly people all over the world reacted to it. That showed me that my instinct and that raw energy were actually the core of my identity.

At the same time, that success also put me into a very specific niche, almost like people expected that exact sound from me forever. What most people don’t know is that my guilty pleasure has always been Dubstep. That’s the sound I grew up with, and I don’t think I’ll ever fully get away from it. It’s somewhere deep in me, and even if you don’t hear it directly, that energy still influences how I build tension and drops today.

You recently started your own record label. How has launching OVERSTIM changed your perspective on the music business?

Starting OVERSTIM opened my eyes a lot. When you’re just releasing as an artist, you only see one side of the industry. Once you start a label, you suddenly understand how much work actually sits behind every release, every contract, every timeline. It made me realise how much the business side shapes the creative side, sometimes more than it should. It also showed me how slow and complicated things can be when you rely on other people or bigger structures.

For me the label is mainly about having control and not waiting around for someone else to greenlight my vision. It made me respect the process more, but also made me more protective of my ideas. You see what works and what doesn’t, you see what’s honest and what’s just strategy. Launching OVERSTIM didn’t make me more “industry,” it just made me more aware of what I want to avoid and what I want to do differently.

How do you usually test out new material before it’s released — do you road-test it live or keep it private until it’s finished?

When I’m working on new music, I test things all the time. In the studio you can imagine how a drop or a groove might hit, but at the end of the day you can’t fully predict how a real crowd will react. Some tracks work instantly, others fall flat, and you have to be honest enough to recognise why. For me that’s part of the process. Playing ideas in different environments teaches you a lot about your own productions, what translates and what doesn’t, and it keeps you improving. The studio gives me the vision, but the crowd gives me the truth.

You have a new single out — ‘Crush’. Can you talk us through the production process?

When I made Crush it was really about capturing a feeling rather than planning a track. I had a lot of built-up energy, opened the project and just started messing with the bass until it matched that feeling in my chest. Once that main idea was there, everything else came quite naturally. The drops all come from the same bassline, just pitched, distorted, printed, chopped and rebuilt in different ways. It’s never about one effect or one trick, it’s about pushing sounds until they end up somewhere unexpected. Crush is very direct — what you hear is exactly the state I was in at that moment.

What drew you to WCD Music for this particular release?

What made WCD Music the right place for Crush was the relationship behind it. I’ve been connected to the World Club Dome family for a long time, not just as an artist but also behind the scenes with bookings and artist support, so there’s real trust there. They understand what I’m trying to do musically and they don’t try to change the core of my sound. When I showed them Crush, the reaction was immediate. They got the energy straight away and wanted to push it in the right way. It just felt like the right fit at the right moment.

Beyond this single, what kind of sound or emotional territory are you most excited to explore next in your work?

What really excites me right now is bringing out the parts of me that people don’t fully know yet. Deep down I’m still that kid who was obsessed with Dubstep — the aggression, the chaos, the sound design that completely flips a room. I’m not suddenly going to make pure Dubstep, but I definitely want to let more of that intensity bleed into my sound. At the same time, I don’t want to trap myself by repeating the same idea forever. I want to experiment, push myself and have fun, while still keeping the core of what makes PAJANE, PAJANE.

Who in the scene right now is pushing or inspiring you creatively, whether through sound, performance, or vision?

Skrillex and Chris Lake inspire me a lot because they prove that long-term success can still come from real talent, dedication and strong musical ideas. They’ve been around for years, they’re still shaping the scene, and they don’t compromise who they are just to fit trends. They understand the modern side of the industry but stay true to themselves. That balance between evolution, consistency and identity is something I really respect.

What’s something you’ve learned recently — in life or in music — that’s shifted how you work or think?

What I learned in the last year is that you can’t run from your own mind. I hit a point where I was mentally completely done. Pressure, stress and private problems caught up with me and I had a panic attack that basically shut my system down. For months nothing felt normal. I still had shows and responsibilities, even played gigs while having panic attacks, which was incredibly hard. But going through that taught me something very important — your health and your family come first, always.

I had to slow down, step back and rebuild myself with the help of my girlfriend, my family, my dog and real time off. Now I’m creating from a much more honest place. Being strong isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about facing what’s wrong and still standing on the other side. That experience changed how I live and how I make music, and in the end it brought me closer to myself again.