by Mikko Mattlar

Flow Festival’s Front Yard, located next to the Hanasaari power plant, is one of the DJ venues and party locations in the festival area. The venue was moved to its current location last year and now welcomes visitors near the main gate. The Front Yard DJs offer one of the first chances to dance in the area, and last year, many festival-goers happily answered the call, creating unforgettable party moments next to the industrial buildings and metal containers surrounding the open-air dancefloor.

The artists performing this year on Front Yard are a cross-section of some of today’s most interesting electronic music DJs and producers, from different generations and nationalities. Some already have a long career behind them, whereas others have just recently reached the stage of an artist who tours around the world, bringing fresh energy to the clubbing scene.

Kettama and Interplanetary Criminal bridge club history and the sound of now

Irish-born, London-based DJ and producer Kettama played at every major European electronic music festival last summer and hosted a residency at the iconic Amnesia club in Ibiza alongside Ben Hemsley. In October 2025, he released his debut album Archangel, with tracks such as Yosemite and It Gets Better already surpassing 30 million streams on Spotify. Kettama began building his fanbase on Soundcloud, and his career accelerated with the help of Australian DJ and producer Mall Grab, who began playing his tracks and released Kettama’s debut EP on his label. The two also became flatmates in London.

Despite being one of the most in-demand European DJs right now, Kettama is far from having a superstar DJ image. He told in a Mixmag interview in September that he makes his music mostly on a laptop, a broken trackpad, and the reasonably priced FL Studio software with hardly any plug-ins. Kettama’s music is characterised by big, emotional chords, and he creates them by pitching samples on his laptop rather than playing them on a keyboard.

After Kettama’s first releases took off, he has collaborated with top electronic music artists such as Fred again.. and Underworld, both of whom also performed unforgettable shows at Flow Festival recently. It’s no wonder the latter got interested in working with Kettama, despite their age difference of about 40 years. Kettama’s sound has echoes of the 1990s British rave era, and It Gets Better could be an updated vintage Underworld track, with its emotional synth pads and male spoken-word parts. Kettama doesn’t just circulate familiar sounds from the 1990s, but draws on history and updates them in interesting and unique ways. His sound may bring familiar feelings for someone who went clubbing already in the 1990s, but it is not mere nostalgia. Kettama has his own style and sense of harmony – and he adds a little more bass and tempo to the mix. The young producer states he is just a normal Irish guy producing music with stripped-down studio technology. Still, he has a musical vision that can unite generations who enjoy clubbing and electronic music.

Kettama produced his second-most-streamed track Yosemite with Interplanetary Criminal, who is also performing this year at Flow’s Front Yard. The Manchester-born producer is one of the stars in today’s UK garage, with already a #1 track on the UK singles chart, several British music institution awards, and recent tours in North and South America. Kettama and Interplanetary Criminal make a good producer team, as both artists demonstrate they know the history of electronic music and can simultaneously create something fresh and innovative in the genre. Interplanetary Criminal’s productions feature occasional traditional sounds, such as the organ bass often heard in mid-1990s house, but he clearly has his own vision of UK garage and draws on influences from other genres, such as drill and speed garage. He’s considered as talented a DJ as a producer, and while he stays true to his musical vision, he also shows he’s having fun while playing. Proud of his roots in Manchester, Interplanetary Criminal has created another chapter in the city’s history of electronic music, starting with the iconic band New Order, the label Factory Records, and their legendary Haçienda nightclub, where the UK acid house explosion began in the 1980s.

Berghain as a turning point for DJ Gigola and Anetha

DJ Gigola comes from another central point in European club culture, Berlin. She grew up in the city and had access to the local vibrant electronic music scene from an early age, and she began collecting records and going out in clubs. Both led her to get to know the community around electronic music in Berlin. She graduated from medical school before her DJ career took off, and she therefore has a special interest in how music affects the body on the dancefloor or in other situations, such as sound therapy sessions. Currently, she is in high demand worldwide as a DJ, focusing on the club environment, but her debut album, Fluid Meditations, was an ambient journey into relaxation, featuring her ASMR voice that triggers sensory and pleasurable responses.

DJ Gigola was a popular DJ for years before she started producing music. The transformation was fluid because of the way she DJ’s. She often creates live edits of tracks by playing multiple layers simultaneously, picking songs from different genres and making them work together. While already DJ’ing creatively rather than just blending one track after another, she was familiar with experimenting with sound before getting to know the studio environment. When she started producing, DJ Gigola found it motivating to create new music during the week and then play it out on the weekend, seeing how it works live. The instant feedback from the audience on something as personal as her musical creations is one of the biggest joys of being an artist, she said in a Metal Magazine interview recently. She has produced some club bangers, such as La Batteria, out in May 2024, and there’s always a possibility of hearing fresh and unreleased material from her studio when she DJ’s.

For DJ Gigola, the iconic techno club Berghain was an integral part of her musical education growing up in Berlin. Visiting the club for the first time was also a turning point for French DJ and producer Anetha. She grew up in Bordeaux and was introduced to electronic music through her parents’ new wave records. She had already visited French clubs in her younger years, but Berghain was something else. Anetha told in a Numero Netherlands interview that she had never encountered such pristine soundscapes before, and that the minimalist, futuristic sound in Berghain resonated deeply with her background in architecture. Visiting the club was a turning point in her relationship to music, and it happened during the performance of Berghain’s resident DJ Ben Klock, who also happens to be in this year’s Front Yard lineup.

Anetha has since played at Berghain several times, a rare achievement for a French female artist. Musically, she is an artist to watch in contemporary techno, with her unique blend of techno, trance, breaks, and experimental electronic music. Her acclaimed debut album, Mothearth, released in March 2024, showcased her multifaceted producer skills. Anetha has always been close to her family, and shows it in the name of her record label, Mama Told Ya, and the artist agency she co-runs, Mama Loves Ya. Even her first visit to Berghain happened with her family, and she remembers her parents were dancing on poles in the club.

Anetha’s artistry is supported by the community around her, and she gives back to them through her label and agency, working for the overall well-being of her artists. One of the downsides of an international artist’s career is the amount of travelling it demands, which can be exhausting for both the person and the environment. Mama Loves Ya pays special attention to planning the artists’ tours, reducing the distance between gigs. The agency also does its best to have a neutral CO2 emission activity.

Honey Dijon at the heart of club culture

When talking about activism, it is also a natural part of Honey Dijon‘s creativity, who is a fashion icon, DJ, and producer. Having started her career already in the 1990s, she has worked with Madonna, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga, to name a few, and her mix of 1970s and 1980s house and disco with contemporary rhythms creates unforgettable moments on the dancefloor. She spent her youth in the clubs and raves of Chicago, and later contributed to the culture in Berlin, London, and various other cities. She is at the heart of club culture, having lived through its history and shaping its current. This year, she organised her Honey Dijon presents The Nightlife events in central European cities such as London, Amsterdam, and Lisbon. She also plays at major festivals across Europe and the US, often as a headliner.

Honey Dijon told Metal Magazine she prepares for every DJ gig by making new edits, which makes her sets fresh and evolving, as they are musically never the same. She is also able to create a safe space for freedom and self-expression when she DJ’s, showing positive energy and having fun in the DJ booth. Energy is one of the words that could describe her life as a whole, as she is also an active spokesperson for queer Black culture and trans rights. ” I don’t complain, I create”, she summarised her philosophy for Resident Advisor in 2023 when launching the Honeyverse event she organised in London.

This year, the Front Yard program also features other notable international headliners, such as Berlin favourites Ben Klock, Fadi Mohem, and Patrick Mason, as well as Helsinki-based talents from different generations. Some of them, like Orkidea, Lil Tony, and Mr.A have been internationally acclaimed DJs for several decades. Finnish-born, Berlin-based Paula Koski has a steady presence in the clubs of Central Europe, and Helsinki’s own Korgy collective has just begun its international career, having their first gigs abroad last year. Many local younger DJs performing on Front Yard have the capability for a long and respected career, and maybe their performance on this year’s festival leads to something even bigger – who knows.

When you enter the Front Yard at this year’s Flow Festival, you’re guaranteed to hear high-quality, interesting electronic music, whether a seasoned veteran or a younger talent is playing. The venue is a perfect place to explore what’s going on in the current international electronic music scene right now – and, above all, to dance, have fun, and enjoy the music.

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Mikko Mattlar is a Helsinki-based journalist and DJ who has followed electronic music since hearing The Prodigy and The Shamen on Music Television at the age of 12. He has written about the topic for websites, newspapers and books such as ‘DJ-käsikirja’ (2021), ‘Synteettinen Suomi’ (2019) and ‘Kone-Suomi’ (2017).