Ellen Trenn on Reclaiming Energy, Breaking Genre Boundaries and Coming Full Circle With EXHALE
- Undrtone Blog
- Aug 1
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Ellen Trenn has never been interested in making hard music for the sake of impact alone. Emerging from Berlin’s underground, the DJ, producer and live creative has built her identity around the space where intensity, emotion and unpredictability meet, moving fluidly between techno, rap, breakbeats and more reflective passages without allowing genre labels to dictate the direction.
That approach sits at the heart of ‘Unleashed’, her contribution to EXHALE VA008. Arriving alongside music from artists including VE/RA, Alex Farell, Ctrl, BRÅWN, Blondex, Portex and Khira Li, the track marks a significant moment for Trenn, whose relationship with Amelie Lens’ label stretches back long before she began releasing music through it.
For Trenn, the title reflects a wider process of learning to trust herself.
“‘Unleashed’ is about reclaiming your own energy and fully embracing it,” she explains. “So many of us spend a lot of time trying to fit into expectations, overthinking every decision or making ourselves smaller.”
The track captures the point where that restraint begins to fall away. Rather than treating fear, doubt or internal pressure as something to ignore, she wanted to transform those feelings into movement.
“At some point, I realised the most powerful moments happen when you stop asking for permission and fully trust your own instincts,” she says. “It’s about letting go of fear, self-doubt and the need to control everything.”
That sense of release runs through the production. ‘Unleashed’ is direct and built for physical impact, but its harder elements are never separated from the emotions beneath them.
“I’ve never been interested in making hard music just because it’s hard,” Trenn says. “For me, intensity only becomes meaningful when there’s emotion behind it.”
Living with ADHD has played an important role in understanding that balance. Music has become a way for her to process a mind that naturally experiences the world with heightened intensity, turning something that can feel overwhelming into a source of creative power.
“Producing has become a way of understanding and channelling that intensity instead of fighting it,” she explains. “‘Unleashed’ is powerful and driving, but underneath there’s vulnerability. I want people to leave the dancefloor feeling empowered rather than overwhelmed.”
That refusal to choose between strength and sensitivity also makes the track difficult to place within one fixed category. EXHALE VA008 moves across techno, psytrance, acid, rave and industrial energy, but Trenn sees her contribution less as a genre exercise than a continuous physical journey.
“My music often borrows elements from different worlds, but what connects everything is movement,” she says. “I wanted this track to feel like constant momentum, as if it’s pulling you deeper and encouraging you to completely let go.”
Its release through EXHALE carries particular weight. Trenn has created visual content for the label since 2019, giving her an unusual perspective on its growth, community and artistic direction before becoming part of its musical roster herself.
“EXHALE has been part of my journey long before I released music on the label,” she says. “Amelie has always been a huge inspiration to me and shaped my relationship with electronic music and my own sound.”
Becoming an EXHALE resident and now contributing original music feels less like an outside opportunity and more like the natural development of a long-standing relationship.
“It’s not just another release for me,” she adds. “It feels like coming full circle.”
That same openness defines Trenn’s DJ sets. Rather than organising music through genre folders alone, she responds to shifts in pressure, atmosphere and the needs of the room.
“Sometimes people need pressure, sometimes space, sometimes surprise,” she explains. “Playing with expectations and then breaking them is one of my favourite parts of DJing.”
For Trenn, storytelling provides a stronger foundation than stylistic consistency. A techno record can sit beside a rap influence or broken rhythm as long as the transition serves the emotional direction of the set.
“If every transition serves the journey, people will follow you, no matter what genre you’re playing.”
That freedom has not always made her path easier. The electronic music industry often rewards artists whose identities can be reduced to a simple description, something Trenn openly admits she has struggled with.
“The industry prefers artists who are easy to label because they’re easier to market,” she says. “But I’m currently building my own category, and that’s giving me more freedom than ever.”
Predictability has never felt like a worthwhile trade-off.
“Curiosity and playfulness are such a big part of who I am that limiting myself musically would feel dishonest. I’d rather keep evolving and surprise people.”
Berlin has given her the environment to develop that philosophy. Its dancefloors taught her that energy does not need to be forced constantly and that holding something back can create a stronger sense of connection.
“Berlin taught me that dancefloors don’t need constant stimulation,” she says. “Instead of chasing peak moments every few minutes, I learned how powerful patience can be.”
Her residencies with EXHALE and Mahagoni Festival have allowed that understanding to deepen over time. Unlike one-off appearances, they offer space to experiment without feeling the need to establish her entire identity in a single set.
“Residencies give you room to evolve instead of constantly having to introduce yourself,” Trenn explains. “That trust allows you to experiment and take risks because people support your journey instead of judging one performance.”
Beyond music, she remains committed to equality and representation through Femme Frequency. While line-ups have become more diverse in some areas, she believes the industry risks assuming the work has already been completed.
“The conversation slowed down too early,” she says. “Real change happens when access becomes more equal at every level, from bookings and labels to agencies and the people making decisions behind the scenes.”
That belief in community also shapes how she imagines the future. With further releases, European shows and her work across filmmaking and visual art continuing to develop, Trenn is less interested in constructing a marketable character than building something sustainable.
“I want to grow with my career and allow myself to evolve,” she says. “I want my work to stand for change, connection and empowerment.”
‘Unleashed’ captures that vision at a defining point. It is a track built for high-impact rooms, but its real power comes from the decision to stop suppressing the contradictions that make Ellen Trenn’s work distinctive. As her relationship with EXHALE enters this next phase, she is not narrowing her identity for clarity. She is making more space for every part of it to move.
