Where underground grit meets mainstage energy, STVW is carving out a lane that feels tailor-made for New York City. Blending the raw emotion of pop-punk and emo with the pulse of rave and techno, the Germany-based artist has evolved from behind-the-decks DJ sets into full-throttle PUNK RAVE LIVE shows, complete with guitars, drums, and mosh pits. His sound isn’t just a genre crossover; it’s a culture clash done right, resonating with fans who grew up screaming lyrics at Warped Tour and now lose themselves on festival dance floors.

For We Own The Nite NYC, a platform rooted in authenticity, energy, and attitude, STVW represents the future of nightlife performance; where connection matters as much as volume, and vulnerability hits just as hard as the drop. We caught up with him to talk about his evolution, the responsibility of remixing scene-defining anthems, and why NYC feels like the perfect city for his next chapter.

Hello STVW, happy new year to you! How are feeling about the year ahead?

Hey guys, happy new year to you too! Batteries are recharged and a lot of new things are planned for this year, so I’m definitely more than excited for 2026!

You’ve gone from club DJ sets to full PUNK RAVE LIVE shows with guitars and drummers. What moment made you realize the traditional DJ format wasn’t enough for you anymore?

I think it started more with the production side of things in the studio. Over time, I realized you don’t really stand out if you just sound like every other DJ/producer. You need your own vibe. And one day it just clicked – why not mix my first love, pop-punk/emo, with my new love for EDM? At that point, I hadn’t really heard anything like it, so I figured, why not try? Then when I made the first songs I already thought it would be so cool to also make the live shows completely different from all the other DJs out there. So I always wanted to bring this “band concept” into my shows at some point — to stand out not just musically, but also with the live performance. It just made sense to me to present my music this way, because as a regular DJ, it’d be pretty tough to get booked at a rock festival, for example, but with the PUNK RAVE LIVE show, we can totally make it happen so pure rock fans might also enjoy the show!

New York nightlife thrives on authenticity and attitude. How has embracing your rock influences helped you stand out in high-pressure club and festival environments?

In a time where most club DJs play a lot of the same stuff I always wanted to give people a new experience, something that hasn’t been there before in that form. So you still get the high energy of Rave and Techno music but with a band standing on stage adding the Rock concert feeling to the songs with real instruments. Usually the audience who comes to my tour shows nowadays know what to expect but at EDM festivals where a lot of people see me for the first time or never heard about me before it sometimes causes confusion at the beginning. But after the first couple songs you can see they understand what’s going on and join the party! Especially in the US emo and pop-punk are so popular, that’s probably why the majority of my fanbase is from the states! So I can’t wait to bring this concept to NYC soon!

You’ve earned a reputation as a “rockstar” in the dance scene. Do you feel that title came from image, or from how you perform and interact with crowds?

I think both. My biggest advantage is that, compared to a lot of other artists, I don’t have to play some kind of role — I can just be ME. I genuinely love this music, I grew up with it, and I’ve always been part of both worlds: the emo/pop-punk community and the EDM community. When it comes to the “look,” I’ve always loved the Y2K skater and punk-rock style, and I just wear whatever I feel comfortable in, so it comes naturally to me.

Also for the shows as I explained, I’m not only a DJ behind a booth that you can barely see, playing 1 or 2 hours without ever using the mic or interacting with the crowd. Even my „DJ only“-Sets I always treat more like a concert show and spend a lot of time in front of the booth interacting with people or even joining them for mosh pits. This might be not super accepted for a lot of die-hard, real DJs but I think for my kind of music it’s more about the performance, giving people the right energy and just put on a great party since the magic of creating the songs already happens in the studio. If the artist on stage is not going crazy how can you expect from the people in the crowd to do it? I’m absolutely convinced that the energy you have on stage transfers to the people in the crowd aswell. Touring globally means constantly reading different audiences. How do you adapt your energy and setlist between intimate club nights and massive festival stages?

I always had the mentality that the club or festival books me as an artist and they want me to play that specific sound that I’m known for. So for me it never made sense to play something I absolutely do not stand for only to satisfy a crowd. Back in the days it was definitely challenging if you play at a club in a foreign country for the first time and you don’t know how people gonna react to your music, so I tried to research what songs are popular in that country, remixed one or two of those to sneak into my set and find a balance between my sound and the sound people ‚want to hear‘. But nowadays I just do my thing and people either like it or they don’t. That’s also one of the reasons why I wanted to play my own tour shows because the people that decide to buy a ticket for my concert expect me to play the PUNK RAVE sound. I also don’t really distinguish between club or festival shows since that’s also part of the PUNK RAVE concept – to bring that high energy festival Rave and Techno music combined with Punk-Rock and Emo to clubs.

The emotional side of pop-punk and emo plays a big role in your music. How do you balance that vulnerability with the high-energy demands of dance floors?

It definitely took me a while to find that balance but I think that’s exactly what PUNK RAVE is about. The high energy bass of electronic music combined with the real guitars and drums from Pop-Punk and Emo music. The way I produce my songs is that I start by treating it like a Rock song and later I switch out certain elements like kick, bass or synths to give it that high energy of EDM. So the audience gets both, the sing-along emotional parts and the energetic parts to jump to and go completely crazy.

Remixing iconic bands like blink-182, Simple Plan and All Time Low puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. How do you approach reworking songs that already mean so much to people?

I struggled a lot with how I can make this work without offending the original artist and showing respect to their work. When I figured out the ‚recipe‘ I immediately knew ‚This is it‘ and people from the Pop-Punk/Emo scene aswell as the EDM scene could enjoy this. I get so much feedback from people that never had any touching points with raves or EDM parties, that they absolutely love this and it brings back their favorite songs in a completely new ‚costume‘. I also think a lot of us, just like me, grew up on Emo and Pop-Punk and later got into EDM, so for those people it’s just the perfect combination. And seeing the bands I grew up on, the ones that had such a huge influence on my own music, comment on or share my videos where I remixed their songs felt unreal. The fact that these legendary bands actually enjoy something that started out as just a vision in my bedroom studio gave me so much motivation and proved to me that I can truly trust my gut feeling.

Viral moments on platforms like TikTok helped introduce your sound to a new generation. How do you make sure online hype translates into real-world connection at shows?

For me it’s very important to engage with the fans online and have real conversations, and make them feel part of the community. So I always try to reply to every comment and to every DM as best as I can and never take it for granted that somebody takes time out of their lives to text me. Same offline – I talk to every fan after a show, take pictures, and show them: “I’m just like you. I’m also here because of the mutual love for music. I started chasing a dream out of my bedroom, that I can now live because of this amazing community.” The stronger the connection is online the stronger it will be offline as well! You’ve worked with Live Nation on major tours. How has stepping into that touring infrastructure changed your mindset as a performer?

Definitely a lot. Touring as DJ is completely different than touring as a live artist. It took some time to figure out how to make it work because as a DJ it’s much easier —you show up to a club or festival, plug in your USB stick, and play your set. But once you move into being a live act or a small band, you have to think completely differently. You suddenly need to figure out how to get instruments to the venue, deal with a lot more equipment and especially when playing overseas, rent things like drums and all the other electronics. You also need proper soundchecks to make sure the instruments sound great and that everyone’s in-ear mix works as it should. So there’s definitely more planning involved, the logistics are more complicated, and the technical side is more challenging but the performance itself is much more fun for me and I think for people to watch as well.

When the lights go down and the crowd reacts, what part of the night reminds you why you chose this path in the first place?

Seeing people having fun with their friends—jumping, moshing, singing at the top of their lungs, or even crying during a performance—reminds me why I started doing this in the first place. Those moments are everything to me. Talking to the community after shows and getting messages saying it was the best show they’ve ever been to is something I’ll never take for granted. Of course, touring also has its hectic side: constant traveling, making sure everything works the way it’s supposed to before a show, and the quieter moments when you’re alone in the studio. But the moment the last song ends, when I get to spend time with the community or sit down with my team and watch the content from a great show—that’s when it really hits me how lucky I am. Being able to do something that makes me happy and, at the same time, brings so much joy to the people who come to the shows is something I feel incredibly grateful for.

Thanks very much for taking the time and we hope to see you in NYC very soon!

Thanks so much for having me, hope to party together soon!!