Grown through electro beats and strobe lights, a flower blooms to guide seekers and seers through a land of curiosity and enlightenment, tracing DJ Jessie Granqvist’s path from the urban landscape to nature as part of an ongoing transmission and a personal transcendence.
For DJ and curator Jessie Granqvist, the forest is more than a backdrop. It is a teacher, a reset, a reminder of balance and, perhaps above all, a space for shaping shared, free experiences. In the kind of raves she gravitates toward, especially those rooted in nature, rhythm, and community create a rare form of collective release. Through her sets and immersive gatherings, she explores transcendence not as escape, but as presence, found somewhere between the trees and the dance floor.
Imagine you are dancing in the forest. A towering sound system woven between moss and pine, basslines reverberating through the trees. Techno pulses through the undergrowth, moving bodies into an organic flow. Time loosens its grip. Edges blur. At raves, space and self have a way of dissolving, inviting us to transcend the moment.
Somewhere in the crowd, you might find Stockholm-based DJ Jessie Granqvist. Not separate from the scene, but inside it, absorbing the details: light cutting through branches, the emotional temperature, the subtle shifts in energy. These fragments become part of the journey she shapes behind the decks, guiding people from one feeling to another, from one memory or imagined place to the next.
“As obvious as it may sound, we need spaces where we can truly be ourselves. Where we can enter our different flows, hang out, and experience what life feels like when it’s driven by joy and love and community, not rules and systems. It’s in free spaces that free thoughts are born, and where life’s most meaningful encounters take place,” she says.
For Jessie, those free spaces have been formative. DJing for over fifteen years around the world and curating club nights in southern Stockholm, she grew up in the underground rave scene that would later define her career. As a teenager, she remembers being glued to the stereo at house parties, bringing her own CD case to take charge of the soundtrack.
“When I turned 18, becoming a club kid was just natural. The first time someone lent me a pair of CDJs and a mixer, I was completely hooked. I experienced my first rave and totally immersed myself in the beautiful world of underground parties.”
Forest raves, in particular, hold a special place in her heart. They are never just about the music. “It’s more of a mission,” she says, laughing, describing the ritual of it all: finding the location, dressing for the weather, packing bananas for sustenance. “I’ve had many magic moments in the forest by just trying to find somewhere to pee. It’s about people taking care of each other and their surroundings in a respectful way that makes it beautiful, and who doesn’t love the aesthetics of a beautiful sound system next to the trees?”
There is something about the wild that calms the human nervous system. For Jessie, nature is not an escape from nightlife but rather its counterpart. “When I think of parties or spaces where I feel most secure playing at, it always comes back to the Swedish forest. Nature overall brings me balance, and when I need to reset my brain, I usually take walks in nature. It helps both mentally and creatively.”
That balance, between intensity and grounding, pulse and pause, has shaped her sound. It is also a balance that chef Filip Jansson has eloquently translated into a white pizza titled Skogen, the Swedish word for forest, for an exclusive Asahi Session evening featuring Jessie.
Each bite is like a step closer to nature; the crisp crust is a perfect base for Swedish spruce bark cheese, drizzled with spruce needle oil, delicately shaved wild forest mushrooms layered with agretti, a fresh, grassy Italian herb, on top. The finishing touch, a dusting of dried black trumpet mushroom powder, creates just the right amount of woody umami. Like her sets, it is less about spectacle than sensation, less about excess than intention. The forest lingers in flavor, in rhythm, in repetition.
It’s this ability to translate place into feeling that defines Jessie’s artistry. Moving seamlessly between sources of inspiration, she extends beyond the confines of genre. “I try my best to affect the scene positively and for it to thrive. For me, transcendence in my artistry comes through storytelling. A great set isn’t just a sequence of tracks. It’s a story shaped by my history, emotions, memories, and the atmosphere of the moment.”
And perhaps that is where the forest rave becomes more than a party. A reminder that when sound, nature, and community converge, we can step beyond the rigid systems of everyday life, if only for a few hours, into something freer and more alive.
Talent: Jessie Granqvist
Team Credits:
Photography by Jakob Möller
Styling by Josef Forselius
Hair and Make-up by Petra Stenhammar
Hair colorist: Sara Dahlgren
Styling Assistants: Vanja Filipovic and Ishi Okenmor
Special Thanks to Studio Turbo, Neo & Mia Wallenius
Fashion Credits:
1 & 10) Dress by J.Simone. Socks: stylist’s own. Shoes by Rombaut. Earrings by All Blues.
2) Knitted hat by Imaskopi. Knitted crop top by V4K. Leather top by KRIBA. Track suit pants by Adidas. Slippers by Crocs. Rings by Laôma Atelier and Arto. Necklace by Arto. Bracelet by All Blues.
3) Top by Tommy Hilfiger. Skirt by Ono Ateliers. Knee socks by Swedish Stockings. Boots by Rombaut. Rings by All Blues.
4) Top and skirt by Ono Ateliers. Knee socks by Swedish Stockings. Mules by Humana. Bracelet by All Blues. Rings by Arto.
5) Jacket and jeans by K16ch1. Sandals by Humana. Rings by Laôma Atelier and Arto. Necklace by Arto.
6) Pink and black knitted tops by V4K. Denim skirt by KRIBA. Rings by Laôma Atelier and Arto. Earrings by All Blues. Hat by Ono Ateliers.
7) Dress by Keta Gutmane. Sunglasses by Chimi. Earrings by All Blues. Sling Back Sandals by Rombaut.
8) Tracksuit jacket and skirt by Aniele Stroz. Boots by Rombaut. Belt by Inan. Rings by Arto. Earrings by All Blues.
9) Dress by KRIBA. Gloves by Trashy Clothing. Socks: stylist’s own. Earrings by All Blues.
11) Dress by Keta Gutmane. Bag by Naff. Earrings by All Blues. Rings by Arto.