Last night, after a few glasses of wine, my roommate and I were laughing about our individual dancing styles when we are at a club and completely immersed in the music. My roommate tends to hang out in front of the DJ. She’s usually swinging her arms, but in a very controlled way as if she’s marching (that or fending off a bevy of zombies.) Oh and she’s usually smiling really big at other people, wanting to make sure that those around her are having just as much fun as she is.
As a woman who loves techno, I feel it is my personal duty to draw attention to all the incredible techno DJs out there who also happen to be ladies. That’s why occasionally I’ll use this playlist as my platform (hey, everyone needs a soapbox, ok?)
Marketed as a brooding and often dark tech house floor filler, what I like most about ‘Sacred Geometry’ is how the track evolves with layers of filtered synth parts, building percussion over the track’s 7 and a half minutes.
How perfect that this track is named “Dishes & Wishes”. If I had to rank all my household chores from best to worst, washing dishes would always be at the top of my list. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that my legs are free to dance to whatever Deep House track is currently bumping out of my laptop speakers.
On Saturday night I arrived to Griessmühle; formerly a pasta factory, and presently one of my favorite clubs in Berlin. Not only is it just a few U-bahn stops from my house, but it’s a bit off the beaten path (and a bit gritty), which means it doesn’t attract a lot of tourists.
Since today is International Women’s Day I thought it would be most appropriate to feature one of my favorite DJs, Lady Blacktronika. She was one of the first friends I made when I arrived to Berlin and also the first person to ever tell me not to refer to “Techno” as “Electro.” When I asked her why, she said, “just don’t.” Duly noted Lady Black.
Max Cooper creates “highly produced, emotional electronica made for both the dance floor and sit-down concerts.” When I hear this song I am immediately reminded of the deep, introspective journey that music sometimes takes me on. There I am in the middle of dance floor, surrounded by gyrating strangers and dancing lights. I close my eyes and go on a mini-vacation in my mind.
A couple of days my roommate mentioned that she was going to deep clean the apartment. I said, “Well, wait. Friday we are having a house party and it’s just going to get filthy again.”
The lyrics to It’s Ok were written by Patricia Edwards way before I ever made the song. I liked it when I first heard the lyrics and then decided to write music to it. Since Patricia is based in New York and I am based In Johannesburg, I wanted the song to have both an American as well as a South African feel to it. I also wanted the song to fit in any club around the world. Hope you enjoy!
It’s the freakin’ weekend and I couldn’t be more excited. Before I crack open a bottle of beer and toast to the ending of a particularly stressful week, I still have a few tasks I need to finish up..like backing up all my data to my external hard drive (a habit I need to just go ahead and adopt weekly).
In any decent DJ playlist there is always at least one track that stands out. For me Kölsch’s, Grey epitomises such a record. It’s upfront, it doesn’t stand about, it hits the spot and clears off in under 5 mins leaving us wanting more. It’s my favourite tune of the now and now is all we have.
Much like the repetitive nature of cleaning your living space, the chimed plucks in the beginning of the track repeat throughout and takes the listener on circular adventure as added layers build on this theme with an array of syncopated break beats, futuristic synths, and a driving bass line.