| Sonic reducer >> Expect big things from Montreal’s DJ Mini
by RAF KATIGBAK
Arguably one of Montreal’s hottest up-and-coming DJs, DJ Mini has been blowing up dancefloors in bars, clubs and raves for the last three years with her pumping proto-techno-electro sound. As with most DJs, Mini’s love affair with electronic music began at those very same raves and clubs years before. Her first real break as a DJ, though, came four years ago when she started tending bar at the St-Laurent watering hole known as Blue Dog. “The owner wanted me to start DJing,” Mini recalls. “She gave me the keys and said come in whenever we’re not open and practice as much as I want. So I started going twice a day every day for seven hours.” A cursory glance through her crates reveals a cross section of electro and synthpop tracks, past, present and future. Surprisingly, between 12-inches from groups like Visage, Telex, Felix Da Housecat and Adult. are a suprising number of non-electro tracks. When I comment about the abundance therein of styles that most people don’t associate her with (notably a lot of big, gay house anthems), she laughs and hopes that nobody ever does. “When I started DJing, I needed a lot of tools. I wanted to experience the best of everything, drum & bass, hardcore, gabber. I bought everything I liked and mixed it up during crazy six-hour sets. It was a period of a lot of experimentation.” After her initial phase of “trying on” different electronic music styles, she found that something about the dark groove of electro provided the right fit. “When it comes to playing clubs and making people dance, I think I’ve found my sound. The sound’s gotta scratch a little, y’know? A little abrasive,” she says, referring to the techno-electro hybrid she rocks at Blue Dog’s Shredder Sundays and, more recently, Blizzarts’ Chemistry Saturdays. “I like little weird, unexpected breakdowns, and definitely female vocals. But not (imitates wailing diva) style.” Where some DJs like to take the crowd by the hand and lead them on a musical journey, Mini style grabs you by the shoulders and throttles you till you have no choice but to move your ass. “I’m having more and more of a punk approach recently. My style isn’t very progressive or linear, it’s really very up and down. Half an hour will be very happy and jiggy-jiggy, and then it’s like whoosh, darker and darker. It’s very ‘in the moment’ and up in the air.”
Also very “in the moment” is the whole electro-clash trend that seems to be gaining momentum in Montreal, with electro-themed nights mushrooming throughout clubland. Where some might say “the more the merrier,” DJ Mini sees the recent electro explosion as perhaps too much of a good thing. “Sure, there are a lot of electro nights starting up, but there are a lot of nights closing down really fast too. It’s because people push it too much. Electro should be there, but people shouldn’t put too much of an aura around it. It’s like a spiral—people get so into something, it’s everywhere and people want more and more. Then they realize they’ve had too much.” Although our conversation steers clear of the tired, “What’s it like being female on the predominately male DJ circuit?” question, Mini is more than happy to talk about the female techno artists she admires. “I really like Chicks on Speed because they do a lot of other artistic things besides the music. Then there’s Peaches, who’s more about being a rock star. Although that’s not what I’m about, she does it so well that I totally respect that. If you look at Ellen Alien, it’s a completely different, more low-key but intelligent approach.” While some female DJs prefer to skip the entire gender issue, one listen to her set (or her latest mixed promotional CD Splatter) and it’s obvious that Mini has strong ties to her identity as a female DJ. “I try to encourage as many female artists as I can, something you’ll notice when you hear me play. I’d love to travel around and meet other women artists. I feel like it could become more like a community. If I could go all over and meet them, I could get opinions on what I’m doing, and give some opinions of my own. Interesting artists like Le Tigre probably have a lot to say.” : CD launch, with Jordan Dare, Bliss and congenial host Murad, at Blizzarts’ Chemistry on Saturday, Sept. 7, 10pm, $5 >> Music Listings |
