Dj Gigola
DJ Gigola’s music is fun and unpretentious. Tired of Berlin’s monotonous, club scene, she decided to take matters into her own hands making bold stylistic choices and challenging the average electronic music listener to reconsider; expect to hear "Vogue" by Madonna in the middle of her deep techno sets.
Her latest release Sueño, part of an on-going collaboration with long-term friend Kev Koko features a combination of soft dreamy vocals and a high-energy bass-driven backdrop.
Considering you grew up in an electronic music induced environment, what is your earliest memory of music or electronic music itself?
Growing up in Berlin, my earliest memories are probably the street parades in summer, especially Love Parade at that time.. As a child I was delighted by all the bold outfits and the hammering music.
When I think of my first actual encounters with club culture in Berlin I immediately feel the curiosity, the anticipation and the excitement that you get when you’re entering the club.
You find yourself in a new environment, a new world opens and draws you into it, it’s dark, the bass is thumping through the walls before you enter the dance floor and arrive at the heart of the club.
As a teenager these were the moments I loved most, when it’s your first time somewhere new; I still enjoy it when I am playing at a club I haven’t been to before.
You’ve mentioned your introduction into creating music was brought on by your boredom with the electronic scene in Berlin. So, how would you say your music differentiates from other Electronic music in the current European and Berlin scene?
I feel Berlin is an ever changing platform for electronic music and it is a blessing to be surrounded by it. Its long existence has cultivated into an intellectual music scene that comes with its own and particular sound.
As much as I love an educated approach towards electronic music, I sometimes feel that applying the common, the popular and the frowned upon music in a DJ set brings fun and emotion to a night.
For me, it's that kind of "commercial" music that triggers past memories; for example listening to the radio in your parents car as a child. I love to watch the reaction of the crowd when I incorporate it into the middle of a trance-like techno set. These are the most beautiful and uplifting moments for me.
This is what differentiates my approach probably the most since I don’t shy away from most tracks or genres. I'm glad to see when other artists share these ideas of music.
Electronic music plays a lot on bringing in emotions through beats with minimal words or none at all. How do you navigate your way through this process when making music?
In my opinion, emotions come from an immediate and subconscious place. They are unprocessed layers of experiences from the past and the present and I like channeling these emotions in different ways through my music. Working with Kevin (Kev Koko) is a novel way to extract these impressions. Our collaboration has been like a catalyst that's come about through dialogue and we challenge each other to go through our musical past and push it into new directions.
What kind of music do you listen to? Do you see its influences in your own music?
I would say I listen to a broad spectrum of music which also marks the biggest influence for me as a DJ. I love to mash up genres and styles, working on a hybrid sound that connects music from different influences. There's something I like in every genre, and the more open I am to compile from different genres the more likely I'm able to seek my own style.
What are your future intentions with your music and career?
I can‘t wait to continue my collaboration with Kevin and to further develop our style. I also plan to create a solo EP, maybe it‘ll be ready this year, maybe next year; I want to take time to figure out what I want to present musically on my own. Also, I want to work with Live From Earth (my music label) to find spaces in Berlin to have affordable parties and offer talented artists a platform to present and to collaborate.I love to encounter new people and places and I love that my work enables me to do that.
courtesy DJ GIGOLA
interview ANISHA KHEMLANI
More to read
