With a background in classical music and a penchant for punk and rock, it seemed highly unlikely that Ruth Robertson, otherwise known as DJ Artemis, would trail down the unpredictable path of dance music. However it is in her inquisitive nature and her hardworking temperament that Robertson has managed to secure her position at the forefront of the Canberra hard dance scene; gaining respect as a DJ as well as an events promoter. ITM’s palu investigates.

How was your gig in Sydney this weekend?

Pretty good, I played pretty well and the guy I was going vs with was a nice guy, we played well together…

How do you compare the interstate crowd to the Canberra crowd?

I have always found the Canberra crowd to be more responsive and I guess you could say “up for it” that other states I have been, and a lot of visiting interstate DJs tend to agree…  Perhaps with the exception of Brisbane which seemed have a pretty similar vibe

Can you describe your type of style or sound to those that don’t know?

I play so many different styles as my tastes have changed so much over the last few years.  I like so many styles that I find it too hard to limit myself to one particular style… I play house on Thursday nights (progressive, tech and funky) which I have only been doing this year, but I play regular hard dance and happy hardcore sets on weekends too.  My main style that I tend to be known for best is hard trance.  It’s the sound I play most and all of my demos are hard trance, it’s the sound I push when I go for interstate gigs.  There are so many different sounds within each genre though, so I guess it could be described as driving bass lines, uplifting melodies (but not too fluffy or cheesy) and I love stuff with a techno influence. I have just bought a heap of hard techno this week too/

As an ambassador of the Canberra hard dance scene, how would you describe the state of that local scene at current? How can this be improved upon?

The local scene can always be improved upon.  There is so much politics going on, and people tend not to work together as much as they should.  It creates competition which is healthy but can also be pretty destructive at times.  Finding a balance is hard.  I think it could be improved with a little communication between promoters and also venues.  We don’t have very many options open to us when it comes to venues, so it’s important to look after the ones we do have.  Not having options when it comes to venues makes it very hard to grow the scene and it has generally been shrinking year by year, but the quality of events and the crowds that attend these events are still as good as ever and as I said before, interstate DJs are always impressed by the crowds here.

Starting from the beginning, when did you first take an interest in music and what pushed you to start promoting?

I have first took an interest in music from a young age, my older sister was in the CYO (Canberra Youth Orchestra) and other orchestras and my dad was involved with them as well so I started playing the violin (treble) and later the euphonium (bass) when I was in primary school.  I listened to metal and punk through high school and my first experience with dance music was in 1997 when my older sister took me out to a free stage 88 NYE party and then shortly after a forest party (the first element).  I felt there was something more there for me than just attending these events and learnt to mix shortly after.

After playing my first set out however, I don’t know what happened, I guess I felt like I wouldn’t go anywhere with it, or that I could never really do this much with it so I didn’t really touch my decks for about 2 years. I ran into Kaos (Nik Harrison) at the start or 2002 and he asked me if I wanted to play a set at the 100 DJs gig.  I hadn’t played out for ages but decided to do it anyway. When I got there I saw other girls with hard dance records and it really opened my eyes for some reason. I had an idea that I should run my own event, with only female DJs on the line up.  I met another DJ that night who I just clicked with, but as he was a guy we decided to run a Battle of the Sexes event.  We promoted our first event, Battle of the Sexes I at the Aree Bar in May 2002 and have been promoting ever since.  I couldn’t imagine not promoting now; it’s so much a part of me.  It brings me great personal satisfaction to look around me on the night of a party I have helped create and see so many people having a wicked time.

Is it difficult juggling promoting as well as DJing all at once? What do you enjoy more?

It’s not hard juggling the two of those, but it’s hard juggling promoting/DJing and work (I’m currently working 50 hour weeks).  I eat all my meals on the run and tend not to look after myself very well.  I DJ 2-3  nights a week plus 2 jobs plus promoting and it’s very draining.

What are some of your most memorable moments playing out?

Slinky in Auckland is one of the highlights for me so far, it was the most responsive crowd I have every played to as well as the biggest (not to mention being in another country!) Also up there would have to be supporting my personal “gods” – Lab4 

As one of the few female DJs and promoters in Canberra, do you often find it to be more of a ‘boy’s club’ in the Canberra dance industry or perhaps not? If so, how have you dealt with this?

Sometimes it’s hard to get treated seriously, especially from venue owners/managers.  I feel like I get “talked down to” as though I wouldn’t understand things, but usually a bit of persistence and hard work proves to them that I know what I am doing and most of the time I get the respect I feel I deserve.  There are always guys that don’t like it when a girl achieves something they wanted, the old “beaten by a girl” syndrome. I basically just have to keep my chin up and keep putting in the hard work!

How has your sound evolved over the years?

Rather than out with the old in with the new, I have broadened my tastes so far it’s impossible to pin point an exact style that sums me up. It has diversified immensely and I would go as far as saying matured

What are your main influences?

My main influences artist wise would be K90 and Lab 4, they both play live and do an amazing job… Producers that are doing it for me at the moment would be JS Ten, Technikal and D.A.V.E. the drummer

What sort of projects are you currently working on?

I really don’t have time to produce my own music so I try and focus on promoting good events.  I have the next Ministry of Sound Hard NRG tour in the pipeline and possibly bringing Brisk out again near Christmas.  On the DJing front, I’m off to the states to perform at a 3 day outdoor festival featuring women’s music, film and dance which is pretty amazing as I have always been a strong supporter of getting behind women in music.

What can punters expect to hear from Artemeekz at Bass station this weekend? What is it like collaborating with Gav?

I love sets with Gav because I think he plays harder than normal and he gets to experience a different crowd to what he would normally play to.  We play very well together and in the past have had a great crowd response to our sets (NYE at gecko stands out).  Versus sets are also a bit more challenging because it’s better if you complement each others music rather than go your own ways as the set flows better, and so you can’t just play anything you want.  I have to play a bit softer and trancier when I play with Gav, and so I get to play stuff I wouldn’t play out as often which is good because I love variety… Variety is the spice of life

What are you goals or plans for the future?

My goals never extend beyond a year as things just change to fast to make plans beyond that!  This year’s goals were to play Sydney and Melbourne again and also play my first set in Brisbane.  I have done all of those already, and I have something set up in Adelaide later in the year and the USA in 2 weeks.

Promoting wise, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing… stick with it – it gets harder every year!  I am lucky to have a great bunch of people, who make up my production team at the moment, and it’s a great relief to get good help (I’m looking at you John, Tom and Stu) – good help is hard to find!

Catch Ruth playing with Peekz this Saturday at Bass Station at the Canberra Indoor Rock-climbing centre