inthemix | Features | Subvert: Redressing the imbalance

Tired of being the only girl at drum & bass gigs, and frustrated at being the ‘token’ girl DJ, Mixtress has started up Subvert so she can share her love of music like minded girls.

MIXSTRESS

When you want something done right, you’ve gotta do it yourself. This age old adage has been adopted by Melbourne’s Mixtress, who after some frustration with the lack of females involved in drum & bass, decided to start up the Subvert parties with the aim of getting girls together to enjoy the music they love.

“I’ve been a dedicated drum & bass head for about 10 years now, but right from the start it always felt so one sided. There weren’t enough girls coming to gigs with me! My crew and I would sit talking for hours about beats but I was always the only girl in the conversation. And although we all had the same love for the music, it just felt as if there was something missing. Once I started DJing, that feeling grew. I didn’t like being the token female, like a novelty not to be taken seriously. Slowly I started to meet other girl DJ’s and realised there was a real need to focus on the talents and styles of female spinners. The dedication and technical knowledge was the same, why wasn’t there any representation?”

Despite two of the biggest names in the formative years of drum & bass being female (Kemistry and Storm – Kemistry was sadly killed in an car accident in 1999, however Storm is still as passionate about drum & bass as ever) the gender balance in the scene – like a lot of other genres – is still lopsided. Mixtress wants to emphasise the skills of Melbourne’s female drum & bass DJs, whilst encouraging others to get out there and have a go. “My main goal is showcase the awesome girls that play drum & bass in Melbourne, and to have all the girls representing in the one place. I’m hoping to prompt girls who play in their lounge rooms to come out and share the stage with the multitude of guys spinning vinyl. To show that there is a platform for females and to offer a helping hand…” The full lineup for their Cup Eve party is Dystopia, Fiend, Dust, C: 1, Myst, Mixtress with MC Áine.

Mixtress began honing her craft around 2000, playing at the Just Rite nights as a resident. She’s also resident to the Subvert and Future Prospects crews. 1999 was the year she discovered jungle, thanks to Future Unknown with 1lc, the Soulaar and Tekstep nights. She describes the pattern of addiction as similar to what most ‘heads’ experience. “I was a goner… blissfully owned by the drums and the bass.” Unsurprisingly, her all time favourite female drum & bass artist is Storm, “I have a serious crush on that woman, she’s simply amazing!” She describes her sets as a mix of sounds, “my sets can range from techy to lightweight and back to bass heavy, lots of jungling and plenty of old classics. I love to play the tunes that got me into drum & bass in the first place… they’re classics for a reason!” Why does Mixstress feel the time is right for an all girl night in Melbourne? “Cause there isn’t one, plain and simple. [There’s] plenty of all boy crews, although obviously not on purpose, it’s just the way it happened. I need to see some balance and if I can make that happen I’m all for it.”

DUST

If you’ve been along to an Elementz party you would have encountered Dust behind the decks. She’s been playing drum & bass for about six years, and over the past few has incorporated hip hop into her repertoire. She’s a busy DJ, playing hip hop at Workshop every two weeks, and a mix of the two styles at the Croft every two weeks, as well as regular support slots to the biggest touring internationals.

She recalls her journey of drum & bass discovery with fond memories. “I first heard drum & bass in about 1997 and loved it, I think it was SS ‘Lighter’ that was the first tune I remember hearing. Then at the end of ’97 I went to the UK for a holiday and went to Movement and that was it. I came back to Australia and searched high and low for the sound that had blown my mind, and from there went to every single Groove Therapy and Tek-Step party.”

Dust names Storm and Flight as her two top female drum & bass artists, so it’s hardly surprising she lists playing support to Storm as a career highlight. “Supporting Storm was certainly a highlight and playing after Marky & Stamina to a packed Espy Gersh room was also a buzz.” Some of her favourite labels include Metalheadz, Soul:R, Horizons, Shogun, and fave producers range from established icons through to those just breaking through. “Commix, D Bridge, Lynx, Break, Survival, Calibre, Sabre, Klute, the list goes on. The talent coming out of the woodwork at the moment is very exciting!”

FIEND

Probably most well known for her work with the dark and sinister Krachmacher crew, Fiend has also played support for internationals, including a slot on the World of Drum & Bass tour back in 2004, as well as a residency with the 40Hz crew. One of her favourite ever gigs was a local night, Realtime vs. Krachmacher at Revolver. “It was a crazy, fun, competitive night – back to back by four tunes each, and we were all trying to leave a difficult tune for the next DJ who was up.”

Sibling influence led Fiend to drum & bass, and her love of the music kept her coming back for more. “My brother is a drum & bass DJ in Brisbane, so I was influenced by him. Also my boyfriend back then was a drum & bass DJ, and any time I had to kill I hopped on his decks. I got really good and I knew I had to play out. That and I loved the music, so DJing gave me that chance to play tunes heaps and share my love of the music with the crowd.” Unsurprisingly, her tastes lean towards the darker end of the spectrum, with favourite labels including Subtitles, Signature, Virus, Renegade Hardware, with producers Photek, Gridlock, Klute, Loxy. Her favourite female drum & bass artists? “DJ Dust, Melbourne. Then Storm.”

DYSTOPIA

Dystopia is another familiar name to Melbournians, having played previous Subvert parties, although she currently isn’t mixing anywhere on a regular basis. She describes herself as a ‘late starter’ who’s been mixing for five or six years, “My gigs are very haphazard. I play all styles of music, not just drum & bass. I love to mix different genres, which you can’t really do with drum & bass as it’s faster BPM than everything else.” Another fan of the darker styles, Dystopia describes her tune selection as, “Dark, gloomy, melancholic, apocalyptic, swampy, elastic, desolate, thick and dense. Anything with sounds of impending doom, end of the world. I like melody or a good synth line – though they’re not common in drum & bass – also any sounds that make your mind conjure up images. And tunes without too much top end or amen break overkill!”

MYST

Crossing over to the lighter end of the spectrum we have Myst, who was hooked after a visit to Ministry in Christchurch. Myst plays a mix of drum & bass and hip hop, and her favourite female drum & bass artist is Jenna G. She favours the “chilled, liquid, funky, rolling basslines and vocal” side to drum & bass, whilst she likes her hip hop on the “soulful and jazzy” tip. Myst played with the Soul Skool crew and also presented a program on 23.break.com. She’s recently taken up residency at one of the most happening little drum & bass and dub step lounges in the city, the Night Owl.

MC AINE

On lyrical duty for the night will be MC Áine, who started MCing in Dublin back in 2003 for the Souljackers at the city’s 12ten club. Whilst in the past she’s worked with a group called PingPong, her latest work has been in collaboration with Melbourne producer ATP, listen out for big things!

C: 1

Finally, C: 1 hales from Brisvegas, and was drawn to our town after hearing the sounds of Atom 1 on a recording of his program on Triple R. “Atom 1 was playing mad-ass jungle and completely blew my mind! I remember hearing Krome + Tymes ‘Ganjaman’ and knowing this was the music I always wanted to jump to, and that I had to move to Melbourne immediately and be a part of it.” C: 1 has been involved with a number of Brisbane crews including all girl crew Junglettes, and also ran her own night.

She too is inspired by Storm, and the opportunity to share a meal with her only strengthened this respect. “Without a shadow of a doubt my favorite is and will always be Storm [Metalheadz]... She shines in every aspect. Her track selection is always interesting, she is always working it in the mix, and always working to share the opportunities she has had with other female drum & bass artists. She always has something productive to say about the scene she is involved in. She is the most real, rock-solid, no-bullshit, down to earth soldier I have ever had the opportunity to kick it with and deserves much respect and great success.”

As to what to expect when she hits the decks herself? “I have a bit of a stretched repertoire and it ranges from east-coast to party to instrumental hip-hop, to Detroit electro and ghettotech, to deep minimal, Detroit, hip-house and breaks. Old school jungle to new hard techy drum & bass, and some European and UK techno. It’s kinda hard to really pin down the sound you attribute with C: 1 except it’s all about getting’ down on the floor. I come to the turntables with a bit of energy and that translates to whatever is on the turntable.”

And why does C: 1 think we need and all girl drum & bass night in our town? “Melbourne – like any place in the world – needs at least one gig where talented music loving women have some fun together and do their thing. For me, it’s not about the last vestige of acceptance in an unkind music scene that is dominated by men. Getting together with other girls that dig your favorite tunes as much as you do is heaps of fun and the opportunity to experience this should be everywhere. Melbourne’s answer to this is Subvert.”

Subvert takes place at the Lounge on Cup Eve, Monday November 5th. For the full rundown, check the ITM Whatson link below.