STREAMING AUDIO INTERVIEW

We’ve hit the opening weeks of the New Year, and that can mean only one thing – a new addition to Ministry of Sound’s Clubbers Guide series, a super-charged run through of all the big tunes we’ll be hearing in the clubs over the coming months. And this year they’ve recruited a fairly impressive list of DJs top help them put together their early 2010 snapshot, with none other than Swedish House Mafioso Axwell heading up the bill. Of course though, there’s also some hefty local talent to help hold things down, including Ministry regular Hook N’ Sling, as well as the compilation debut of mashup princess Anna Lunoe who in fact represents the first ever female to mix a Ministry of Sound CD!

“I’d talked with them just in terms of music sharing and promos, and they’d been sending me records for a while. I was loosely contacted by one of the reps who was wondering if I’d be interested in doing it and that they were making a shortlist of all the people they were thinking about,” Anna told ITM. “And then before I knew it, instead of the term being ‘if you were to do it’, it became ‘so when you’re doing it’, and I was like, hang on! A transition was made there,” she laughed.

In terms of being the first lady to mix a disc for the Ministry, Anna says she’s really proud of it. “There is some really great talent in the female DJ arena, and it’s nice to represent that a little bit and break another barrier down. But I don’t really see it as too much more than me happening to be the first one who came along.”

While she’s making her debut alongside massive names like Axwell and Hook N’ Sling, it’s been no huge task for Anna to differentiate herself from the boys. Her disc is every bit as eclectic as her DJing reputation would suggest it would be, bringing a solid mix of house, hip hop, electro, fidget and everything else in between. She’s also just embarked on a national tour, taking Clubbers Guide to 2010 to pretty much every corner of the nation. Excitement much? ITM’s Angus Paterson talks to Anna Lunoe about being the first lady of Ministry of Sound.

Clubbers Guide to 2010, mixed by Axwell, Hook N’ Sling and Anna Lunoe, is out now through Ministry of Sound and Universal. Catch it on tour across the country…

Friday 5 Feb – Albury, Albury (Hook N Sling)
Friday 5 Feb – Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill (Anna Lunoe)
Saturday 6 Feb – MS Fest, Launceston (Hook N Sling, Anna Lunoe)
Friday 12 Feb – Sandwiches, Wellington (Anna Lunoe)
Saturday 13 Feb – Platinum, Gold Coast (Hook N Sling, Anna Lunoe)
Friday 19 Feb – Gemini, Griffith (Hook N Sling)
Friday 19 Feb – HVB Brewery, Maitland (Anna Lunoe)
Saturday 20 Feb – HQ, Adelaide (Hook N Sling, Anna Lunoe)
Thursday 25 Feb – Macquarie Uni, Sydney (Hook N Sling, Anna Lunoe)
Saturday 27 Feb – Chinese Laundry, Sydney (Hook N Sling, Anna Lunoe)
Friday 5 Mar – Billboard, Melbourne (Hook N Sling)
Saturday 6 Mar – Family, Brisbane (Hook N Sling)
Saturday 13 Mar – King Street Hotel, Newcastle (Hook N Sling)
Friday 19 Mar – Duke Hotel, Wagga Wagga (Anna Lunoe)
Saturday 20 Mar – Plantation, Coffs Harbour (Hook N Sling)
Friday 26 Mar – Capitol, Perth (Hook N Sling, Anna Lunoe)
Saturday 27 Mar – Academy, Canberra (Hook N Sling, Anna Lunoe)