Did you like the party?
I loved it! And I can tell you more: I liked it! It’s like having a boyfriend when it’s more important to like him than to love him.
I get your point here. What can you say about Twilo then?
Twilo was like a moment 10 years ago. It went from about 10 pm till 2 the next afternoon. From 7 am played Sasha and Digweed and that was amazing! I had a residency there as well and I had a great time doing that. But what I remember at Twilo is Sasha and John’s residency which actually made a big change in New York...
I think not only in New York.
I’ll tell you a story. Once they had a music conference in New York and Junior Vasquez played with Sasha. When Sasha played, everything turned down. And Sasha got off and he couldn’t even get his last record. Then Junior put all the music up and kicked him out of the booth. Sasha was devastated! So when I hear that his residency goes over well, I’m moving there! And I did.
You don’t wanna say that you moved to New York for Sasha?
Oh no, I’m a big fan of him, but no. I mean if that kind of music can go over New York I want to move out there. I was living in the LA before.
So the West Coast wasn’t like this?
I did my thing on the West Coast and there was nothing more to be done. New York was the music capitol of the United States so I decided to be there.
How do you compare your status of American star DJ to status of Sasha and Digweed?
I can’t compare anything. I don’t feel like USA star, that’s what people say! I just truly love what I do.
No matter how modest you are, facts are facts.
I am very modest. When I’m playing I feel great because it’s fifty-fifty. That’s the people on the dancefloor making me feel that way. After I finish play I just walk away to be a usual girl again. I don’t use all those awards to my benefit.
What do you feel about the club restrictions in the States right now?
Things have changed a lot. I can agree with some of it, because there’s a lot of people who take too many drugs, they lay all over the floor and you’re tripping over them. They have no idea who’s playing and what’s going on. I think it’s dangerous and you can easily overdose. It’s hurting people more than it’s helping. I’d rather people have a safe good time, so it has to be cleaned up a little...
We don’t have any restrictions in Poland and I think people do good.
Because in the States it’s like “don’t do, don’t do”, so they do more! People die of overdose while Sandra Collins plays, and I don’t like it. I don’t want to be a part of that.
Do you know a watchword “You forgot Poland”?
Sure, there’s a website dontforgetpoland.com! It’s so much funny. I totally forgot that I was here and that’s about that! Sorry, I’m American.
What’s going on with your website? There has been the same picture of you in a toilet for months now.
How did you know it was in the toilet? She was the stylist, she was the one who dressed me! [points her manager] It’s a great picture but it needs to be a website too. I was working with one girl on it but everything he showed to me I didn’t like. Three times it was horrible and I gave up on it.
Maybe you should ask your boyfriend to do the website for you?
He could do it in ten minutes. But seriously, it’s going to be fixed soon. I’ve got great ideas and I know how important websites are. It will be amazing.
After the release of “Tranceport III” compilation you announced to get in the studio to record your original album. Where is it?
See above! [laughs] I’ve got my studio and I’m working on it. I’m making a skeleton of the compilation. There will be many collaborators in like Enya or Sting... Can’t really talk about it right now.
I did two original tracks for Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto Chills. Then I was so excited to work on dance music and for some reason I started loving new wave. So when he asked me to do some down tempo stuff, I started working on that. I didn’t tell him I was working on it but I’ve finished them.
You started playing from...
Acid house! Industrial acid house.
Which was dark and heavy. Now what you play is sweet and melodic. What happened to you?
Everything that I do is on top melodic, kind of silly, goofy or driving, kind of sick and twisted.
But when did you decide to go melodic?
When I was four years old! That’s what drives me.
Come on, you can’t deny you’ve changed a lot during the last few years.
OK, but I always loved the melodic. You know my favorite song is Cicada remix of 13 Senses [“Into the Fire”]. That’s me! If I find melodic music, I play it. I know that I also like dark and twisted sounds but melody is my first name!
Let’s go back to “Cream” compilation which in my opinion is one of the best albums made ever. Where’s the melody on it?
It is melodic! Listen to the first song, it’s fucking melodic!
It’s mostly dark...
And that’s what I like! Sad, melancholic, bitter sweet.
And it’s all on “Cream” though you can hardly find it on Perfecto album. Maybe some on a second CD.
It took me six months to make first one and three months to make second but I still think it’s timeless.
But why did you decide to pick hits for the Perfecto album?
I really don’t read magazines, I don’t listen to people’s sets, I don’t look at charts. I just listen to music and I chose what I truly believe in.
But when you listen to a track don’t you feel if it’s going to be huge or not?
It can not be huge and I still chose it. If I do a CD with my name on it, it has to be something that I believe in. I have no idea if a track is going to be a hit or not. I’m hoping that people will like it.
And this shows what you’re trying to deny, that you’ve changed.
Did you listen to my Essential Mix that was in August? It was a lot different thing.
I got bored after fourth listening.
And that’s a lot different. And what I play now is a lot different. I’m constantly evolving and I love all kinds of music. And I understand what you’re saying... I am not that hard anymore. When we’re young, we’re more rebellious... We have to work through all those weird stages in our lives. When we go to the next stage, you may not like the tracks you liked before. You know what I mean, years develop and we change as the events in our lives. My life’s what I’m playing. When I lose the crowd, then I lose the crowd. Because I certainly didn’t have the crowd when I started playing trance in 1992 and nobody wanted to share that. They wanted only house or techno. And I didn’t care.
So which one is your favorite compilation?
The newest.
Let’s move on to the party. I think the crowd expected you to play more trancey stuff...
I don’t want to be expected! Why trancey? Because of Perfecto behind my name? People expect things because they see me on Perfecto, Tranceport and so on... I’ll never ever follow that line. Tomorrow will be something different and I don’t wanna be stuck. I think it was good tonight though?
[laughs]
If they like it, I’m happy, if they don’t, I’m sorry. I’m not a character, I can’t act. But I think it went over well.
How many people usually go to your gigs in States?
I played for 80 000, recently for 15 000... Last week I played for 3 000, tonight for 500 and tomorrow in Moscow will be probably 3 000. It’s up and down, but it’s mostly thousands. But I like small clubs where I can pass a tequila bottle around [she did that].
Did you see the result of the “DJ Mag” voting pool? You are off the first 100 and Christopher Lawrence is on 7th. Isn’t it surprising?
You know what? The first time that I ever made that list was in 1998. Next time was nothing. This time was nothing too. I mustn’t like not being on there, because it’s like a dance star awards. I won best DJ of 2003, I’ve been nominated every single year, I’d rather be there too.
Do you think it’s true?
I have no idea! It’s like the president. I don’t know why the fuck Bush is president and I don’t wanna know why I was number one DJ on Dancestar Awards. I wanna know that I’m seeing people on the dancefloor and they’re having fun. I don’t give a fuck about some number in a magazine, I have no idea where’s this coming from.
And how about Christopher?
Me and Christopher are really close friends. His wife? We’re close friends too. And I don’t care who beats me up and whatever. You know what? It’s kind of cool, because the underdog is always the coolest, right? It’s just the way it is, the cycle is the cycle and every twelve years things come in and things come out, there’s a backlash... I see that and I can’t help it. I just wanna stay in the middle.
We spoke with Matthew Dekay here and he said a lot of great things about you.
Matthew... [she stops for a minute] I met him at Nerve and I thought “it’s not that guy from a Crest toothpaste commercial?” His looks like a...
George Clooney?
Yes, exactly. Then we became friends, also with my agent, Emma. And he’s amazing, I love his music. I didn’t spoke with him for a little while but the things that he did give me are absolutely amazing. And personally he’s a nice guy too. OCD in the house, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which I have too, but he’s even worse. He reminds me of “American Psycho”. Have you seen this movie?
We have.
So I don’t think he kills people, but he’s the everything else.
Your school mates are probably married with children. Don’t you feel like it’s your time too?
Probably. My sister and brother have kids and everybody of my age have kids too. You know, my mother asked me when I was about 3-4 years old “who do you wanna be when you get older?” and I said “a star!”. “Don’t you wanna have kids, don’t you want to get married?” “A-a, a-a, I wanna be a star”.
And nothing changed on this matter?
No, no, I do wanna get married and I wanna be in love. I wanna have kids... But so far...
What comes first? Kids or marriage?
Love. Liking somebody. Having a good time. That’s it.
Interviewers: Sebastian and Lucas Napora
nichiyume (April 17th, 2005):
But in the last part of the interview, what does he ask her? Basically Why dont you settle down and start a family?" ? In the middle of her fantastic career where she travels the world playing gigs in every country she should just make babies in some corner of the world? They didnt ask any of the male djs this. Look, even here in her hometown of Phoenix she has to suffer unparralelled criticism, but the people that love her, they love her. And since this is the only female dj youve interviewed and she was treated so poorly, so how about next time asking her similar questions to what you asked other people, about her profession and future?
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