Colette; Spreading the Love

Colette started her DJ career in 97 when she and a couple of her friends, DJ Heather and Dayhota (Lady D joined the group after) began a night which they called "Superjane". The idea behind the night was to have only women behind the decks so that people would get used to it. Colette's first exposure to house music was at the age of 14 when she started going to events. She then worked in the industry as a host and a promoter.
Classically trained, Colette was singing over other peoples sets and had already released two records. The first night she spun in public brought out some noteworthy spectators, DJ Sneak, Diz, and Gene Ferris, whom she had become friends with. She recalls, " I was so nervous. I remember my hand was shaking like a leaf, and at the time it was all vinyl, so I'm trying to put a needle on a record and my hand wouldn't stop shaking".  Soon after, she began singing over her DJ sets and gained a lot of attention, which led to gigs all over the US and later over the world. Her first artist album, Hypnotized, became the most downloaded dance album on iTunes (US) and the 2nd single "What Will She Do for Love" climbed into the Billboard top ten dance chart and was later licensed to "The Devil Wears Prada" Soundtrack. In just a few years, Colette was featured as a "Newcomer to Watch" in JANE Magazine, was on the cover of XLR8R, and named in URB's Next 100. Originally from Chicago, now in LA, Colette continues to release new music and headlines many shows, spreading house music to people all over the world.

G: Why do you play music?
C: I've always wanted to make music. I remember telling my mom when I was little "When I grow up I'm going to be a singer or a McDonald's waitress." Those were my two job aspirations, mainly because we never got to go to McDonald's. Even though they don't have waitresses, I thought if I worked there I'd get to eat McDonald's all the time. Luckily, that didn't work out. I began studying classical voice at the age of 9 and started competing in vocal competitions when I was 14. Then at age 16, I met DJ Lego. He invited me to sing over some of his sets at parties and lay down some vocals on some tracks. I loved it. I knew from that moment that House music was the music I wanted to be a part of.

G: What's your favorite food?
C: I loooove Asian cuisine! Tahu Telur (Indonesian tofu omelette) is one of my favorite dishes. At home I tend to make a lot of stir frys, but I'm a little more adventurous when I go out to eat. 

G: What were your musical influences?
C: Out the gate Derrick Carter and Mark Farina were the first DJs who really influenced me. In high school I would finagle my way into the loft parties they were playing at in downtown Chicago. I would dance my little booty off until the sun came up. Then when I met Lego my approach to singing completely changed. Studying classical voice for 9 years gave me the best vocal training, but working with Lego taught me a new way to express myself. I started buying all these house instrumentals and writing songs over them. I recorded all my ideas onto my tape cassette recorder. I still have the box of tapes with my songs on them in a closet at home. A lot of those tape recordings were used to write my first album "Hypnotized".

G: Why did you move to LA?
C: My dad moved to LA when I was five so I started going there every summer for about a month and every December for winter break. I fell in love with the weather right away. I really hate winter, I can't even explain how much I hate it, and that's the reason I moved, I just couldn't do cold winters anymore. Also, I never went away for college and thought it would be good to try out living in another city. I think everyone should move away for a few years as its a good way to stretch your legs and explore who you are outside of your home base. I thought if I didn't like it I could easily move back home. Some people thought I was moving for career opportunities, but I really just moved for weather reasons. Chicago is still my favorite city and every summer I regret that I don't live there anymore. The most challenging thing about living in LA is a lot of my best friends do still live in Chicago. I convinced one of my besties to move here, but most won't even think about leaving Chi-town.

G: How was your first year in LA?
In August of 2000 I moved to LA and got a job at Wax Records. It was a great way to meet everyone in the house community, much better than meeting folks at the club. It was interesting how almost every weekend there was someone from Chicago being flown out to play. Diz and Heather were coming out right when I moved and Mark Farina was there a few weeks later. The Chicago house scene was and still is quite explosive in LA, which was so cool to see. I moved pretty far away, but met so many people who were just as into house as I was. The kids that liked house music in LA reminded me of the kids who liked house music in Chicago. They went to parties in their sneakers and were all about the music...  just going out to get down to some dope tunes and for me it was amazing. Although one major difference was the size of the parties, they were a lot bigger. The first rave I played at each room had over 10,000 people which was pretty overwhelming. Talk about a shaky hand on the turntable.

G: Do you have a memorable moment from your travels?
C: Being on the road with friends always makes traveling more fun. In 2000, Heather, Shannon (DJ Dayhota) and I were on the road for the first Superjane US tour. At the time Dayhota was very sensitive to flying. We're on this flight and Dayhota falls asleep. The pilot tells us we're about to hit some extreme turbulence and honestly this was one of the five worst flights I've ever been on. So Heather and I are awake and we're prepared for the turbulence, but Shannon is asleep with a blanket completely over her head. The turbulence starts and what can you do, you have to stay calm. Heather grabs the airplane phone and starts singing the Brian McKnight song "Back At One", which is super funny and also scary, that video has a plane crash in it. Suddenly, Shannon wakes up and looks at me and starts screaming because she thinks this is it, its a wrap. Heather is singing, Shannon is screaming, I'm laughing and trying to calm Shannon down. Even though it happened so long ago, it still makes me laugh because it was such a ridiculous moment.  These days Shannon is great with flying while I'm the one who is more of a scaredy cat.

G: Do you have a favorite place to spin?
C: It changes all the time, but two of my favorite cities to play are Chicago and LA. It could be because I've lived in both places and there's a special connection because of that. I've always loved playing in Chicago because of how passionate everyone is about music. Folks really know their stuff (pretty much everyone is a DJ) and cheer for the blend as much as they cheer for the record. I had a residency at Smart Bar for nine years and it's still one of my favorite places to play. Some of my favorite spots in LA are King King and the recently retired Sunday night party "DEEP". Marques Wyatt's night DEEP would have up to 1000 kids bumpin every Sunday til 4am. Very dedicated househeads on the west coast! The rave scene in LA is nothing to sneeze at either. Last year's Electric Daisy Carnival had 90,000 people the first day and 60,000 the next. It blows your mind. The last time I played EDC the house stage had around 5,000 people. There are no words to describe the energy you get from that crowd, it's just incredible.

G: What kind of challenges do you face as a DJ?
C: I have the freedom to create my own schedule, but working on music takes up most of my time. I might sleep in until 10 am, but then I'm usually up til 4 am working. Anyone who has their own business faces this. The hours may be designed by you, but they're still gonna happen. I miss most holidays, birthdays and I usually only see my husband 3 to 4 days a week... which sometimes isn't so bad (laughing), absence makes the heart grow fonder! I spend a lot of time alone on the road, which isn't fun, but that's the part that makes it a job. When I get to a club and play music, that's amazing, anyone would do that for free. That's not what you're getting paid for, you're getting paid for getting up at 10am after going to bed at 6am and going to the airport and doing it all over again. I always laugh and call the airport my own personal "Groundhog Day"... driving to the airport, going through security, taking everything off, putting everything back on, eating a nasty airport sandwich, dealing with those cranky travelers on the plane. Airport living is a challenge, but the rest of it is so fantastic it's worth it.

G: What's fantastic about DJing?
C: Besides the rough travel days and the occasional blown monitor, everything about Djing is pretty darn good. Playing music that you love and making folks dance is intoxicating to say the least. Being able to travel and visit different corners of the world has really been a blessing. I've been very lucky to see so much, even if only for a day or two.

G: Are there any artists influencing your music now?
C: I've never gotten over my love affair with early 90's house music and I'm trying to incorporate that into my new tunes. Kind of a throwback with a modern touch. I just started working on a new album with Santiago & Bushido and Tim K. We're definitely in the baby stages of writing this record so I'm not sure what life the songs will take on in the end. Musically my taste runs across the board; funk, pop, dub, rock... I think you can find inspiration in any genre. There's always going to be that one artist that blurs the lines for you.

G: What should we be on the look out for?

C: Chuck Love and I recently released the tune "UR Everything" on his label Love Network. It has some dope remixes from Santiago & Bushido and the main man himself, Chuck Love. I'm always impressed with Chuck's versatility; he plays 7 instruments and can incorporate them in any style. I'm also very excited to announce the debut of my label Candy Talk! Joshua Heath and I collaborated on the first release "Call on Me" with remixes by Lawnchair Generals, Chuck Love, Giano and Sexual Chocolate. 2011 will hopefully mark the release of my third studio album, so please keep your eyes and ears peeled for that project.

G: In your own words, who is Colette?
C: I'm a Chicago kid who is a tried and true music junkie. When I started off, I never thought DJing would be such a big part of my life. Singing was always my main focus. Now I can't imagine one without the other.

G: Any last words?
C: House is alive and kicking because of its dedicated community. It may have found its way into the commercial world, but the underground is where it truly flourishes. We all have to keep spreading the love for House and make sure that younger generations discover this unique and unconventional genre.


For more info on Colette visit www.djcolette.com.

Interview by Greg K

John Tejada

John Tejada was born in Austria on April 21, 1974 and then moved to Los Angeles in 1982 with his mother. He had an early start in music with piano lessons at the age of 4, both his parents are professional classical musicians. He started playing drums at the age of 8, at 12 he was given his first set of turntables, and at the age of 15 he received his first looping delay.
His early productions were in hip hop, but he soon moved into techno, acid house, and ambient house when he met his best friend Arian Leviste releasing their first tunes in 1994. After releasing music on European labels such as A13, Multiplex, and Generations R&S, he decided to start a label of his own, Palette Recordings. In 2004 he released two tracks, almost at the same time, that catapulted his techno career, "Sweat On The Walls," and "Mono On Mono", which sold over 23,000 copies on vinyl.
Palette Record's website states that he is "Known for crafting a brand of subtle, musical techno, his recorded output ranges across tempo and genre lines, from chilled out affairs with spacious arrangements to pulsating, densely layered, deeply energetic tracks that work magnificently in the hands of DJs as well as on the home stereo." www.paletterecordings.com.

John was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule and answer a few questions.

G: Why do you play/make music?
J: I've been doing so ever since the age of about 4. It just feels like that's what you're supposed to do.

G: Do you have a hobby outside of music?
J: I enjoy biking and running.  Also, I enjoy drumming and vintage drums quite a bit. I know that is music related, but it feels like this whole other collecting type of hobby.

G: What were your musical influences?
J: I got started on classical, then heard The Beatles, then Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. After that, early 80s hip hop and electro which really got me interested in electronic music. That led me to house and techno. Then I discovered all the avant garde music that's out there in the world, old, new, acoustic and electronic.

G: Do you have any clubs or festivals that you like to DJ at?
J: I really enjoy sunset boat parties and related events in San Francisco. I really love that crowd. I love playing in Japan. Playing in my home city of Vienna is always a treat as well.

G: Can you tell us a story from your travels that looking back on, makes you laugh?
J: There are so many after all these years. Traveling with friends is always fun because you have these experiences together. I found that roadblocks you encounter on your own can be an absolute nightmare, but with a friend it just becomes funny.  The other night Arian Leviste and I were laughing about a guy who took us to dinner in Reggio, Italy who brought his wife and constantly asked us through the whole dinner "Don't you think my wife is beautiful?" in his bizarrely deep voice until it just became way too weird.

G: "Sweat on the Walls" where did you get the idea for this track? What was the process making it?
J: It was the first time I worked with my friend Susan. She had offered to sing on a track and I thought let's give it a try. I had the music just about finished and had her track some takes on the mic. The singing idea didn't fit at all and after about an hour of  different ideas I told her to just do some words about parties she used to go to. Out of quite a bit of audio I found the few phrases you hear in the song and that was it.

G: What artists are influencing your music now?
J: I'm always a bit vague on this answer simply because so much new music sort of comes and goes. I enjoy a lot of modern more experimental electronic composition. I don't listen to very much club music. I do like when the two lines cross and work well together. Something too experimental for a club but to me it sounds like that is exactly what should be played in clubs! Other than that I find myself going back to early influences quite often when I get bored with new things. With both classic rock and early electronic music or early hip hop I find it interesting how you develop a new perspective on music you might have been listening to for years, but all of a sudden because of the way you grow, you now hear new things in the music.

G: How do we attract a younger audience to electronic music?
J: All I see at clubs is a young audience. I would ask how do we get the people who really know the music that have stopped going to clubs to come out again. These are the people that are fun to play for.

G: What new things are you working on?
J: At the moment we just finished our fifth "I'm not a gun" record. It's titled "Solace" and will be out on City Centre Offices soon. I'm also working still with Arian Leviste, Justin Maxwell, and Josh Humphrey all the time as well as trying to make new solo material.








Check out more info about John Tejada @ www.paletterecordings.com
Interview by Greg K

Mark Farina : Q & A

Mark Farina has been making dance floors move for over 20 years now. He is widely know for his Mushroom Jazz series and for his chunky-funky underground house DJ sets at the clubs. Originally from Chicago, now in San Francisco, Mark has found himself on the Top DJs in the World lists such as URB, Muzik, and BPM Magazines. A Farina show always delivers good music, good people, and lots of dancing.

G: Why Do You Play Music?
M: I enjoy the medium, and the actual act of playing music is fun. It's always been exciting.  I'm fortunate enough to get a lot of tunes, and I feel like I'm a medium for getting new music to people. Hopefully everybody is happy at the end of the day with that; the people that are listening, the people who made the tunes, and myself.  I love listening to tunes so if I wasn't playing them I'd still be listening to them. I feel I'm lucky to have the stage to play out different stuff for other people.

G: You played Soccer at Maine South High School, what was your position?
M: Midfield and left wing, left or right midfield, or left or right wing. I kick with both feet, so depending how many natural left footers where on a team, would designate if I was on the left or right.

G: What's your favorite place to eat in San Francisco?
M: My wife is a good cook so that's a bonus. Eating at home and having good food because being on the road for so much and room service and all those things. There's so many good restaurants in San Fransisco. Today I hit my favorite falafel place called Truly Mediterranean. It's been here since I started coming to San Francisco 12 years ago. They still make the best falafel I've had anywhere. They have a certain way they make it with this hot sauce and thin lavish bread. There's also a lot of good Mexican here.

G: What were your musical influences?
M: Early things would be like the Police, Smith's, and Cure. Rush was probably my first band that I was supper into and I had everything they made. I went to see them 5 or 6 times and was a big Neil Peart fan. Rush was the first concert I went to in the 6th grade, it was the Rush Moving Picture Tour. Then when I got into high school I got ino the new wave, I went through a new wave punk phase. I was big into anything on Wax Trax records, I used to go to the store regulary. Yellow was a big group of mine that I was into electronically and Kraftwerk, New Order, Ministry, anything along those lines. Going to Medussa's in Chicago at the time got me in all kind of industrial stuff. And from there it led to Chicago acid tracks and Detroit techno and house.

G: Is Medussa's the reason you got into house music?
M: I would say electronic music. I got a lot of house influence from the radio that time. I used to record a lot of mixes on cassette back  then. I'd go hear Little Louis when he did his Sundays at Medussas, which showed me what house was about. Seeing it in action so to speak, as opposed to hearing stuff on the radio.

 

G: Do you still mix a lot at home?
M: Ya, not much as I used to. I'll do it for a lesser length of time, I'm not recording all the time, but i just made a home mix last night. When I get new stuff I'll practice. With the advent of the cdjs I find I get a little bit more free range with changing acapellas. Certain things I'll practice at home so I can just get the feel of it like messing with acapellas and figuring how they mix in. I still like to practice. Last night I was playing all new stuff, last week I was on an old vinyl phase, so I was playing all old records and recording them. This week I went back to hitting up the new downloads checking out all my new goodies

G: How important is programming in a DJ's set?
M: That's deffinately the trick of that. it's kind of hard to know what can go wrong until you actually see it happen. Coming from Chicago, it was a serious mixing town you couldn't have any train wrecks or shoes in the drier or you would get the boo. People would talk about you in chicago if you messed up your blends. You would hear,  "Damn did you see him? That was a trainwreck waiting to happen and it happened!" You could have your blends on all night and still lose the dance floor if you're not playing the right stuff. That's something that's hard to teach, programming, it's kind of tricky, cause you can have all the right tunes in your bag and if you don't know how to play them you can still screw things up just as much as not having the right songs. Personally, when I'm playing to have peaks and valleys and build and break it down and build up again as opposed as keeping it a straight line. I like to switch things up.

G: How do you deal with distractions in the DJ booth?
M: One of the weirdest things that's happened was when a bartender threw a lime at me. It hit me and went somewhere. I kept on playing but the record kept skipping on one turntable, it kept playing the inside track. I was like "What is going on?" The lime had hit me and wedged into the turntable arm. It took me 4 songs to realize that. Those things aren't gonna happen at home.
Other things can happen, such as having to go to the bathroom. Sometimes the restroom can be on the next floor on the other side of the club.

G: What's the most rewarding thing about being a DJ/Producer?
M: The biggest thing is being able to see all the places that I've gotten to go to through DJing, regardless of being in the club, seeing all these different geographic cities is priceless. Also, the people i've met in different places. I'm blessed to see different places with someone that knows the area rather than being a random tourist showing up.

G: What's new on the horizon?
M: The next release is called GeoGraffiti EP, its coming out at the end of January. It's going to be six of my own tracks of my own similar housey style of stuff that I've made in the past. It's funky and techie, I find it's kind of like a mixture of things. The second ep is a tune of my own, that I'm having people remix now, Chuck Love, Ken of ECB, JT Donaldson, and guy from australia Sonny Fodera, he's a young guy from australia, he's really good a bass player, producer. After that I'm going to put out other people's stuff and be just like an A&R guy.  Over the years I've always been forwarding tunes to people that are looking for new stuff that I think might fit their label. So i figured that I'd take out the middle man and release some of the stuff myself for a change. I think there's room for a US house label. Seems that there's a lot of europeans going in the mix. Show our US house flag.

G: How do we attract the younger generation of kids to house music?

M: I think it takes an effort to steer them in the right direction. Letting them know what true house is and hopefully they get into it. Sometimes people like it and they don't even know that it's house, or they think house is something else they don't like it. They call it something else in their minds. I try to play all ages show when I can. Not every city has them anymore unfortunately, if you go to Canada and Europe there's no drinking age so you don't have to worry about that so much. The ages between 18-21 was where my whole listening format occurred. I think with the whole digital thing at least now  there's ways of people listening to club music without being at a club. It's important to use modern mediums that be to get the house word out.

G: Artists you like?
M: JT Donaldson is one of my favorite producers, Chuck Love, James Curd of Greenskeepers, good stuff. There's always up and coming kids that are doing some good stuff. Uneaq from the bay area , DJ Sneak always still, a guy named Dominic Martin, Jason Hodges, Daniel Cummings, from Ireland that is like 18-19 and plays a lot of instruments. It was a couple of years ago I heard his tunes and I was like this kid is 16, its pretty impressive. Homero Esponoza, Jazzy Eyewear from Miami, Little Mark to name a few. 

G: Who is Mark Farina?
M: Mark Farina is a person that loves music and loves to share it. That's my goal, get new music and share it, be it my music or other people's. On top of that always trying to be doing a positive thing, keeping things friendly and nice and being aware of the surroundings.