'I just want to get better at everything I’m doing'

 

Interview with DJ Janette Slack

Hong Kong born Eurasian, DJ Janette Slack has been making music in London since 2003, jamming up the nights on the London club scene. She has now launched her own label Slack Trax and some really cool tunes she’s been crafting lately. I interviewed her last year for Bitch-online magazine and I was totally charmed by this lady who's got so much energy, drive, coolness factor and hunger for life.

 

She’s the perfect example that when you love something bad enough, there’s nothing to stop you from doing it. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to publish her interview for my Inspire campaign.  

When did you arrive in London?

I went to University in the UK when I was 17 and returned in 2001 to do a Sound Engineering diploma and I haven’t looked back since. I love London because it has so many opportunities, there’s so much room for growth here, and I feel I can evolve as an artist.

So when did it all start? When did you start your DJ career?

I started DJ-ing when I was in Hong Kong and when I moved to London I started spending a lot of time in the record stores like Plastic Fantastic, Carbon in Urban Outfitters, Vinyl Addiction, all the shops in Soho. That’s where I’ve made lots of connection and it’s how it all started. Half way through my hospitality management course at University, I became curious about how music is made. Then Napster came out and I was obsessed with collecting sound effects and I started to edit them on something called Cool Edit Pro, making ‘mixed tapes’ using music, jokes from South Park, Beavis and Butthead, Steve Martin, Eddie Izzard, and then slot them in between music and songs. I made them as Xmas presents. Then I realised that’s what I liked doing, I love sound effects. I wanted to learn how to write music because sometimes I found myself criticising the tune and thought, ‘who am I to criticise it if I don’t know how to write it myself?’ I had DJ and producer friends who I kept asking ‘how does that work?’, ‘what does that button do?’. I kept asking lots of questions and even though they were nice to me, I really thought I should do a course where you can ask all the stupid questions you want so I did a Sound Engineering course in 2001.

Tell us about your music, what makes it unique, what makes it different?

I’m not musically trained so it takes me a long time to write tracks. The only musical instrument I learnt how to play was drums for about a year. So I don’t know how to play any instrument at an amazing level but only enough so I can lay down ideas which make sound engineering and programming come in handy as you can programme it all and as long as it sounds clear and crisp then you don’t really need a band to rely on. I really enjoy programming drums and because I come from a more of a rock music background (my dad’s influence) I enjoy recording real bass guitars and real guitars. My music is a hybrid between rock and electronic music. I’m really inspired by bands like Hybrid, Nine Inch Nails, Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters, Underworld, Orbital, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx, all these amazing artists which are their own thing. You can hear they’ve got inspiration from something else and they’ve turned it into their own thing using electronica. So I collaborate sometimes with vocalists, it can be funk vocalists, a rapper, a singer, male or female, and it’s really nice to see what interesting layers they bring on top of my music.

What kind of clubs have you normally performed at, is there a particular scene you tend to stick to?

I’ve been kind of drifting, between all the scenes. When I first moved to London, because my passion was in break beat, I’ve played at various clubs and bars ranging from gay, straight and fetish. About 6 years ago I got my first warm up set at Torture Garden. I’ve now been a resident there for 6 years and it’s definitely not boring.

Have you got a signature look when you’re performing?

It took me a long time to find the image that was right for me. You just got to believe in whatever it is what you you’re wearing. But as long as you don’t get lazy and stay on top of your craft it doesn’t really matter what you wear. I generally tend to wear what I feel like. As a woman there are days when you want to wear trousers and days when you want to wear tights. It’s trying to keep a balance, dressing with a bit of attitude. And if there’s a theme like Halloween, hen dos etc... it helps you do your thinking about what clothes you’re going to wear. You end up wearing something you never thought of wearing before and the night gives you the option to. I am also becoming more open to things such as wearing body paint etc.  Sometimes I want to stand out and sometimes I don’t.

You’ve launched you own label. Tell us all about it.

I’ve launched my own label Slack Trax last year and it’s got its first release on 29th Oct with a track called ‘Girl in Black’. It’s the most ‘pop’ish, commercial track I’ve ever done. All my tracks have always been moody. I’ve been renovating my own warehouse with no contractors, my studio was in storage for a year and after I’ve been surrounded by cables and insulation, concrete and plaster for a long time, I just wanted to write something happy and fun. It’s also got a handful of remixes as well. There’s a version for everyone. The next single ‘You Can’t Stop This’ was released on the 4^th of Dec. I’ve collaborated with Kickflip on that one and it’s more honest to what I play at Torture Garden and what I’m writing right now. It’s got guitars in it, real drums, vocals from Javone Prince (from Channel 4’s Phoneshop) and some really cool noises that make sense.

My album ‘Torture Garden Session’ got released in late January/ Early February.  I have limited edition CDs that you can order on www.janetteslack.com . The album will be available on all the digital shops such as iTunes, Trackitdown, Beatport, Juno, Amazon etc.... So far the label it’s been getting really good response. DJMag have shown lots of support, Mixmag have given Slack Trax 2 ‘Tune of the Month’ titles, and I just got interviewed by Time Magazine because of setting up the label. Things look promising.

What’s next?

I just want to keep writing and I just want to get better at everything I’m doing. One of the styles I play is progressive and electro and break beat and there’s a slower tempo called nu funk and glitch hop which is faster than hip hop but slower than electro and it’s a really sexy pace, there’s cool vocals, it really hits the spot for me. And that’s something I really want to explore more.

What advice would you give someone who’d like to become a DJ?

Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Don’t expect instant rewards, you’ve got to be in it for the long run, there are no such things as shortcuts. Don’t be afraid to ask. It’s ok not to know everything. Be careful who you trust. Be aware that it’s a very expensive thing to get into. But as long as you’re happy with doing what you’re doing and you’re doing it for yourself, you’re on the right path... I knew what I wanted to do this since I was teen so it’s obvious it’s not a phase. I’m still loving it, I want this to last forever.

 

 

 

 

Janette's video 'Girl in Black' is out now. Check it out!

 

 

My week in words: Cloud Atlas

Source: celebquotes.com

I believe in the providential roles of books. Cloud Atlas came my way only when I was ready for it. I started reading it a few times before and abandoned it every time, only to pick it up again. But not sooner than when I was prepared, I actually started reading this book, which talks about souls and reincarnation without being prescriptive. Only now I find myself open to the idea of eternal souls (souls passing through time like clouds in the sky), of people being bound to eachother, 'birthing' through their crimes and acts of kindness, their future.

My fascination with this book is too intense to put into words, and yet I have grown as a reader to the extent that I am actually enjoying it slowly. I'm not gulping it down like I did with others in the past, I'm reading it with the respect one should give to the savouring of caviar. I won't even start talking about the many literary merits of this extraordinary book, and just share a few quotes, whose strenght and relevance might ensure that they will forever live in my memory. 


“A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.” 

“My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?”  

“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” 

“Power, time, gravity, love. The forces that really kick ass are all invisible.”  

“I believe there is another world waiting for us. A better world. And i'll be waiting for you there.” 

“You say you're 'depressed' - all i see is resilience. You are allowed to feel messed up and inside out. It doesn't mean you're defective - it just means you're human.”  

“All revolutions are the sheerest fantasy until they happen; then they become historical inevitabilities.” 

“We looked at each other for the last time; nothing is as eloquent as nothing.”

“Travel far enough, you meet yourself.”  

“...there ain't no journey what don't change you some.” 

“Times are you say a person's b'liefs ain't true, they think you're sayin' their lifes ain't true an' their truth ain't true.”  

“If losers can exploit what their adversaries teach them, yes, losers can become winners in the long term.” 

“The uncreated and the dead exist solely in our actual and virtual pasts.”  

“As an experienced editor, I disapprove of flashbacks, foreshadowings, and tricksy devices; they belong in the 1980s with M.A.s in postmodernism and chaos theory.” 


In an essay for Random House, David Mitchell, the author of 'Cloud Atlas', wrote:

"I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was a kid, but until I came to Japan to live in 1994 I was too easily distracted to do much about it. I would probably have become a writer wherever I lived, but would I have become the same writer if I'd spent the last 6 years in London, or Cape Town, or Moose Jaw, on an oil rig or in the circus? This is my answer to myself."

The smell of 2013

Each season has its own smell but I think years have too. 2013 smells of new.

This year my new self is seeing the world for the first time. And after talking to people, it seems like everyone's been busy at work crafting new selves, projects and plans.

Monday, 21st of January, has been branded by the media as the 'most depressing day of the year'. It's strange, but ever since I've been back from Vietnam and was expecting to be hit by post-holiday blues, I've been eerily calm, peaceful and optimistic. As for January blues... Didn't happen!

I am clearly a new person.

I'm familiar with this new self because I've been carrying it around for months and maybe even years, like in a marsupial pouch, nourishing it, letting it grow. But now the new self is fully developed and it's out of its hiding place. And it's shaking out like a puppy, stretching its limbs and filling its lungs with air, blinking its eyes repeatedly as if to get used to the world, like a person who's just been woken up from a deep sleep. Everything around my new self is familiar and yet anew.

My new self seems a lot more knowledgeable and confident than my old self. It is aware of a freedom my old self never knew it had. It comes with understanding and acceptance, rather than questioning. It comes with a new found self-respect and an unlimited supply of lust for life. It looks at people and sees souls instead of form.

And my new self is re-evaluating the plans my old self made at the end of 2012. And some of them are still there, waiting to happen, while others are scrutinised, parked, improved or discarded. My new self is not judging that. Plans are fluid, like life, they are meant to change and be re-framed. I think 2013 has brought more clarity on the plans I scribbled down on post-its last year. And my self is happy. There's a story in the making for 2013. And it's totally new!

My holiday romance

I have this theory about relationships. Why they are so difficult to find and keep. It's a theory about 'Too many options'.

Take holiday romances for example. Travelling up and down Vietnam for 3 weeks I've met many people.  People who travel behave differently when in a hot new environment and they need not worry about consequences or expectations. People get together and get apart with the speed of lightning. If that's what one is looking for, you're spoiled for choice when travelling in a hot country. Sun kissed skin is on display everywhere, bleached hair and gym trained bodies are running free without apologies, providing a feast for hungry eyes. The tropical sun has the power to transform and everyone looks like legendary amazons. It's a cool crowd to be part of. It's a cool crowd to hook up with. If that's what one is looking for...

I've been practising abstinence for almost 6 months now. Because I couldn't deal anymore with the side-effects of meaningless sex. And it's a lot easier than I initially thought, easier than quitting smoking or renouncing alcohol. But being abstinent didn't bring a hell of a lot of holiday romance my way. I kept myself pretty much at bay, with the occasional harmless flirt. And that's when you stop being interesting to holiday romancers. When there's a world of options out there, you're just another passenger without much to offer. I certainly don't regret my decision but it made me think. Unlike relationships in the city, holiday relationships may actually really start with sex. But I was happy just to observe and enjoy being a bit of a 'Mother Teresa' (as one of my friends likes to call me).

Towards the end of my trip I met a lovely Slovenian - German couple whom I befriended during the day trip to Cu Chi tunnels. We immediately clicked and decided to have drinks in the evening together. As we were sipping (some of us slurping, ie me) Saigon beers on the roof terrace of the hotel I was staying at, they asked me if I had a boyfriend They seemed really surprised when I said I didn't.

I suddenly found myself compelled to defend myself and retorted excuses from my existential theories (which is also the basis of my dating book in the making): 'The problem with living in London' I said, 'is that there are too many options and individuals feel pressured  to go out there and always search for something better. The level of consumerism is so high that people treat relationships the same way they treat a Snickers bar: consume and discard the wrapping. I have been unable to find a meaningful relationship as yet.'

As I was talking, I could see their distrustful faces.

'The truth is' I said toning down my enthusiasm, 'I don't know why I am single. It's just what it is.'

That moment there I had an epyphany and I remember it because:

a) I realised that my theories are probably full of dingo-crap.  Everyday, thousands of people get together, get married, move to the suburbs and make babies in London.

b) Maybe there is another reason why I am single (and have been for many years) which has nothing to do with my theories about 'too many options'. Maybe little old me has been spared couple-life because little old me has got something else to do with her life than move to the suburbs and make babies. Maybe a holiday romance is still out there waiting for me...

Freedom

Source: charmedyoga.com

Less than a week ago I was one of the pasty tourists all crammed up in a bus driving along from Saigon to the Cu Chi tunnels. Our guide, Minh, was older than the usual guides and his English was a strange mix of real and invented words, making it difficult for us to understand more than 50% of what he was saying.

I didn't take too much notice to his discourse (I don't really buy all the tour guides' propaganda selling fabricated stuff to tourists who take them for valuable stories and experiences) until I found out that this guy has been in the war. Yes, he was 70 years old and the first Vietnam war veteran I have ever met. Turns out he fought alongside the Americans and spent 6 months in an underground tunnel until the war ended. He thought he was going to die there. And yet there he was, more alive than half of the people snoozing on the bus, talking about something he would probably much rather forget, because it was his job.

I tried to imagine Minh, at 25, surrounded by blood, dirt and bomb shells, holding hands with an American soldier the same age as him, both wondering from which direction was Death coming to get them. Death never came his way. It let him live so he can tell war stories to tourists half-listening, half-wondering what will they have for dinner later. I tried to imagine the jungle at Cu Chi with sweaty soldiers marching carefully not to step on traps, wondering if they ever thought the very ground they were walking on will one day rustle under flip-flops and trainers of people coming to see what the Vietnam war was all about.

'Do you think we have no freedom in Vietnam?' Minh asked. 'Let me tell you, we have as much freedom as you. We all live in a cage. Only that your cage is bigger than our cage.'

I watched him in bewilderment. He was absolutely right. We live our lives ignoring the edges of our freedom bubble. Here I was in Vietnam, set free from my cage, knowing that I'll have to return to it at curfew. It made me wonder, how free are we really? What choices could I make in my life? Could I escape my cage and run wild like the wind or could I just accept living in a cage and free myself through non-resistance. Could I really be one of these people who pack their lives in a suitcase and buy a one way ticket, with destination WORLD?

I've met a lot of people during this trip who have quit their jobs and went travelling. I've met a lot of people in search for a higher meaning to their lives. I'm one of these people, searching, never satisfied with a comfortable cage. I wonder if it's because we've never been in a war or lived through something extreme. If we did, it would probably teach us to stay put and be content with our cages, whether big or small. But there must be a reason to our search for meaning. Maybe all the wars in the world had a purpose...

I think Minh said it all smiling with all his crooked teeth: 'Smile and be happy that you're alive! That's all!'

Last coffee in Saigon

I'm sitting in an air-conditioned, modern and chilled cafe on Bui Vien Street in Ho Chi Min City. It's a small little cafe called Sozo, a brave little venture committed to help and employ disadvantaged Vietnamese people. A quiet spot away from the maddening noise of the streets and the street vendors.

It's my last day in Vietnam and I have a few hours to kill before a taxi takes me to the airport and I'll be on my way back to London. Not particularly excited about the perspective but I guess all good things eventually come to an end.

I spent the last three days alone in Saigon but I never felt lonely. Despite not making a great effort, I met lots of people, whether on the pavement at the plastic chairs and cheap beers patch or during the day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels. Sitting at a table at some bar or cafe and simply people watch is an incredibly entertaining activity I could never get bored of. My last night in Saigon ended up at 3am and I had to skip breakfast this morning. I made up for it with fluffy pastries from ABC Bakery (it looks really fancy from the outside, but it's actually pretty cheap) and I probably have enough money left to grab some cheap street food for lunch, some water and probably one last Saigon beer.

I thought I was too old for this, but I guess I'm not. I guess I am totally ready to take the world on by myself. People find it quite hard to believe when I reveal my age. I guess travelling makes you look and feel young. I want more of this feeling. I don't want to think about career, mortgage, family, children and schools. I want to sit in a cafe in a hot friendly city and enjoy a cup of latte while watching the world go by. I want to repeat these last three weeks over and over again! I want to keep moving, live in hotel rooms, try new foods, meet new people every day, understand the world around me, feed my hunger, be surprised by places and people. People like our tour guide to Cu Chi tunnels who was a war veteran and fought alongside the Americans (therefore against the Viet Cong guerilla at Cu Chi), spoke very broken English but had a great lesson to share with us: 'Not even the horrors of the war, must stop one to enjoy life and to be happy!'. Or the lady who helped me get on a cheap bus from the airport to the city centre and gave me her business card in case I needed anything.  Turns out she worked for the Government, isn't that great PR? Or the places with soul like the Crazy Kim bar in Nah Trang, dedicated to help raise awareness about pedophilia and help protect children against its threat.

Without the slightest doubt, these three weeks in Vietnam have been the best holiday I have ever had! I made new friendships, I laughed so much every day my belly hurt, I did something new everyday (beware, it's addictive), I have been in the company of others as well as on my own for a few days and realised that when you're happy and relaxed being on your own is actually quite satisfying, I took great pictures, I've seen beautiful places, I tried foods without discrimination, I went on the back of a motorbike, I climbed rocks, I have been so content and happy and grateful for the aliveness of everything around me like never before.

So yes, I may not be over the moon about going back to a cold London , but I feel inspired and I feel brave! And I know good things are on their way!

Three weeks in Vietnam

Three weeks in Vietnam are certainly not enough. But they're a good start.

They're a good start to make you fall hopelessly in love with this country. They're enough to make you question what is that you're really looking for in life. They're enough to empty your head of anything to do with targets, deadlines, clients and  worthless worries. Enough to open yourself up to a whole new world.

I have travelled to wonderful places before and it is not unusual for me to return to London with a bitter sweet feeling, with the feeling that I am missing out of so much of what the world has to offer, but every time I somehow manage to regain my love for London and stick to my comfortable life which I have fought so hard for. This time though... I don't know... I feel ready to take some chances. Maybe it's midlife crisis, maybe it hits all of us sooner or later when we are fast approaching an age we thought was still far away, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that there are no more surprises for me in London, nothing I particularly look forward to and this trip to Vietnam has been a continuous source of awe and wonder. From the genuine kindness of the Viets, to the fluffiest pillows I ever slept on, from the nicest street food I can't even pronounce the names of, to the quietness of the temples hidden behind the hustle and bustle of the city streets, from the harmonious cohabitation of old and new, the modern and the ancient coming together seamlessly and wonderfully, to the beaches and the palm trees, the rice fields and the diversity of Vietnam, everything has been laid down on my path to make me wonder and stare in a total state of grace.

It takes a couple of weeks to tune into Vietnam, into the Asian lifestyle but despite the apparent craziness, there is order in chaos. There are random gourmet restaurants which don't advertise and serve Michelin stars - worthy food, there are rooftop terraces and improvised diners on the pavement where an old grandma cooks from dawn till evening some sort of signature dish where Viets get together and eat on the go, there are the lost travellers and the savvy ones, there are the street crossings which serve no purpose but to confuse newcomers, there is the freshly brewed beer which tastes like nothing but it's dead cheap, there are the coffee places which support charities to keep children off the streets, there are the travel agents which take you out to dinner to make friends and thank you for your business, there are the people telling you to be careful with your belongings with no strings attached, there are the ladies that work for the Government who help you get on a cheap bus from the airport and hand you their business cards in case you need anything, there are the hoards of Aussies, Germans and French and the random friendships you start, there are the cold nights in Hanoi and the hot ones in Saigon, there is always happy hour and a well preserved Ho Chi Mi which everyone worships, there are the bicycle rides and lampoons in Hoian, there is life in Vietnam. A lot of life. Life which has sprung from rivers of blood and centuries of unjust occupation, life which flows stronger than ever and is contagious. It makes you want to live more!!

So three weeks in Vietnam are certainly not enough. It leaves you wanting to come back for more...

 

 

 

 

 

The thing with travelling

The thing with travelling is it opens up new worlds. The thing with travelling is that it reminds you that life has layers and each new places looks different every day.

The thing with travelling is that it makes you hungry. Hungry for the unknown, hungry for the dawn of each day and hungry to learn everything there is to be learnt about the place you're in.

The thing with travelling is that it makes you courageous. It makes you try new things and talk to new people. It makes you wear clothes you wouldn't normally wear, it makes you climb rocks and ride motor bikes.

The thing with travelling is that it makes you humble. It makes you realise there is so much more to the world that meets the eye. It reminds you that there is so much more to see and do than one's rectangular universe.

But the thing with travelling is... that you have to keep moving. Stay too long in one place and you stop being a passenger. Stay too long in one place and it becomes home.

Source: scenicreflections.com

Dreaming of a far away place

I've been dreaming for a while to move somewhere to Asia for a few months and write. There have been doubts about the feasibility of such  plan but the more I stay in Vietnam the more I long for a life in an exotic land.

Guess I'm a bit bored with my life... I desperately long for a change... To live in a place where time is not an issue. In a land where you don't get old. In a land where you can eat fresh fruit off the tree. In a land where you need no moisturizer, no high heels, no designer bags, nothing but an old crumpled T-shirt and  a pair of Havaianas. In a land where West meet East every day of the week. In a land where people don't hold on to the past and where smiling is just a way of living.

Ok, maybe I'm idealizing the life in the far East a little bit, but I long for an adventure. I embarked on the biggest adventure of my life almost ten years ago when I moved to London. Ten years is a long time. It feels like a completed cycle. I grew a lot in ten years in London. But the world is waiting... I may answer its call one day soon...

But in the meantime, I'm having a cold Vietnamese beer in a bar listening to Bossa Nova music, not worrying about tomorrow...

The Vietnam effect

I'm certainly not an Asian virgin. I traveled to Thailand and India before, but Vietnam has exceeded all my expectations. It is a lot more developed than I imagined and a lot more cultural. Despite the crazy traffic, Ho Chi Min City is comparable in architecture to any European city.
It's probably something you can apply to all the South Eastern Asian people, but the Vietnamese people really are admirable. Thinking that this country has been torn by war a mere tens of years ago, it's impossible not to be impressed by the smiles on people's faces and by their genuinely good nature. As a tourist, you will find yourself a lot less hassled by merchants. They will accept when you say no and will let you be. The locals are friendly and generous. Unlike other places I've been to, they go out to the same places frequented by foreign travelers and they have a great time. They will be happy to share their food and drink with you without discrimination.
Being in Vietnam makes me feel I could spend a lot of time here and living in a continuous present, enjoying the great food, the good weather and the beautiful beach, not feeling I am missing out on any of the Western commodities.
I didn't come here with some sort of existential problem. I didn't come here to be inspired. I didn't come here looking for a solution to my life. I came here just to be. And that's what I've been doing. But despite not looking for something in particular, I was reminded that the world is a bigger place, with lots of wonders just waiting to be discovered.