'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!