WOMANROCK:
I read in your bio that you studied in Belfast? What brought you
there? Are you from there?
XJS:
I am from Wales. Mother from Michigan, dad from Scotland. I went
to University in Belfast on a dare (hah!) and also because the great
Takeshi Yasuda was the professor of the ceramics course I took.
I LIVED TO REGRET IT.
Wild horses could not drag me back - although you don't have to
quote me on that. Let's just say that living in an invisible warzone
was a formative experience.
WOMANROCK:
Has the music scene in Belfast influenced your work?
XJS:
I was a punker in Belfast - and yes the punk Do It Yourself ethic
has stayed with me. Get out there and make it happen, if you want
it bad enough. The people with the silver platters don't exist!
I have decided to purge myself of the nilhilism, though ;)
WOMANROCK:
What about your classical training? What instrument did you learn
on? Did you feel pressure from your parents or society to study
and classical intrument and not spin at a club?
XJS:
I played flute and piccolo in both wind and regular orchestras.
My brother played oboe, and we both got "strong encouragement" to
practice an hour a day and take all the exams etc. I realised it
had gone too far when I got a new instructor who made me do SLOOOOW
situps to improve my diaphragm strength etc. I put my foot down
and said "no thanks" to that - I was way more interested in becoming
the national level one-day-event horse rider.....10 years of competitive
horseriding, however, ended when I went to Belfast, because academia
will out, I suppose....bah. My parents have never been anything
less than supportive of my DJing though - I think they were a tad
surprised when I kept at it though. And more surprised that i get
paid to do it! As for society - well in SF you're weird if you're
NOT a DJ....all the piercings, the whole internet freak by day/DJ
by night thing - soooo passe here - I fit right in ;)
WOMANROCK:
What kind of music do you play?
XJS:
Drum and bass. High snare, heavy bass, breakbeat with very few vocals
and roughly 160 bpm.
WOMANROCK:
What are your ultimate goals for your music now? To get past the
gender issues that still follow women around like a bad smell. To
play more benefits and organise more benefits. To tell the world
about the wonder of electronic kitty litter boxes (I just got one
and they RULE ;)
WOMANROCK:
Do you have any upcoming shows? Can you hear your music online?
XJS:
Yes, I play weekly at Resonate (Sundays at 280 7th x Folsom, San
Francisco) and all Sister parties (monthly, different venues
in SF). Another event will be a benefit for Girls Figure In (educating
youth to stop negative media images) on the 15th of January in SF
(call 415.646.0409) and my sets are archived online at:
http:// www.betalounge.com
and at:
http:// www.technostate.com
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