- Mon, 2011-07-25 12:52
Scarlett Etienne has spent the last two years carving a very significant Scarlett shaped space in the dance world. Named by Sasha as Breakthrough DJ of 2008, she has since toured the globe, been signed up to represent Pioneer Pro DJ, put out her own productions on her own label Starlett productions, taken up a moonlighting role as a singer-songwriter, and as if this wasn't enough, forged herself a reputable fashion career producing runway sets for Haute Couture collections, designed her own clothes and sported the outfits of fashion heavyweight Matthew Williamson about her very glamorous person.
With so much to talk about, I Like Music sent some questions across to Scarlett to find out more.
"I Like Music because… what's there not to like?” Scarlett Etienne
ILM: When did you first start making music?
Scarlett: I wrote my first song when I was 11, on the guitar. It was about a boy named Nathan.
ILM: Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
Scarlett: Martin Gore. Flood. Bjork.
ILM: What can we expect from one of your sets?
Scarlett: Technolectropop.
ILM: Do you remember your first DJ set? What was it like?
Scarlett: I'm very lucky that my first real international DJ gig was in Madrid, at OHM. My mixing was atrocious and it was a vinyl-only set. The crowd loved it though! They were going absolutely nuts. I also remember that the last song of the night that I played was From Here to Eternity by Giorgio Moroder. I just looked out on the dancefloor at all these people going mad and I knew that this was what I was made to do...
ILM: Out of all the sets you've played, which have been some of the most memorable?
Scarlett: Watergate in Berlin is always memorable. The last time I played there (February) was definitely one of the best shows of my life. The people were just incredible.
ILM: How would you describe your process of putting together a tune?
Scarlett: It all depends. Sometimes I'll write a riff on the guitar and turn it into a techno riff, or sometimes I'll tap out melodies on the Pianist Pro or Korg iMs-20 on ipad and sing into the voice memo recorder. Then I'll dump it into logic and then do a bit of audio chiseling and bring some analog into the equation. I have a thing about using real machines to make music, I'm not so much into soft synths, however there are some good ones from Arturia and Native Instruments.
ILM: What's your equipment set up?
Scarlett: Moog Voyager, Roland Sh-101 + Tr-808, Virus Polar, Korg Electribe, Neumann tlm-049 microphone, Yamaha u3 piano, NI Guitar Rig, Fender Stratocaster, Logic, NI Komplete.
ILM: You were named 'breakthrough DJ' by Sasha in 2008. How did that feel?
Scarlett: Over the moon, of course! I was really happy to have had the support of Sasha early on in my career, as he was one of my original heroes, after being greatly inspired by his music at Twilo, which inspired me to have a go at DJing. I even had a cat named after him who sadly passed away this year, RIP my little meatball. I'm also super excited to say that I'll be Sasha's supporting act at Sunwaves Festival in Romania this year.
ILM: What are your dreams and ambitions?
Scarlett: To be the technopop female equivalent of Dave Gahan, without all the overdoses.
ILM: Your pictures look fantastic, you have some amazing outfits! How important is fashion to you?
Scarlett: Thank you! My best days and my best music is made when I'm wearing something fabulous, so yes, fashion is extremely important to me. I have a little bespoke couture fashion line called House of Starlett, and all my designs are future interpretations of classics. I like to describe it as Future Burlesque My style is inspired by Alexander McQueen, Dita Von Teese, and Bjork. That being said, I still love to lounge around in sweatpants, I'm not gonna lie.
ILM: What have you been listening to recently?
Scarlett: Loads of Gesaffelstein. Hands down the best producer of the moment. He's an absolute James Bond ladykiller techno machine.
ILM: What is the best / worst thing about your job?
Scarlett: The worst thing is those lonely hours spent in faraway airports and planes. Thank God for iphone/social networking, it's definitely taken the isolation out of travel. The best thing is the love you get back from people at a great show. I ultimately just want everyone to have good times, so that's the greatest reward.
ILM: Can you give us your three ultimate summer tunes?
Scarlett: I don't know about summer tunes as I've not been to any festivals or Ibiza yet, but my top three at the moment:
ZZT - Zzafrika (Gesaffelstein Mix)
Rafale - Eraser (Darabi Electrical Parade Mix)
Style of Eye - Sexx
ILM: What are your future plans?
Scarlett: New techno releases coming up on my label, Starlett Records, remixes by Gain on Top, Alland Byallo, Michelle Owen. Writing material for a full length album for the end of the year. Loads of DJ gigs coming up in Barcelona, Milan, Mexico City, Juarez, Madrid, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Sicily, Singapore. Supporting Sasha at Sunwaves Festival in Romania on the 13th of August..... and I will be performing some of my album material live at Shut Your Pretty Mouth at Punk soon!
