ITW : JUSTINE PERRY [ART BEI TON]

Justine Perry is a Berlin-based techno DJ. Attracted by the Berlin club scene, her sets are influenced by dark and deep techno, bringing the public to a hypnotic experience. Setting up in Berlin, she started her collaboration with new artistic projects like Art Bei Ton and helped those events to feature more female artists.

As part of the LGBT+ community, Justine embraces the need of getting a safer and diverse scene, involving more women and queer artists, as well as fighting against any form of discrimination. Established herself in Europe, she played in prestigious venues and released her first track « Swell », with Petit Astronaute, out on DNC Limited.

You perform in the electronic music scene, however have you always been interested in this music? For how long have you been active as a DJ ?

Well, I have been interested in electronic music since I was teenager, constantly listening to music, recording cassettes and making compilations. When I got the age, I roamed clubs in my town, Lille, then Paris, and London. I travelled as much as i could to listen to my favorite DJs and dance in clubs everywhere. It was a great period when I developed my musical education. About Deejaying, I put my hands on the decks for the first time at the end of 2016 to learn how to djing, and I had my very first gig in July 2017 in Paris.

Your musical universe goes from ambient to deep techno, with dark and sometimes cold and experimental influences. There is a hypnotic aspect in your music. What brought you into this musical universe?

Good question! I think I started to be interested about ambient and hypnotic techno when I arrived in Berlin in 2018.It was done gradually as I was searching myself in terms of “style” before. I mean, I love different styles of techno, but it can take time to know wich kind of techno you prefer the most, and to play it. Before to live in Berlin, I was living in Paris and hypnotic techno is unfortunately non-existent there. Fortunately I moved in Berlin and I discovered it, best discovery and open mind 🙂

What is your process of finding new music like? What draws your attention to a certain track or record?

I spend my days listening to sets by other artists. I can listen up to 5 podcasts per day. It’s a lot! Because of this podcasts, I can identify some tracks I like and after this, I dig about the artist, the label where the track where released, most of the time on bandcamp. In general I need some seconds to know if I like the track or not. Its like love at first sight. I hear the track, I fall in love, I try to identify and I search it. Sometimes I can’t find the ID and I listen the part of the podcast where the track is playing on a loop, lol.

What kind of mix have you prepared for InDepth, did you have a certain concept in mind prior to making the mix?

I prepared a mix between 118 bpm and 122 maximum as I never played this bpm in a venue or for a podcast previously and it corresponded to InDepht state of mind, I think. For me it is really important to adapt the style of your podcast regarding the channel podcast. So yes the podcast is a bit different than the previous one, Slower, organic with a more complexe structure, maybe more rhythmic but still hypnotic of course! I played some producers i really like at the moment like Rambadu, Konduku or natural electronic system. The mix is more spatial techno at the end with some Krys Hypnowave or Reggy Van Oers tracks.

How would you describe a “typical” DJ set? What balance do you find between preparing your sets beforehand and being reactive to the moment?

A “typical” DJ set need to bring the public in an experience. The DJ need to flirt with the public to attract it in his world, a bit like a spider that weaves its web to attract its prey. Each DJ set is different according to the place, the atmosphere, the people, but above all, the mood. The DJ is the conductor, it’s up to him to take his audience into his world and his universe to make people dance and travel. In general, I prepare the first tracks to be comfortable, and after a few minutes, according to my mood, the way I want to go and according to the energy of the public, I choose a direction regarding my playlist I prepared in advance (trippy techno, mental techno, hypnotic techno..

A “typical” DJ set need to bring the public in an experience. The DJ need to flirt with the public to attract it in his world, a bit like a spider that weaves its web to attract its prey.

What are you trying to achieve as an artist? What goals do you want to reach?

I just want to do music until the rest of my life and to give people emotions, moments and happiness they will remember.I want we are ONE for a moment out of time!

What have been your best gig experiences from the past year, and what is your dream venue?

For sure to play at Tresor in 2019 was the best experience as a DJ ever!I had a great slot like 4h to 6h and people were on fire. It was for a female:pressure night. I remember exactly this night, I took a nap before and when I arrived around 2 in the morning, the queue was long, its a bit impressing. All my very close friends from Berlin came. When I played, some girls climbed on the podium and on the gates. A guy also made me a drawing with my name. It was an excellent moment!

I also love to play for Art Bei Ton, the crew for which I am resident. I had the chance to play in different venues and the state of mind and vibe is very cool. People who come to this event come to listen to the music first and for me its the main important thing.

To play in Poland and in Turkey was also a nice experience. People are full of energy, kind and very supportive.

About my dream venue, I’d love to play at Melt Festival on the Sleepless floor, Sunday night. As a regular raver there for years, I completely fell in love with this stage who is open from Thursday to Monday non stop. The sound-system is huge and the program very cosmopolite.

As part of the LGBT+ community, you embraces the need of getting a more safe and diverse scene, involving more women and queer artists, as well as fighting against any form of discrimination. Are you active in networks or collectives that promote and gather women from the electronic music scene?

Definitely! Im resident of Art Bei Ton, it is a project, focusing on hypnotic music, DJing, art exhibitions, and interactive audio-visual installations. We give a lot of importance to gender-balance, that is to say, to an equity in the line up (men and women) and this is essential for me. I help Apoline my friend who is the founder, on the booking part, and we really agree to put a point of honor on the place of women by always proposing gender-balanced line ups.

Still today, the line-ups of electronic events are predominantly male. Solutions exist to fight gender inequalities in music; event organisers, labels, bookers and magazines try to impose quotas. What’s your opinion about it?

I definitely encourage for more mixity on the line up in clubs and festivals but I don’t really like this idea of imposed quotas. To imposed something is not an artistic approach and it’s a bit technocrat. I think its not good to sexualise this aspect. Honestly things are moving anyway in our environment: things are really moving in the right direction. We have more and more ladies who is doing music and who can find booking easily. For me, the important thing is to highlight talented artists regardless of gender.

To be an artist is to be human. Male, female, the distinction should no longer exist.

Things are really moving in the right direction. We have more and more ladies who is doing music and who can find booking easily. For me, the important thing is to highlight talented artists regardless of gender.

Last but not least, what is next in your journey? What are you looking forward to? What are your upcoming plans?

About the news, I’m mainly working on the production side. We released a track in collaboration with my friend Petit Astronaute on the label DNC Limited and we would like to release more tracks together in the future, but i would like also to release something alone at first. It takes time and I am forever unsatisfied, so lets see how things go. I am in no rush and I want to do things properly.