NEW ZEALAND !

Writing this on Balinese day of silence, contemplating the twists and turns of the last few months; continuously feeling amazed at how everything happens as it supposed to happen, at the right time, and how blessed i am to be where i am, surrounded by some truly special people.

The month of Feb was spent back in the motherland, after more than 2 years away it was perfect to spend a whole month.  Wellington had the best summer in recent history, ‘you can’t beat Wellington on a good day’ was like, every damn day.  A good friend lent me a Vespa to cruise around on, it was so nice to roll around on some non-potholed and non corrupt police filled roads, smooth as f**k!

I was gonna take a few days to chill, no luck there as Thundercat was playing live at San Fran on my second night, timing!!!!
Gutted to miss most of Orchestra of Spheres’ opening set, with Mr Gooch on drums, they sounded amazing, and awesome to hear they’re doing big things.
Thundercat did not disappoint, in fact he blew me away, it was rad to hear tracks from ‘Apocalypse’, which was on high rotation with me for a while, as well as ‘them changes’, for sure one of the tunes of 2015.  Top night filled with great catch ups.

The next night was a proper double banger.  The Cuban Brothers at San Fran followed by Lefto! I took my mum (the mutha flicka) as i thought she would get a right kick out of it, they invited her backstage before the show and we had a drink and a laugh before a priceless show of manhood and other extreme gentleman sports and hilarity.  Brilliant show.  The mutha was well impressed 😀

Strange Behaviour have been booking some great Djs recently, I had tried to book Lefto into Potato Head a while back but it didn’t work out….so i was over the moon to see that he was coming to spin at the Matterhorn.  A great set that went anywhere and everywhere as expected (or unexpected, even), we had a wicked boogie and were on the floor til last tune.  I only thought the turnout would have been a little better considering it was such a great booking, and such a ‘wellington’ booking.

My first gig was Taniwha’s Den, out in the forest past Martinborough, a couple hours drive out of Wellington. A proper little techno rave in the woods! Big ups to Andy from The Session for the invitation.  My partner in crime was my bestie when i was 16 and getting into the young Welli rave scene (and up to all sorts of mischief), it felt like the right thing to do!  After sorting some minor setup issues it was all gravy – great setting, sound system, people, vibes, music, i cannot fault it!

Next up it was back to my old stomping ground the Matterhorn, playing a courtyard session of summer jams and good vibezzz. Fab to see some friendly old skool faces and spin alongside quality selectors B-lo and Melfunction.  Thanks Paul!

Shouts to Yadana for inviting me up to Radio New Zealand for a quick interview about bird watching and falling out of trees, you can check it here http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/201790113/lady-flic

The major highlight has to be Splore Festival, south of Auckland, an incredible 3 day music festival in a stunning beach side location. We came in a day early, set up camp and had a few drinks as the weather packed in, and we realized that it was raining inside our tent, there was nothing to do other than deal with it, i’m laughing about it now 😉
Thank goodness the weather was beautiful for the whole festival!  So were the vibes.  The lineup was pretty solid, with Little Simz, Ragga Twinz and Nightmares on Wax being particular highlights. The Cubans also smashed it. Extra points to Dj Ease for representing to the MAX and playing well beyond the call of duty, from the Dj stage to Lucky Star into daylight, and the closing set on the main stage on Sunday….no sleep til Brooklyn!  Respek.
I played 2 sets on Day 1 – sunset time on the Dj Stage, only a few peeps on the dance floor to start with, but they came from nowhere and soon we were cranking. From 90bpm all the way up and around the corner, styles upon styles to the 140s, it was such a fun mashed up set.  I received the best compliment afterwards “ you really confused me, i had no idea what you were playing, that never happens to me.” Sweet!

Later that night i had a set in the Living Lounge, on a more deep housey vibe. After having a jam with Iraia, The Nudge drummer in Bali on New Year’s Eve, we decided to do just that more often, with a few vocals from me added into the mix. A couple of reheasals in Welli and i convinced  Iraia to make the trip to Splore to play along. Stoked!  We couldn’t soundcheck as he arrived just before the show, so let’s say the circumstances weren’t entirely ideal, not to mention the entire audience left as soon as the Correspondents finished, so we started from scratch…but we pulled it off and it was super fun.  Tomorrow we head to Guangzhou to perform 3 gigs in a sunset video mapped geodesic dome for Corona – go figure!

The following morning(extreme festival power sleeping skills) i sat on a panel with Aroha and Race Banyon, hosted by Russell Brown, and chatted about music and life and stuff –  it was fun, thanks for having me!

My responsibilities were finally done and dusted and i could relax and be totally irresponsible. So I did that. Much love to John Minty for booking me, and to Fred and the whole Splore crew for putting on one of the best festivals i’ve ever experienced, so many magic moments were possible due to your amazing work and organisation. Props!!  Special mentions to Gene and the magic tree, Katie the sparkle monkey, Wrong Jeremy for the extreme banter, Benny the superfly superchild, Fred and Jess for the camp hookups, and the whole brilliant crew i was rolling with. GOOD TIMES.

I missed Prince because a dodgy connection in my brain told me that i would be back in Bali on that date, so i made no effort at all to get tickets. I blame the 90s.

Hooked up a last minute gig at the Laundry on Cuba St, this is a new spot to me, originally a laundromat, they’ve turned it into a super funky restaurant/bar that flows into a dancefloor at night.  Good to see Phil, a friendly Dj face from way back on the decks, still smashing it 🙂 Thanks to Craig and Matt for having me to play, it was a brilliant night.

So much renewed love for Wellington and New Zealand after this trip back, i feel it in my bones that it won’t be so long in between trips from now on 😉

Next stop China! x

SPLORE FESTIVAL – NEXT WEEKEND

Set times for Splore are out!!  I’ve heard so much about this festival, the location looks incredible, i can’t wait to see the headliners but just as much the local Djs like Cian, Takkas, Aroha, Bobby and more!!!! Guaranteed good music and good catch ups.

Totally PSYCHED to do 2 sets on Friday – 730-9pm in the Jager Bar, and later that night 1230am – 230am in the Living Lounge.

Excited to rock 2 very different sets, with a couple of surprises up my sleeve for the late set 😉

WELLINGTON!!

From Singapore i headed quickly through Bali to regroup and recover… Then onto Sydney to catch up with friends and family and a little spot Djing some sunset vibes at Cafe Del Mar, was super nice 😀

Then finally, HOME. It’s been 2.5 years since i’ve been back in Wellington, so long overdue!

Great to see all my peeps, and a few nice gigs coming up – tomorrow heading over the hills and far away into the forest to Taniwha’s Den, the location looks stunning, visuals and sound should be epic, and i’ve been preparing a set of tech, techno and other electronic bits and pieces  –  really looking forward to dropping some craziness in these wicked surroundings!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClgZ386I7d0

The following weekend it’s back in time and back to my old stomping ground The Matterhorn, for a summer jam in the courtyard with Melfunction and B.Lo.  Looking forward to seeing loads of old and new Welli faces, this is gonna be SO much fun!!

NEW YORK CITY NIGHTS

My second time in NYC was SO different from the first, which was about 7 years ago. The locals say it was a much better place back then, but for me it was incredible now, more friends and great contacts there, and traveling alone is totally the way to go – no offense to my amazing ex-boyfriend!

I spent the first few days in Queens, hanging with a lovely crew and experiencing a different side of NYC…a salsa party and a bar mitzvah – that kind of flipped me out, literally on a par with any culture shock i’ve ever experienced!

I took the Queens crew to see my kiwi girl Hollie Smith perform at Rockwood Music Hall, so great to hear her music again, with Marika on bass, it was a beautiful show.

The next night we headed down to Eli Soulclap’s joint Black Flamingo in Brooklyn, to see broken beat maestro Daz-i-Kue on the ones and twos, great spot down the stairs, low lighting, big vibes and wicked crowd – great to catch up with Daz and see some Bali crew.

Matt Recloose invited me to a Serato workshop Monday night, he hooked me up with Serato DJ, which i’d never investigated, and i got to meet some super nice NYC djs who are killing it out there, shouts to MWill and Run-P. Big ups Matt!! Turns out we had the same idea about going out that night, it was Mobile Mondays at The Bowery Electric, and Questlove was in the house. So we all rocked down there, it was Just Blaze’s birthday and there was a female dj killing it on the 45s – still not sure who this was?? Questlove gets on the drums, Smif n Wessun hop up for a freestyle, and Kool Herc walks in the club. This was my first night out in Manhattan. The DJ i was chatting to knew Herc and said ‘do you wanna meet him?’, i was like ‘hell yes’ but then could literally not think of one thing to say except “ummm…i love you”. Idiot. We did have a nice conversation after my brain began functioning. Total gentleman.

Next up was Bilal live at the City Winery – holy crap, this was an amazing show, esoteric and eccentric soul jazz, completely wild and out there, ridiculous musicianship from all the performers and stage presence from Bilal. Love him even more now. 4 out of 5 flicks, even. Great to finally meet Deva Mahal, and discover she was performing the next night. For afters we visited a couple of, ahem ‘celeb/musician’ hangouts that were filled with approximately zero of the aforementioned clan. I wasn’t too bothered as i’d literally bumped into Big from Sex and the City walking through East Village earlier that day 😉

Deva Mahal was the first act in a showcase of three at Highline Ballroom, it was an early show but she played to a full house. I’d heard her name many times through my NZ peeps, but never really heard her music. It’s a beautiful thing – rich and soulful, emotive and uplifting, and what a sublime presence she is. So brilliant to see brother Imon Starr up there too, still one of the superflyest MCs out there! 4/5 flicks!
AWESOME to see that Awesome Tapes from Africa was the ‘in between the bands’ DJ, quality as usual, but it was a band gig and they didn’t give him the volume he deserved.
The second act was a complete surprise, I’d never heard of Young Paris. Dayum, blown away! His show is unique, combining intense futuristic beats with traditional afro rhythms and Young Paris rapping, freaky tribal dancers with great costumes and strobe effect lighting, i was pretty damn impressed. 4/5 flicks.
Last up was Monsieur Perine from Colombia, they were super fun, colorful, happy, upbeat…totally not my cup of tea. Great musicians though, and the crowd loved them. 2 flicks. Anyway, it was time to head to my gig at DROM in East Village, Turntables on the Danube with Nickodemus.
Unfortunately i missed the band that was on first, but gladly got to listen to all of Bodoo’s set, which was i believe all Hungarian music, jazz and other dope oddities, presented inna radio show style, it was the perfect kick off to an awesome night. I jumped onstage to discover the CDJs were a rather old school version, oops! The screen is tiny. Thank goodness they still read my recordbox and i had a back up usb for the other player. A minor challenge but I had a really fun set and crammed as many jams as i could into an hour or so – i think i got hip hop, disco, house, soul, funk and latin covered, oh and Missy Elliot – WTF. Why the F**K not right? Great vibes on the dancefloor. Nickomdemus destroyed it of course, along with Nappy G on percussion and Troy on the brass. 5/5 damn flicks! Thank you so much for having me!

The following night a friend had door list for Rick Ross at Stage 48, i was like, ‘when in New York’..
I don’t even know how to describe this party. Kinda gross. Lots of sunglasses, high fives and backslapping onstage and not a hell of a lot going on. I’m pretty sure Rick Ross was there, though i wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan or could pick him out of a lineup. I’m pretty sure the music that was playing was Rick Ross, i think some other djs were playing us his new album?? I was entertained by the shenanigans onstage but extremely confused. Like, when are they gonna do something? OK i’ll fess up, i googled the event beforehand, and it was called ‘Rich Forever featuring Rick Ross’. I thought to myself, damn this Rich Forever dude must be hella famous, i’ve never heard of him and he’s got Rick Ross supporting him!! When i said this to my friend, himself in the hip hop industry in NYC, he looked at me like, “REALLY??”. Of course Rich Forever is the name of his new album. Oh how we laughed. Anyway, zero flicks given.

Last night out and about for music was Awesome Tapes from Africa at Good Room in Brooklyn. After hearing him play in a couple different scenarios it was perfect to finally hear him in a club, dope spot, good people, good night!

In summary, New York has it going on. THE END.

Dishonourable mentions to all the BWA’s (bouncers with attitude)….maybe also to me for always forgetting to take my passport out….and to Hot 97 for rotating the same 5 songs day in day out – yes Justin, it’s too late to say you’re sorry.

If you made it to the end of this extended blog, thanks for reading!! If you are bychance, American, and would like a NZ passport, hit me up! #notjoking

NO SLEEP TIL SINGAPORE!

Flew in from NYC to Singapore for a few days and nights of musical mayhem.  Two super fun, ‘civilised’ evening gigs, Saturday at Tanjong Beach Club was an awesome day and night of deep disco goodness…fab to spin after Stuart Mac and Nick Field, lovely lads and great selectors from Bali. Special shout out to the birthday boy Mr Cross.

Sunday eve it was a pleasure to spin on turntables 😉 at Kult Kafe on Emily Hill, the new spot for Tom Shellsuit and Sideshow Singapore, great spot and lovely crew, thanks for having me!

Managed to squeeze in a visit to the new spot Cato, a ridiculous cocktail at Tippling Club, a couple more at the standard 28 Hong Kong Street, and caught the end of Jimpster’s set at Kyo, which was pure class.

Thanks again Singapore, it’s always an adventure 🙂

Killer Halloween weekender in Singapore <3

Brilliant weekend in Singapore just gone, Kilo threw a killer Halloween party on Friday with myself, Oliver Osborne and Stefano Ritteri spinning tech house and other oddities for a bunch of quality freaks…I love how Singapore folk really get into the Halloween spirit 😉
Saturday i was at new venue Hotel Vagabond spinning with superfly DJ Captain Planet, which was mad fun and a pleasure as i’ve been following his excellent blog mixtaperiot.com for a while now and it was great to connect.

LADY FLiC @ Ultra Music Festival Bali, September 2015

Warming up the spot for Henry Saiz on the Resistance Stage at Ultra Bali last month. Mad fun getting my house thing on, with the help of the lovely vibes from the dance floor 🙂 You can stream the mix right here, just click the MUSIC tab.