In a sea of collectives claiming to be “safe spaces” and all inclusive, I have found very few actually live up to that title. Most of these buzz words can be claimed and co-opted by just about any promoter throwing a party and there’s no guarantee there’s actually any substance behind what they’re doing. Luckily, Femme Bass Mafia is different. The Berlin based collective aims to provide a safer space for women, trans and non-binary people for the learning and practising of DJing. This is not just limited to the club either - the crew has quickly gained a reputation for DJ lessons and bringing in new people and artists in to the scene in what I think is a healthy and sustainable way.

Today we are proud to present an interview with FBM as well as an exclusive mix by the collective’s Marie Midori which comes ahead of the group’s showcase on August 17th at About Blank as part of this year’s Krake Festival. Enjoy the mix and read the interview below.

-JRS

The Brvtalist: Tell us who is on the interview today and everyone share a summer highlight so far.

Femme Bass Mafia: On the interview are: Marie and Luzie from FBM.

Summer Highlight (Luzie): Visiting Athens for the very first time, it is absolutely wonderful there.

Summer highlight (Marie): I finally went back to Nation of Gondwana, a festival I absolutely fell in love with the one time I visited in 2015. This time I was invited to play, and boy, this was one of the most special gigs I’ve had in my life.

TB: For those who might not know - tell us about the Femme Bass Mafia collective - how did it start and what does it stand for?

Luzie: FBM is a passionate Bass crew aiming to provide a safer space for women, trans and non-binary people for the learning and practicing of DJing. We want to offer a starting point and access for marginalized people and build a community where we share a culture of learning, music, mutual support and empathy.

Marie: It was founded by Lilia (Dangermami) roughly 1,5 years ago, out of a feeling of powerlessness and anger towards the patriarchal structures and male domination in the scene. We still have a long way to go to reach (gender) equality. Luzie and I were mentors from the first cycle on before we started to take more responsibilities for this baby.

(above: Luzie + Monibi)

TB: I particularly like how there’s an educational element with what you do - through the DJ lessons for example - do you think it’s important for more collectives to go beyond the walls of a club?

Marie: The club scene has a lot of history, so have techno and bass music and I feel this is sometimes overshadowed by the aspect of partying and just enjoying life. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good rave to unwind and let go of everyday concerns. But our hedonistic lifestyle makes it too easy to forget about the function of our club scene as a safe space for marginalized communities and also about where and who from it all originated in the first place. I think it’s the responsibility of collectives to remind us of this, to honor it’s heritage and to give something back to the community.

Luzie: 100% Yes! There’s so much more to the music scene than clubs. As Marie said, it’s about community, mutual support and politics as well. The things that go wrong in the world are reflected on the dancefloors as well and it’s our job to change them and create a safer space for everyone.

TB: There’s a lot of inspiration coming from the 90’s right now. What about the sound/era/culture resonates with you and the moment with people in general you think?

Marie: Good question. I sometimes wonder why I’m so obsessed with the 90s in the first place, with its music and aesthetics especially. First of all, it was the era of my childhood, the most carefree time I’ve had in my life, where the world was nothing more than this huge, fascinating place to discover. For sure it has this sentiment of a “better” and innocent time, where I hadn’t discovered yet how cruel humanity is.

We are very politicized and aware these days, which is definitely progress, but it’s also a burden that sometimes is heavy to carry.

The 90s were a very carefree era, without internet or smartphones, without having to be available and connected 24/7, people were basically forced to live in the here & now. There was less comparison, less competition in general - because there was simply no way to know what everyone else was doing. I think since the internet we might have experienced a huge shift in our individual values (instagram, the perfect look etc.) and it’s tiring to always perform, feeling watched and rated and commented on - so we search for refuge (and inspiration) in easier times.

Luzie: To me the 90s hold a lot of nostalgia. When I think about my childhood, the toys I played with as a kid and the way I used to listen to Eiffel65 and jungle records in my room with my brother, a lot of positive emotions come up. What resonates most with people is I think the certain atmosphere of anticipation and excitement the 90s held, technical innovations, new shades of electronic music that came to life in that era like Jungle and Techno, a new century on the horizon and all the hope and energy that came with it. Essentially I think it’s this spirit of the 90s, that people feel drawn to and want to channel into their lives through music, fashion and culture in general.

TB: Marie - tell us about the mix you recorded for us and what we can expect from the Femme Bass Mafia showcase at Krake!

Marie: When I finished recording and was listening back, it felt to me like I subconsciously had created a Helena Hauff tribute mix, haha! She’s definitely been a huge influence for me and I admire this dirty retro electro style of hers that is just so unique. My musical taste is very broad, so broad it sometimes confuses people -so sticking to one style is a mission impossible. My sets are usually all over the place but I believe I managed interweaving my influences and to make sense out of it.

I don’t want to be too precise on what you can expect from our showcase on Wednesday, let’s not spoil the fun. For sure Monibi, DJ Tabledance and me will each deliver our very own interpretation of bass music - let’s celebrate our diversity and get inspired by one another.

TB: What’s coming up next + anything else you would like to mention.

FBM: Obviously our showcase at Krake Festival this wednesday, 17.8. at :// about blank would be one thing to mention. There will be a lot of interesting and talented artists playing that evening / night, I definitely recommend to come early.

Other than that, in case you didn’t know and you’re interested in staying up to date with FBM, we have a guaranteed spam free Telegram Channel for upcoming events that you’re welcome to subscribe to.

And last but not least: the third cycle of our mentoring program is currently running and we have 6 fresh and promising DJs in the making - we’re very excited for their graduation in winter and proud to see, that many of our mentees from earlier cycles successfully started their DJing career and now play out in the clubs.

For Krake Festival tickets visit: https://killekill.stager.nl/KRAKE%202022/tickets