Carista

Sure, so my mum’s brothers played in a few Surinamese bands from a young age. My mum wasn’t a direct part of it but it slowly became a family affair, where the kids were taught how to play an instrument too. The Surinamese culture is definitely a part of me. I grew up with it, speak the language and have visited the country often, so it’s influenced the music I play. I try to keep it very rhythmic, strong on vocals and on sharing the message. My background taught me that.

I started out by playing the guitar. I don’t do it a lot anymore, but I have a guitar here in my studio that I occasionally pluck.

Not specifically. I started out, as many do, as a music lover. My sister was a hip-hop fan and together we listened to Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and stuff like that. I went to parties, started collecting music and at some point, a friend of mine had some turntables for me to take over. I bought a mixer and started teaching myself, mostly with the help of YouTube tutorials. After a few months, lots of practice and perseverance, Bird in Rotterdam hosted a mixtape contest. The prize was a pair of shoes and the opportunity to perform at the venue. I thought that was insanely cool, so I sent in my mixtape not thinking I’d win, but I did. Playing in front of that crowd enticed me. I got a certain energy from people. Plus, people enjoyed seeing a woman behind the turntables, because usually, it’s just men.

Not consciously, no. Many people think it is, but it’s just an innate part of me. I grew up in Overvecht, on the outskirts of Utrecht. For me, that characterised a mixture of things and people. Because I also like to go out, see, hear and get inspired by new things, that fusion goes very automatically.

Yeah, for example, I like surprises and to make people think: “hey what’s happening here?” Mostly I like to play the music that I’d want to hear if I was on the dance floor myself.

(Laughs) that’s been a minute!

I was very nervous! There’s this camera with a lot of people watching on the other side. It was a Boiler Room, which is well-known. So the only thing I could think was: “I should have fun.” Since Dekmantel Festival is home turf, I also had some friends in the crowd hyping people up. In the end, it turned out to be the right time and right space. There was just so much happening simultaneously. Actually, looking back on it, it was pretty cool. I’m someone who just goes for it rather than overthinks. If it goes well, great! If not, things can always go better. This went really well.

A feeling of nostalgia, of belonging to the moment, but mostly, of having fun. I want their time on the dance floor to be a good one, for them to go home with a smile on their face. One of my heroes, Benji B once said in an interview: “Your task as a DJ is to make people dance.” So I make them dance! But I also try to read the room and play music in service of the crowd. It’s an exchange of energy. You have to find that dialogue.

When I went out initially, I was looking for like-minded people — meaning I went out solo, sitting by myself on the late train home. That shaped me. After some time, I found my crowd and I found people who gave me a shot. Back in 2015, I sent a really long email to Red Light Radio because I wanted a show at their station, feeling that there was a certain sound missing. They gave me the opportunity and in the end, I became a resident there. That’s one of the ways to serve the community, by giving young talent a chance rather than staying up in your high tower. That’s the drive behind United Identities: the importance of supporting new, local talent, being a part of it by having honest conversations with them and by listening. Because there is a lot of talent in the Netherlands.

What do you see in it?

So the meaning behind United Identities is obvious: we’re uniting identities. But you can also spot the U and I, for you and I. it also stands for Utrecht and I, the city I’m born, raised and based. If you look even closer, you can see the I as a figure, like an icon. The I is pushing the U, so I’m pushing you. You can get quite deep about it, but in the end, it’s just a cool logo! I love it.

When it comes to finding venues for United Identities events, music and sound are a priority. I mean, for me it needs to be a good venue that knows how to handle the technical aspects of sound. I've recently hosted club nights at Skatecafe and Borisov in Amsterdam, as part of our 5th year anniversary tour. When it comes to pricing, I do try to define a maximum. But since the local cultural sector is still in a crisis, this isn’t always easy — especially since I do like to book in small venues. I prefer the intimacy of spaces that hold about 250-300 people. I like the fact that we can chat, dance and be together.

Nope (laughs). Well, when I found out initially, which was before corona, I immediately spent the week just feeding my dedicated playlist with songs. But yeah, then corona hit and the festival was forced to move. But when I’m fresh out of my shows this weekend, I’m going to be working on this one for sure.

I’m incredibly excited to check Crystallmess and Suze Ijó, the latter is also a part of United Identities. I think I’ll come early to check some shows, then take an hour to rest and focus and head back to the main stage to see if we can raise the festival’s roof!