Electric Indigo is an electronic music producer and DJ. She is an important figure of the Vienna musical and cultural scene.
In 1998, she created the data base
Female Pressure, dedicated to feminine DJs, producers and visual artists.
Web site :
http://www.indigo-inc.at/
Myspace :
http://www.myspace.com/electricindigo
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Magnetic room : After high school you started artistic studies: architecture, industrial design, archeology… How did the passing from visual arts to music occur?
Electric Indigo : I always loved music and dancing. In the 80ies I got into hip hop / black music and started to collect records… There was a small bar in Vienna called "Trabant" where the usual suspects of Vienna's nightlife played their favorite tunes and I thought I would love to play my records out too. Once I got a chance to do so people liked it - this is how I started to become a DJ in 1989.
Magnetic room : How and why did you choose your stage name: “electric indigo”?
Electric Indigo :The name was given to me. In 1990 I should appear on a proper flyer for the first time. Since I couldn't think of a stage name that I really liked, I asked a guy I only knew by sight since I was told he was a writer from Chicago, so that made him the ideal candidate… He wanted to know my favorite color - blue - and two days later he came up with Electric Indigo. "Strange but interesting" I thought and kept it happily!
Magnetic room : You have a lot of experience as a DJ. What does it mean for you to be a DJ?
Electric Indigo :It's a wonderful privilege and (most of the times) a great pleasure to go to very different places, meet people from almost all over the world by doing what I love to do. A successful gig happens when I can create a continuous flow between me the music and the audience. The music and the way I play it (when I play good) can trigger a both mental and physical intensity - and I feel major gratification when I see people with joyful expression on the dance floor…
Magnetic room : Collaborations have always been an important part of your work. Do you particularly appreciate teamwork? Is it something inspiring for you? Does it permit to try out new ideas?
Electric Indigo :I especially love to perform with other artists for a change. I'm so used to travel alone and meet new challenges by myself that I can totally appreciate teamwork. Of course, there are always new musical ideas and new methods of interacting that emerge from collaborations. Also, I love to test how different styles and technical approaches can complement each other.
Magnetic room : What could you say about the project with Mia Zabelka, Colophony Circuit? Does it represent a kind of turning point in your work?
Electric Indigo :Yes, definitely. For me, it marks the beginning of playing live. Also, it started my engagement in new music where I find some sort of musical freedom - detached from the dance floor.
Magnetic room : At the age of 18 you lived a personal tragedy: you lost your parents in a car accident. The way you overcame it shows you had a lot of strength and life force. Does it explain the determination and independence you always shown as an artist and woman?
Electric Indigo :Maybe. But I guess, I was always relatively independent. Certainly, I was not bound to parental expectations how to shape my life.
Magnetic room : Why did you create Female Pressure? What did personally motivate you? Do you live it as a sort of commitment to women’s cause?
Electric Indigo :The first reason was the fact that even without considering myself an exotic outsider or abnormal people (men and women) had always confronted me with remarks and questions about my gender. I noted an obvious ignorance when it comes to female artists in electronic music. So I started to create a list of female colleagues that evolved into an online database for easily accessible information about women in the scene. Secondly, I could not overlook the necessity of networking and flow of information within the community. For me, female:pressure definitely is a feminist project.
Magnetic room : 35 countries, 141 cities in Europe… You travelled a lot for work. Does it mean something for you to be European?
Electric Indigo :Sure! I feel coined by the European history and I try to be an ardent advocate of the European Union. I am so fed up by narrow-minded nationalism and racial prejudice that I have to encounter nearly every day!
Magnetic room : Is it something important and meaningful for you to be so implied in the Viennese electro scene and cultural life?
Electric Indigo :The cultural and even political structures in this city are quite manageable and relatively easy to influence. Consequently, I am able to pull off projects and yes, that means a lot to me. Still, I just love to have Vienna as a basis for my life.
Magnetic room : What artists, musicians and DJs did influence you the most?
Electric Indigo :In the 90ies I could have answered this question more easily ;-). I was so dedicated to Detroit (Underground Resistance, Jeff Mills) and Chicago (DJ Rush, labels like Trax, Dance Mania etc.). Nowadays, my influences are more complex - but there is a thread that has gone through since 1993: Hardwax, Berlin. It is way more than a record store to me. It's feels like my musical family, my "nursery", it's a whole attitude that comes along.
Magnetic room : You have always been interested in many things, many different fields. That makes your career so rich and diversified. Is there a special field you currently would like to explore? What are your future plans?
Electric Indigo :At this time I'm not sure about my future plans. I would be interested to work in the fields of research and education and there have been vague offers but they are not ripe for decision yet… Maybe something serious and appealing will result. Otherwise, my recent wish to play more live already came true. So I am working on improvements for my live sets and I hope that a good record release will arise from these activities. I would love to reactivate my label indigo:inc but I need adequate material first and distribution second.