SOUND BATH CONCERT SERIES: MAY 24TH ASMARA & WORKING WOMEN
SOUND BATH is an innovative concert series where you can listen to live music while you steam. Guests get to enjoy some R&R in a sauna and bath at The Schivtz, a recently renovated and restored 100-year old historic bathhouse in the North End neighborhood of Detroit. The series will run through the summer, featuring four nights with diverse and unique lineups, including local Detroit and national DJs performing in The Schvitz lounge. For more info on the series, check out our previous profile and interviews with some of the artists performing at the upcoming event on May 24th.
Asmara
One of the most influential DJ’s coming out of Los Angeles, Asmara utilizes genres such as club music, dancehall, hip hop, and top 40’s. She’s become the resident DJ at Mustache Mondays, an iconic weekly party hosted around downtown LA. Her touring experiences include performing as M.I.A.’s tour DJ and with her group, Nguzunguzu.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
A: I have a new one almost every day! I think its because I listen and am moved my all sorts of music, that the list goes on and on. But a huge reason why I started making music in the first place was Sun Ra. Listening to his records really opened my mind to sound, timing and most importantly improvisation.
What is the most memorable night you’ve had as a DJ, either performing or as an attendee?
A: Hmm, too many to pick a favorite but I recently played in Brussels at this party H3artbroken, as a b2b set with Manara, and every track we played set the room on fire. It felt so good, the energy was incredible! We didnt speak the same language as the audience at all, but we deeply communicated through music.
Do you have any experience playing in unique settings like The Schvitz? Would you prefer that to a typical venue setting?
A: Yes! I actually prefer to bend the rules and play places that are unexpected! Recently I’m more inclined to play music that people can relax to and bop their head more than have a dance off- which is strange, but perfect for a place like The Schvitz. I mean, it could go both ways, that’s the luck of the draw but I’m way more accepting of circumstance if its beautiful settings.
Working Women
A NYC based collective of four female DJ’s (Ashlyn, Nicely, Nina, and Voices), Working Women is “a project rooted in elaboration, uncertainty, and persistence”. They create music that is for, and by Working Women. They aim to reframe the expectations and ideals of the very male-driven DJ business.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
DJ Nicely: Janet Jackson and international music compilation CDs I got from the public library when I was in high school.
DJ Voices: Poets, plants, my parents, and myself at 12 years old.
DJ Ashlyn: This is always shifting for me…
DJ Nina: My friends; some of my fav DJs and people who educated me in Perth: Rok Riley, Toni Yotzi, Miranda Menzies, Roza Terenzi; my colleagues at RVNG esp. my daily partner in crime at Commend, Jaclyn Miller. To name a few!
What is the most memorable night you’ve had as a DJ, either performing or as an attendee?
DJ Nicely: Recently, playing “Club Action” by Yo Majesty at our all-nighter at Nowadays and booty dancing with the venue’s righthand man/manager, Gareth.
DJ Voices: Our all-nighter at Nowadays in March was very special. I’ve never felt so focused and deep in the mix, I felt very in control yet intuitive at the same time. I feel deep gratitude to have a space where we can truly express ourselves. It was great to feel the entire room’s abundant enthusiasm as they came along for the ride (and steered the ship!)
DJ Ashlyn: Recently at Nowadays, everyone smiling and jumping, felt like the celebration of a lifetime.
DJ Nina: There are so many it’s hard to pick one! Our recent all nighter at Nowadays stretched my mind, body and emotions.
Can you speak about the mission behind Working Women?
DJ Nicely: We feel a lot and talk about everything with each other all the time. We stay in constant conversation about genres, styles, people, and space. We bring that relational sensitivity to our sets by going track-for-track every time.
DJ Voices: We could speak about it or we could put it into action. My preference is for the latter.
DJ Ashlyn: Figuring out how to share the music we love in a meaningful and useful way for others and ourselves. It’s a continuous journey with new purpose at every turn.
DJ Nina: For me it’s ongoing and in development – that is the nature of the mission and the mission itself.
Do you have any experience playing in unique settings like The Schvitz? Would you prefer that to a typical venue setting?
DJ Nicely: We played in a food truck once! Of course I appreciate full set-ups and quality systems, but I also love alternative and DIY settings because I like how unusual environments mess with my selections and also because DJing in weird places makes me feel like an accomplice on some extraterrestrial mission.
DJ Voices: Never played in a setting quite like this and can’t wait. Preference is one thing but an openness to experiment is another. Just hoping my records don’t melt.
DJ Ashlyn: I like both! I’d say the Schvitz is somewhat a dream scenario. We’re lucky that our shows have taken us to some far out and funny spaces, sometimes a little surreal.
DJ Nina: Typical / traditional venues have their charms, especially ones that become part of your personal history. I also love being in new places. Playing outdoors is always a dream for me, but the freakiness of playing in a steamy chamber is exciting!
Via App
Dylan Scheer, aka Via App, is a Techno artist based out of Brooklyn, NY. Her style is “hard, disruptive, and her approach to production intends to test ordinary listeners and DJs alike.” She aims to make music that will immerse the listener in both thought and raw emotion; stating that “for me a successful set or recording can achieve both.”
Will DiMaggio
New York based producer who will soon be releasing his debut full-length album, At Ease, May 2018 on Future Times. You can check out the first release from the record, “UH UH OH”, here.
VERY EARLY BIRD TICKETS STARTED AT $15; EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE $20
$50 TWO-DAY STEAM OPTION GIVES YOU ACCESS TO THE SCHVITZ THE FOLLOWING DAY.
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