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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! |
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HHA preview: interview with Rachel Auburn
Reported by Paul Divine
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Submitted 09-02-05 01:26
Rachel Auburn’s success story within the music industry as a dj and producer reads like a Christmas wish list that most would die for. Her dj career began at the infamous Taboo nightclub in London where she quickly began to make a name for herself as a tough female dj in what has always been “a mans world”. Her style she describes as “hard, melodic, funky, groovy, house music” is a style all of its own, the energy she creates from the massive breaks, builds and tunes she seems to drop at every opportunity leave her audiences bowing to her like the goddess she has become. By the 90s Rachel Auburn was a much sought after person and it was then she developed her status as a Tidy Girl. Tidy Trax Records recognised that there was a female dj/producer out there with a massive talent for making and playing music - their kind of music!
Presently Rachel is continuing her world-wide presence with tours to Australia, USA, South Africa, Canada and China planned along with progressing her dominance of the UK club scene. We caught up with her to ask her a few questions.
How long have you been involved in the dance music scene and where did it all start for you?
I started DJ’n around 1984 It was at the legendary club in Leicester square, Taboo, run by the fabulous freak Leigh Bowery, who was a friend, the music we played was a mixture of hi-energy, early house, pop, and disco, and it was my sideline as I was a fashion designer by day!
So where have you been over the past few years? Did you take a break from DJing and production and so on or have you just been a bit more low-key recently?
I’ve been around! Just not in your neck of the woods! I guess I’ve been out of fashion in London, cause I’m not into techno and I like to get paid properly!!! I’ve been doing new tracks with Ben Kaye, and the 'Breather' project 'Come On', which I’m half of, will be out on Tidy Trax, late spring hopefully! I’ve got some great gig’s coming up in London over the next few months such as headlining the launch of a new night called ‘Divine’ at Deep Blue on March the 19th which I’m looking forward too.
What have been your most successful releases over the years?
Are you still producing tracks? Anything forthcoming?
Without doubt, the three national hits I’ve had as 'Candy Girls', with Paul Masterson of Yomanda and Hi-Gate fame. We achieved a national [not just club] no 20 with Wham Bam, a no 23 with Fe Fi Fo Fum, and a 30 with 'I Want Candy', an they were hits pretty much all round the world, so not bad eh?
What do you play in a typical set these days?
All the stuff on R.A records, e.g. Renegade Master, and Bass Keeps Pumpin, have done really well and my mix of Faith, by Bliss Inc, seems to have become a bit of a Hard House classic!! Anything uplifting, bouncy and anthemic, I’m into anything that really powers along that reaches the spot, I would play Prime Mover tracks, I like Alici's, or Dave Holmes, Paul Maddox, Guyver, the K Series, that sort of thing, and I usually always play something of mine - people always ask!
Have you always played music at the harder end of the spectrum?
I started out at Heaven playing house tracks, but always on the harder, tougher, groove, funkier edge- I was looking for a sound back then, that was really ME, and I guess this was the emergence of the sound now termed Hard House. It was a description of what I played around 1994 - a mixture of Nu-Energy, Harder edged Trance tracks, and the tougher, funkier end of house, I would start with Sharp Boys house tracks and end with say Marmion, Schoenenberg -only a few other dj’s were into the same feel like Tony De Vit, Dave Randall, Blu Peter, Mrs Woods, Tall Paul. There were others of course, but I knew these guys from Trade an F.F. - it really was an exciting time!!!
What are your opinions on hard dance music at the moment? Do you agree with the old adage that “it’s not as good as it used to be”?
Well I guess everything's relative!! Tastes don’t stay the same! I'm not really into tracks that don’t, lift, if you like, or that are mainly percussion driven, techno - I like sexy bass lines, energy, maybe some vocals, and a melody of some sort, even if its just in the bass! A great track for me has to have some sort of effect on the body, or the head, or gives you goose bumps!! You know what I mean!?
What’s the most disastrous gig you have ever played at? Have you ever had a set which really went tits-up?
The worst gig I played at was in Washington D.C, USA, I was playing at a gig with Vinyl Groover, and I couldn't handle the decks and mixer!!! The decks were very sensitive, on springs and the mixer had knobs instead of the usual up, down and crossfade, I’d never worked them before and kept getting confused!!! I fluffed many mixes and the set was being broadcast live on state radio!!! Wow, major disaster!!! Once I turned up in the middle of the night, to a gig I hadn't been booked to play, that was embarrassing!!!!!
February 26th sees you playing in the Bring The Bounce Back room at the massive Hard House Academy. Are you excited? Have you ever been to Hard House Academy before?
I've never played at Hard House Academy
What have you got up your sleeve for this event? All classics, or have you got some new bits lined-up?
Bouncy, uplifting tracks, mixing the old with the new, people like a bit of familiarity, anything to put a smile on the face - I’m not into train spotters!
As one of the main exponents of the bouncy sound, you must have been very pleased to see bouncy hard house back a huge comeback in 2004. What do you think this can be attributed to, at what are your views on the whole situation?
Is there a reaction against too much boring, tribally, dull techno sounding stuff, that gets played much too fast at the moment? Shame! Everything goes in cycles, gets rehashed, even in dance music...
In the aftermath of the horrific events in South-East Asia recently, clubland has been united in its efforts to raise money for aid projects. Have you been involved in any such activity? And have you ever seen such a political awareness throughout the scene?
It’s fantastic that the whole world it seems has responded, in a real way to the suffering of people, not just the Tsunami victims, but peoples suffering everywhere-wow! Maybe we’ve finally woken up to a higher state of consciousness and are actually acting on it! Fantastic!! 
What period in time will you look back on in years to come with misty eyes and think “ah, those were the days!”?
I am very grateful to have been involved in so many creative, inspiring, and interesting groups, the whole fashion thing in the eighties, the Dj led dance explosion of the nineties, I’ve been involved with both and have met many lovely people and have had wonderful experiences! Thank you God!! Whoever!!! Universe! Next please!!
Who have been the people who have helped you along your way the most over the years? Has there been anyone who has acted like a mentor to you at any point? And are you currently playing the role of mentor to anyone?
Good question! Yeah! Leigh Bowery the fashion designer performance artist, who died of Aids in 1995, was a great inspiration, he encouraged me to look at myself, be open, to realise that we tend to limit our minds, actions, fearing the disapproval of others, society, convention etc, all that is rubbish really, an illusion -he made me really question who I was living my life for, to question and explore, he was amazing!!!! Gerlinde Costiff was a beautiful woman friend, who inspired and encouraged the best from people; she ran Kinky Gerlinky with her partner Michael and was a role model. An older woman leading the way! John Truelove inspired me with his encouragement and support, not just for me, but also for many people in the music business. He really fired me with enthusiasm and pointed me in the right direction!! Finally this guy called Faustomaria, a yoga teacher who runs a yoga centre called Inergy in West London. Again a guide who is an inspiration!! I'm not a mentor as such, though many people tell me I’ve been an inspiration!! Phew! Glad to be of help!!
Do you have time for clubbing outside of when you DJ? What are your favourite nights to go and let your hair down at?
Hardly go out clubbing! Never have the time! I’m a yoga teacher. I practise yoga, which I love so I’m pretty chilled out anyway! I don’t need to 'let my hair down'!!! I’m all right how I am!!!!
Who was the last DJ that really took your breath away?
Andy Whitby... I like his energy!!
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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...Lookin forward to spotting Rachel at ESP some time soon! 
....thinking of moving there soon...well at least bits of London can come to me if I cant go to London 
....I want more...c'mon Paul...you know you want to!! 