Techno Tales
To Misstress Barbara, Playing the Right Music Always Trumps Self-Glory—Even If It Means Spinning in the Dark.

Published in the April 2006 issue of DJ Times Magazine
Volume 19 - Number 4
By Emily Tan

Make no mistake—techno queen Misstress Barbara is sure of herself. She’s fairly set in her ways and certainly opinionated about them.

She dislikes CDs, preferring to play vinyl whenever possible. She will not be found with a laptop in her DJ booth. And, in an age when DJ technology is advancing at light-speed, Barbara’s only apparent nod to such things is her embrace of PC-based recording. As another principled woman once said, she cannot and will not cut her conscience to fit this year’s fashions.

Despite these hard-and-fast views, she’s a self-proclaimed “hyperactive perfectionist,” one who worries all the time. Even her moniker bears the “stress”—represented by the four S’s in Misstress—as an inextricable part of her nature. But in talking with the Montreal-based DJ, it becomes clear that her stance is borne out of the fact that she takes her job very seriously. She bears the responsibility of giving an audience her best. Though she treasures interaction with a club crowd, she much prefers to spin in relative darkness. It’s about the right music, not self-glorification.

When you see her play—as we did recently at New York’s Cielo—you see her traits in action, as she carries the room through a thrilling roller-coaster of sounds. It’s also apparent on Come With Me…, her irresistible new mix comp. Starting slow with minimal grinders like Andrea Bertolini’s “My WAV,” she upshifts into warped acid numbers like the rattling “I Love You” (her own production) and then strikes an apogee with full-blown acid tracks—Dominik Eulberg’s swirling mix of Nathan Fake’s “Dinamo” and Trentemoller’s scorching “Chameleon.”

The CD is representative of Barbara’s current live sets, which are heavier on the house side than her die-hard techno fans might expect. It’s not always easy resolving what her audience wants to hear with what Barbara wants to play, but she always manages to win the crowd over in the end. After all, she usually sticks to her guns.

Born Barbara Bonfiglio in Sicily, Italy, in 1975, Barbara moved to Montreal at the age of eight and has lived there ever since. Known as an over-achiever, Barbara earned her pilot’s license and was flying Cessnas as an air cadet by age 17. Her earliest fascination with music was as a drummer in small rock and punk bands, but it was in 1994 that Barbara’s musical interests shifted to the electronic side. She says she was mesmerized watching DJs’ hands as they worked. Totally taken with the form, her first professional DJ booking came in 1996. Today, Barbara scours the globe for fresh new talent to sign to her label, Iturnem Records (the label known as Relentless Records until 1999), forever feeding her hunger for sounds that are, in her mind, new.

DJ Times caught-up with Misstress Barbara during a two-day break from touring and discovered that perhaps more than anything else, the approval of her audience is what matters most.

Misstress Barbara rocks it in Barcelona.

DJ Times: What inspired Come With Me?
Misstress Barbara: Come With Me is my favorite selection of tracks, ones that I’m playing at the moment all around the world. There are places, however, where I still have to play tracks that are very well-known. At those clubs, I can’t get away with playing new sounds, yet everywhere else, this is exactly how I’m playing. This CD is what I would play in long sets…

DJ Times: What do you consider a long set?
Barbara: Five, six, seven hours. I’m crazy…I was in Argentina for the first year of South American Music Festival and last year, as well. At these big parties, it’s always the same thing: You get an hour and 15 minutes at the festival, but then I did three other parties after SAMC non-stop! I did 24-hours non-stop in Buenos Aires in October.

DJ Times: What happens when the crowd wants something different from what you feel like playing? How do you balance what the crowd wants to hear with what you want to play?
Barbara: I was in Venezuela recently, and the Saturday of the party wasn’t good and I was very disappointed. The people wanted me to play harder and harder, and I got really upset because that’s not what I’m into at the moment. So, I start playing hard because that’s what they wanted, and I was completely emotionless during the set. The promoter saw that I wasn’t happy, so to try to make up for it, he invited me to play—for free—for half-an-hour in this small lounge the next day, so that people could hear what I’m really playing these days. It was only supposed to be a half-hour, but I went on at midnight and I stopped at 6:30 a.m., just in time to make the plane! [laughs] I was so tired.

DJ Times: But, weren’t you finally enjoying yourself?
Barbara: Yeah, that was really enjoyable. I played only minimal, twisted stuff that I like. That’s what makes me vibrate.

DJ Times: There are some acid-house tracks on Come With Me…
Barbara: Yes, and alternately, there are new tracks. It’s such a mix of every style, this CD. I tell people, “Just listen and you’ll see.” That’s where the title comes from: Come With Me…

DJ Times: You used to DJ under a pseudonym called “Barbara Brown” for gigs when you only played house music. Is that alias necessary anymore?
Barbara: No, not really anymore. I was using that name for when I played pure house and didn’t want my techno fans to get confused. As much as I’m not into a techno-only sound now, I still play some, but it’s not only techno. I’m also not doing house-only sets. I didn’t want to call this a Barbara Brown CD, because the truth is that Misstress Barbara is evolving right now. Barbara Brown is on hold.

DJ Times: How do you feel about the music that’s being made right now?
Barbara: I don’t like any of the techno or house being produced at the moment. It’s still all filtered, tribal house, nothing. It bores me totally. There’s nothing new right now. What’s new is what’s on labels now like Crosstown Rebels and such. They’re putting out music that’s super-refreshing because it’s different from what we’ve heard in the last 10 years.

DJ Times: Do you think this is partially because of all the new software allowing more people to produce tracks than ever before?
Barbara: Yeah, and there’s a lot of garbage on the market right now! The music on this CD is simple, but I think it’s simpler to make a techno track because techno’s more linear. If a producer puts a detail in and doesn’t put it back later, if he’s just gonna be repeating the same loop 60-times…well, you will see just how much work goes into a good techno track! The music on this CD is very emotional, very melodic, but not melodic in the way that trance is melodic. I hate trance. Trance doesn’t move me. OK, sometimes I hear trance DJs and I get goosebumps, but it’s very commercial. The melody of records from labels like Border Community that are electro and minimal, those are very emotional.

DJ Times: Did you record Come With Me in a commercial studio or in your home studio?
Barbara: In my home studio on my two decks! I EQed and edited everything in my computer, but I mixed the CD by hand, using vinyl. I’m not even to the point of using Final Scratch now, so how could I do the mixing in a computer? [Laughs] I just used vinyl turntables and recorded directly from the mixer.

DJ Times: Do you use two or three decks when you DJ?
Barbara: I play on three decks when I play techno. You need three decks to make a full set when mixing techno. Even though I find techno production easy, it’s really not easy to mix techno live. To not be boring as a DJ when you play techno, you have to mix fast and work hard, because each track is quite empty. The music on the CD is so full that it’s not about the technical mixing as when I’m playing live.

DJ Times: What mixer did you use in the studio to record Come With Me?
Barbara: The mixer I used was Ecler. I used to use Vestax mixers, which I was happy with, but Ecler gave me the NUO-5 mixer. This mixer is quite complicated, actually. Ecler sent someone to my home to show me how to use it, but I’m never home. So, there are two different functions on it that I don’t know how to use. Every two years, I have a new CD out on the market. Basically, all I need is to put the volume up on my records, and EQ.

DJ Times: Do you specify the Ecler mixer in your rider, or do you bring it?
Barbara: No, I don’t bring it with me because I already have too much to carry. I’m still on vinyl, and I still bring tons of vinyl and it’s heavy. Depending on where you are, to pay for extra weight at the airport is just too expensive when you’re flying all the time. It’s $5 per kilo or something in the States, but in England, they do £5 per kilo, which is like, $10 U.S.! If you have an extra 50 pounds overweight, well…you can imagine how expensive it gets.

DJ Times: Does it ever make you feel like playing CDs?
Barbara: Nah, I only play CDs when I have a new track that I like—like “Eleven O Seven” or “I Love You”—that I don’t yet have pressed. The vinyl test press of “I Love You” comes to me in the next two or three weeks. I prefer vinyl whenever possible. I hate CDs. On vinyl, I can see when the break is coming, when the break is finishing. On CD, you can’t see your tracks. On CD, you can’t touch your music. You can’t grab it.

DJ Times: Your connection with the crowd is so important you’d rather risk having an airline lose your records than play CDs or spin with a PC?
Barbara: Hey, it’s great when you don’t lose your vinyl, but doesn’t it seem like the DJ is chatting on MSN or checking his email when he’s playing with [a computer]?

DJ Times: What gear and software do you have in your studio?
Barbara: It’s almost software-only now because I realize my production sounds better. Since I’ve been doing everything on PC [with Steinberg Cubase SX2], my production has sounded super-clean. To get rid of all the natural noise that comes out of a mixer, you need good tube compressors that cost $15,000 to $20,000, and I’m not going to spend that kind of money. I don’t have the experience necessary to make it sound like a Madonna track. There’s no use in buying the best equipment if you still have to fix the mix afterwards. I’ve switched to software and I have more than 1,000 soft keyboards now. I also have a cat who likes to sit on the speakers [laughs].

DJ Times: What’s in your DJ booth when you’re playing on the housier side?
Barbara: Two Technics turntables, an Allen & Heath or Pioneer mixer—I’m not very difficult, as long as a mixer has three EQs-per-channel. Pioneer CDJ-1000s, occasionally. I use the effects in the older Pioneer mixer. In the Allen & Heath mixer, there’s a side box with six buttons with effects. Whatever needles the club has, I use. In my studio, I have Stanton and Shure needles.

DJ Times: What’s your most valued piece of studio equipment?
Barbara: Right now? I’d have to say the most important thing is my computer, because I really have a lot of money’s worth of plug-ins in there. I really do have more than $50,000 or $60,000 worth of virtual instruments on my computer.

DJ Times: How do you go about producing a track, such as “I Love You”?
Barbara: First, I start with the bass and look for grooves with the bass, high-hats, drums and kick. Once I have a groove, I lay on top of it melodies. Then, sometimes if I feel it needs more, I might add a voice. On “I Love You,” that’s my voice.

DJ Times: What DJs and producers impress you?
Barbara: Adam Beyer, Marco Carola and Ben Sims—those are producers who impress me and for whom I have a lot of respect, and whose music I play a lot. Also, I love Trentemoller a lot, and I like Troy Pierce, Ellen Allien, Marc Houle on M-nus, and James Holden. The only DJs who impress me are hip-hop DJs, even though I’m not into hip-hop at all. But as DJs, they impress me for their skills. There is one DJ that I really enjoy, though, and that’s Laurent Garnier. He really brings you onto a trip; I love his DJing. I love the way he thinks, as a DJ, choosing to put this and this and this together. I enjoy DJs, but I’m never coming out of a club after seeing a DJ and feeling like, “Wow, I’ve gotta go back into the studio and practice more.”

DJ Times: Do you still buy a lot of music?
Barbara: I buy a lot of music every week. The challenge is on production, not on DJing. I don’t dedicate enough time to the studio because I’m always on tour. When I come home for three days, I’m completely jet-lagged and exhausted, and that’s why my production never goes forward as much as I’d like. I’m too busy touring.

DJ Times: Why don’t you take six months off from touring and lock yourself in the studio?
Barbara: This business is too mean to be able to lock myself away for six months in the studio! As a pop singer, you can do that. You have an album and you tour, and if you disappear for six months, everybody knows you’re in the studio making another album. As a DJ, if you disappear for six months, when you take a break and disappear, you don’t have a name anymore. I know DJs who were really good, world-known techno DJs, and they disappeared because they took six months off, and time goes by really fast. You say you’re going to work in the studio, but what you end up doing is, you start enjoying life, hanging out with your friends. Life is good, but you don’t get back to work. So, I dream of taking six months, but it’s not possible right now. What makes me keep being around is because I’m a DJ and I’m booked everywhere, worldwide, internationally.

DJ Times: There are DJs who make a name for themselves based on their productions. Don’t you think that having your productions played everywhere helps build a reputation?
Barbara: I know, but there are only 24-hours in a day.

DJ Times: You used to say that Latin crowds were your “best” audiences. Why’s that?
Barbara: Latin crowds used to be the best because they like fast beats. They really like techno and like to move. Now that I play more deep stuff—they don’t let me play deep. That’s what happened in Venezuela. They didn’t let me play my new tracks. I’m not sure there even is a “best” crowd for me. The countries with some of the best crowds are places like France, where they really like this style, and, of course, Montreal. In some places in South America, they enjoy what I’m playing now, and places like Germany enjoy my kind of music. I don’t want to be like the DJs that I criticize who never look at the crowd. I’m obliged to play techno and my old tracks, and of course I love those tracks, but I wish there would be new music.

DJ Times: There are a few female techno jocks – Magda is one – but not a whole lot. Does being a woman help, hinder or in any way impact your bookings or your relationship with an audience?
Barbara: I don’t think so. I mean, it does create curiosity because you’re a woman, and some people will have that curiosity. Some promoters will call you because you’re female. Every first time with each promoter this might happen, but only the first time. Look at how many girls are booked once, but never again. I’ve had experiences with each promoter, some because I’m a girl, some because of my productions. But for sure, if you go back and back and if you keep getting better and bigger and your fee is raised…it’s not because you’re a girl! Maybe it helps once, but not after 10 years. I’m booked for who I am. I know girls who are only booked to DJ “girl parties.” I don’t want to be a part of those events.

DJ Times: What are some of your favorite clubs, right now?
Barbara: Always in Spain, it’s Florida 135, which is super-amazing for me. In Brazil, there’s a small place called Tozen in Campo Grande. I play a lot in Eastern Europe at a lot of events in different places. In France, there are always different events, indoor and outdoor. In Holland, it’s events. In Greece, it’s Decadence in Thessaloniki. In Osaka, Japan, it’s the Underlounge. In Tokyo, I play techno at Womb. In Colombia, South America, it’s always events. Really, it’s not like these clubs are open every week. They’re more special events in clubs, or festivals. I’d say, the best countries for me right now are: France, Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, Canada, and in the States, they’re New York, Denver and Chicago, except if I play big clubs.

DJ Times: How do you connect with your audience?
Barbara: I connect with my audience a lot! It’s all I’m about, really. I get to the club, and before my set begins, I look at how they are in the club. I start looking before I start playing. When I play, I scream and jump a lot, but it’s really not a comedy to me. When I start my set, I’m in my own little introverted bubble, even in places where I know I have people in my hands. When I get there and people start screaming as soon as I get onstage – like in Spain – that makes me feel warm in my heart. I will give them maybe a thumbs-up and applaud and give a little bit back. I put a record on, I look at their reaction, I play another record…it takes about 30 minutes until I feel I have the crowd in my hands. But, I will always end up having them. I’m not gonna jump up and down just for fun. I’m sincere about it. I’m not jumping around waving my arms and blowing air-kisses. For DJs like that, it’s a comedy.

DJ Times: Do you like to be well-lit and on a stage?
Barbara: Even though I may have the crowd in my hands, there are times in the night when I say to the lighting man, “Put the place dark. I want to put it for the next half-hour, dark.” That’s when I play deep, down. It’s so that when I put the energy back in, the light man can put the lights back up. I hate when the light man is far from me or doesn’t listen to what I say. Some are super-good light guys, and so many people don’t realize that the success of a night is not only the sound system and the DJ—it’s also the light guys! If it’s a moment of pure energy, I don’t mind lights. But otherwise, I don’t really like lights on me. It’s literally being in a spotlight, and I don’t like that. I hate bright spotlights; I only need a little bit so people can see me.

DJ Times: What keeps you going?
Barbara: The music and the crowd. For example, when I do mix CDs, I suck. Before I get a mix I like, I start over many times. When I’m in the studio, I don’t have a crowd to give me guidance and feedback. When I play live, the people tell me if I’m playing the right track at the right time. I feel by the people what I have to play next. Very rarely do I put a track on that’s not right, live. But when I’m alone in the studio, I don’t have that. I’ve screwed up studio mixes completely. Even though the mixing itself might be perfect, I can tell that I just did a mix where, what I put next totally dropped the energy. So, I have to start all over again. That’s me without a crowd.

DJ Times: What’s next for Misstress Barbara?
Barbara: I’ll be doing an original album. I’m making more music now. I’ve released over 25 records on vinyl, but I’ve never done an album with only my productions on it. Because I’ve only released my productions on vinyl, you can’t find them in retail chains like HMV. My artist album will be all-new tracks and it’ll be released hopefully in early 2007. I’ll spend the first six months touring for it. I’ll try to make 20 to 30 tracks, and I’ll choose 10 or 12 for my album. I feel inspired a lot in ways I haven’t felt in a long time.

Misstress Barbara’s Studio • Steinberg Cubase SX2 • Arturia Minimoog V • Native Instruments Battery sampler • Novation Bass Station • Novation Supernova • ReFX Vanguard • Rob Papen Albino V2 VSTi • Steinberg Model E • UltraMaster Juno-6 • Akai S-1000 • Alesis AirFX • dbx 166LX compressor/limiter • Drawmer DL441 compressor/limiter • Electrix Filter Factory • E-Mu Orbit V2 • Genelec monitors • Juno-106 keyboard • Juno-6 keyboard • Juno-D keyboard • Korg MS-2000 • Lexicon MPX-1 • Mackie 328 recording console • Roland JV-1080 keyboard • Roland TR-909 drum machine • Yamaha TX81Z tone generator