What is there to say about Mary Anne Hobbs that hasn’t already been said? She’s already cemented a place in dubstep culture as the “lady ambassador” to the genre; where it pretty much blew up thanks to her special programme “Dubstep Warz” in 2006. Highlighting artists such as Benga, Kode9 & Burial, it exploded into something massive in a small amount of time. Fast-forward to 2009 and Mary Anne is still knee-deep in listening to new tunes every single day, trying to find the next few artists to spear-head the world of experimental sound. Oh, did we mention that she also spins as well? That’s a vast understatement, as she rocked New York City’s seminal experimental party “Dub War” in September to a packed basement at Club LOVE. Her first full US tour was no joke, as she even went through the wear and tear of most DJs, losing precious hours of sleep and precious pairs of knickers…yeah, it happens. The lovely Ms. Hobbs took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about her experience on tour, highlighting some stops and of course talking about what’s new in the world of experimental sound.
Have you finally settled down from your massive US tour experience? How was it for you and were your expectations met or blown away by what you saw during the tour?
It took a minute to wean myself off the diet of Tylenol and Diet Coke! The US tour took me to completely new physical and psychological poles. It’s a punishing experience, yet rewarded by a sense of elation that is truly profound. The combination of relentless jetlag as you pass though so many different time zones, sleep deprivation brought on by endless late night sets and early morning airport dashes, hyper-surges of adrenaline on stage, and all the personal emotion that you exchange with audiences leave you in a gloriously ruined condition. It’s given me a whole new insight into what touring artists are actually experiencing. If your favourite band/DJ looks bombed mid-way through a US tour, its probably because he/she is! Ultimately, I was completely blown away by the phenomenal reception I had in every city, the tour was one of the single greatest experiences I think I will ever have in this life or the next.
You’ve seen the dubstep explosion, reaching the U.S. and now it’s becoming the dubstep evolution; with artists like Brackles, Untold, and Joy Orbison taking a genre and spinning it on its head. What do you think of dubstep now becoming a genre home to a plethora of sub-genres? Do you feel like it’s welcomed by dubstep purists?
This kind of sound you speak of is now so complex, you can’t simply stick a flag into it to identify it, like you would a round of Cheddar Cheese. For me, the progression of the artists is crucially important. I hope people will come and listen without prejudice, become involved and engage in this with a positive spirit. I’m not interested in those few attention whores bawling from the sidelines.
Your latest compilation off of Planet Mu (Wild Angels) has come out to some amazing reception, what was the process to putting all those tracks together and did you feel like giving listeners a consistent flow between the tracks you’ve selected?
For me sound moves forward in thousands of scattered steps every day and I wanted to show the beginnings of new pathways beyond dubstep, beyond soul, beyond hip hop and beyond folk music, and yet still build a seam of sounds that works as a whole album piece.
As you mentioned in NYC, you try to treat your DJ sets sort of like the show, playing what’s pleasing to the room while finding ways to sneak in new sounds. What do you feel are the biggest differences between a Mary Anne Hobbs broadcast and a Mary Anne Hobbs DJ set?
I am conscious that people have come out on a Friday or a Saturday, they’re spending hard earned money, and they have chosen a night with me to lift them (over and above a billion other entertainment options). I like to play every texture of sound in a set, moving between ruff tunes that will ignite a dancefloor through much deeper, more testing and radical experimental textures – a rainbow spectrum of sound. The only thing I really leave out of a dancefloor set are the more fragile downtempo pieces of electronica that form a beautiful vapour trail at the end of the Radio1 show.
When you hit up Dub War, you said you were nervous about it! In the end, you were fantastic…what did you feel that night from the room, the crowd, what was the vibe? Did it feel like something bigger than a bunch of Yanks losing their minds to sub-bass?
I was nervous about playing Dub War because it’s truly iconic. When I lie on my death bed it’s one of the things that I’ll remember with great joy – it’s a serious conquest for me. Dave Q, Joe Nice, Incyde, Juakali, Seckle; these men have been a very important part of my life for several years, so I really wanted to deliver for them. The equipment at Love, the venue, is not easy to adapt, and as a consequence I couldn’t reach the mixer and one of the CD-J’s at the same time, so I had to develop a ‘backwards’ DJing technique on the spot. I heard that Hendrix had a studio in a basement on the same street, so I imagine it was his spirit that floated into the booth to help me out with my stance haha!! The pace was mobbed, the vibe was absolutely wild, and Dave told me he was delighted to see a whole heap of new faces, making their first pilgrimage to Dub War that night.
Nice interview, I really rate Hobbs. There’s a great interview with Mary Anne Hobbs here http://bit.ly/4teXxF