Interview: Adam Wray; Photography: Benjamin Huseby “You could drop this in London and it would be the same,” says Honey Dijon, gesturing around the interior of The Apparatus Room. So would you say that clubs have been a ‘safe space’ for you, to use a very fashionable term, as a Black trans woman? “I only like techno, I only like dubstep.” Now you even get people who like genres from one place, like, ‘I only like German techno.’ Believe me, I’ve seen it. He signed Metallica, you know? On Fridays we’d get pizza as a family and just dance around to the music we all loved. Nowadays, she can be found on decks anywhere from Berghain’s Panorama Bar, to Art Basel, to festivals all around the world. FLEMING: I was in the right ’hood, at the right place, at the right time, and in some ways, the wrong place at the right time. 1 hr of heavy house hitters from Honey Dijon at Boiler Room Berlin's 6th birthday party in Mitte. Subscribe to our YT channel: http://blrrm.tv/subscribe Right now, I am perched on a stool next to the Chicago native in a studio in East London as she jokingly does some damage control, swatting away any potential judgement while regaling me with wild tales of her formative years. I just don’t do ‘group think’ on any level at all. “No, I think we’ve peaked,” she admits. “We have because of the internet. It was sort of a stand for me to say something cool, warm and hot.”, At the end of our conversation, I ask Dijon how she feels about potentially being a role model. That one of the guy flexing his muscles? HD: Well, it certainly was a force, but if you want to look at how it was a force, you have to understand disco first. Honey Dijon’s favourite tracks Kate Hutchinson. HD: Oh, absolutely. Every time I watch it I hear some new learnings and profound statements. “It was such an honor to collaborate with Carine and her amazing team on this special issue,” added Honey Dijon in her interview. You may have seen her thing on the decks in Smirnoff’s We’re Open ad campaign to promote more understanding of non-binary identity in nightlife. Renowned for his fierce, dancefloor-friendly arrangements, Ben Gold is … So what does non-binary identity mean to you? Honey Dijon Interview: Clubs and fashion have always been lovers Marko Kutlesa spoke to Honey Dijon about her history in Chicago and New York, … I haven’t, I’m afraid. “Every time she reads it she calls me and goes, ‘I don’t want people to think that I was a bad parent!’”. She has been a vocal advocate for trans rights and awareness, speaking from her experience as a black trans woman DJ in dance music. It was a daily part of life for us. That just shows what a power they have these days. There are some exceptions, like the Berghains in Berlin, the Chapter 10s in London, the Battle Hymns in NYC, but they are the exceptions. Still from Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion’s 2020 video WAP, directed by Colin Tilley. HD: Oh, it definitely was not. And, try as you might with any number of fond anecdotes recalling alcopops guzzled in the twilight of a skatepark – Honey Dijon will see you and raise you. I know … The New York-via-Chicago veteran was the subject of an RA Exchange earlier in the year, during which she spoke about her life in music. DIJON: Honey, a lot of shit happened below 14th Street, let’s not get it twisted. But if you’re strong enough you can move away from it all; you can be that Chinese girl, who loves hip hop, who only fucks trans men! HD: You know what? They will then perform at either Snowbombing, Lost Village or at Printworks. Order your copy of the issue now. HD: No, they don’t need to be. It is true that a taste for mischief courses through the majority of our teenage years. Chicago native Honey Dijon has seen dance music culture evolve through decades and has stayed true to her distinct party-inducing style behind the decks. Through extensive exclusive interviews with titans of nightlife culture, Where Love Lives contributors Billy Porter, Honey Dijon, Kathy Sledge, Kiddy Smile, Lucy Fizz, John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez and many more explore how those driven to the margins of society are welcomed unconditionally to the centre of the dancefloor. If that’s the only way you can be interesting, well, then maybe you’re not very interesting! If you’re looking for me to point at someone else and say, ‘That’s how I think about things’ then I’m sorry. “Safe spaces” is exactly what this comes down to: for people to feel safe, to have a home. She discovered this underground scene through her friendship with Derrick Carter, her inspiration as a DJ, along with Mark Farina, another Chicago DJ who would become a lifelong friend. I know it sounds a little crazy, but I swear my mother tells me I was obsessed with these little kiddie records you could get. Share. artforum.com — Honey Dijon is a DJ and producer based in New York and Berlin. The notorious partymakers, famed for their immersive, wild-as-fuck events, have casually commandeered a fleet of hot air balloons … That might sound very grand, but it’s true. So can I ask you to mention some of them? 41 likes. TI:ME:CO:DE. party at The Bottom End in Melbourne on October 23rd. about him? In terms of gender on trans issues? Lora was a black, queer DJ who was close to Frankie Knuckles from his days at The Warehouse [the seminal Chicago club from which ‘house’ music got its name, which was open from 1977 – 1987, though Knuckles left in 1982], so she’s someone who was really there at the beginnings of things for me. Earlier this year, she launched her namesake brand with Comme Des Garçons: Honey Fucking Dijon. Tracklist / Playlist for Honey Dijon & Cinthie - BBC Radio 1 2019-05-31, 31 tracks, House, Tech House That’s absolutely fine, no need to apologise. “It was such an honor to collaborate with Carine and her amazing team on this special issue,” added Honey Dijon in her interview. HD: It absolutely is. “So someone put this question at me the other day, ‘how do you feel about people prefacing you as a black trans woman’,” she poses to me. Includes: "Linette", "Designer Gays: Makeover" "Miss Honey Dijon Interview" and "Wiggle 12" Episode #11 Those shopping network girls Deb and Sisi try selling the "Kitchen Magician" on late night TV, the kookiest kids show is revealed with a little help from Denis Simpson and … On the lab table this time is Honey Dijon’s reworking of ‘Ooh La La‘, a radio-friendly pop tune from Jessie Ware. But if we can start off by going back to your own beginnings growing up in Chicago, I know your father was a huge Marvin Gaye fan in particular, so would you say that soul music – with its unifying, liberalising message – was the first driver for you musically? HD: Oh, Michael Alago! In fact I’ve fairly recently become friends with Bruce Forest who will tell me about how things were at Better Days [the 1972 – 1990 West Side NYC club where a young inexperienced Frankie Knuckles first started DJing, to cover for resident Tee Scott on the unpopular Monday and Tuesday night slots], so I’m still learning too. Honey Dijon her long-term love of music, art and 1979. “It’s really cool because of their history with musicians,” gushes Dijon. She captivates with her instinct, versatile sound and dazzles the club and fashion circuit in London, Paris, Berlin and New York. HD: If I knew that I’d be a hell of a rich club owner right now, I’ll say that much. Dijon is, of course, the perfect choice here: as a trans woman of colour who’s been involved in house music since its beginnings, the contradictions of the scene are her lived experiences. [LAUGHS]. Facebook Twitter Email. And anything I can do to make clubs more accessible, more equal and safer, I will do. “You can’t be everything for everybody.” Honey Dijon knows better than to ask for a seat at the table, she’s making her own space in an industry overwhelmed by cis white males. “I like to be a mirror of affirmation,” she says carefully after a deliberated pause. Or is it the monotonous music that is being played? Now I feel that for me, when I stepped away from what was happening – and there was a long time I wasn’t working, what with electro and then minimal blowing up – and just looked to myself, a lot of things started happening for me. So as we’re talking about creativity and talent in a wider sense, you’ve said in the past that you’d like to mentor a young DJ. I’ll definitely check it out. And one thing to know about Dijon, is that she does not hold back. After nearly 40 years of house music culture there’s a feeling that we are going to again own our own spaces and feel safe in them. How much was house music that unifying liberalising force in your own life, then? There are so many people and so many places, so many venues that don’t get a mention in the annals of history. Honey Dijon dropped a statement-making remix of Lady Gaga 's "Free Woman" this week and sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss how it all went down in an illuminating, wide-ranging interview. HD: Oh, I was a ‘selector’ [LAUGHS] from the age of three, so I am told. If binary means just zero or one, there’s a whole hell of a lot of in-between, even in physics there’s more in-between, so I think it’s just a matter of society trying to catch up with that complex reality of life as it is lived. I mean people said to me, “You cannot play vocals there!” But I knew that was bullshit because I played at Ostgut [the Berlin club’s late 90s / early 2000s predecessor] and anyway, I’m not scared of vocals when I play. the RICARDO GOMES series / The Honey Dijon Interview. How about as a DJ? More recently, as house music began to re-evaluate its roots after the minimal techno era took a well-deserved backseat, artists like Dijon, who have the history of house music in their bones as well as their ass-shakingly good DJ sets, have ascended again. She talks about the heyday of New York and Chicago with an amber glow in her eyes, but instantly flinches when I refer to her as nostalgic. DIJON: Honey, a lot of shit happened below 14th Street, let’s not get it twisted. These are very much the words of someone who knows who she is. Interviews LGBTQ2S. There are naughty kid stories. HD: Michael was a huge part of what made NYC vital in that period from the 70s onwards until I was living there in the 90s. ... Honey Dijon … But if we’re talking about clubs as places of safety, do they need to be overtly political, in a time when they’re under threat? FLEMING: I was in the right ’hood, at the right place, at the right time, and in some ways, the wrong place at the right time. She’s lounging in the backroom of a restaurant in the tiny village of La Seu in the Catalan Pyrenees, a place that would feel scarily remote had elrow not brought a massive party – SkyFest – to the mountainous region that evening. That idea also feeds into how I DJ. Now, let me see… there was the Rialto Tap which was on the South Side, Club LaRay over on the North Side, the Bistro, there was Normady’s, a Latino gay bar we went to, there was AKA, the Windy City… These places all played amazing music and as they just blew my mind at that very young age. In NYC especially, where I was a drag artist – as many trans people are before they are ready to live fully as a trans person – they were places I could go to feel safe, to feel good as myself, but also to earn a living where I didn’t have to sell drugs. But Marvin insisted and so he started that trend for singers baring it all; with people like Jodie Mitchell and Carol King coming later. As you say, it can’t have all been about the Warehouse and the Music Box? Support tQ's work by becoming a subscriber and enjoy the benefits of bonus essays, podcasts and exclusively-commissioned new music. I’m from a blue-collar town, and so it’s weird. Where were you born and raised? I ask her about a James Baldwin quote I spotted when scrolling through her Instagram which unexpectedly struck a nerve with me, prompting me to study its words over again and again, re-seeking its assurance. I’m sure you do. When she was way younger, she would never have dreamed that she would one day collaborate on designs with Comme Des Garçons or that she could be so successful with her art as a Black, non-binary person. HD: Well, it is and it isn’t, if you understand that it doesn’t have to be. That must be quite a relief for you, as New York has been so important to you as a DJ – and personally too, of course? Please whitelist our site in order to continue to access The Quietus. Back in July 2020, Honey Dijon announced that she would be releasing her sophomore album, entitled Black Girl Magic, on Classic Music Company — the imprint founded by house legends Luke Solomon and Derrick Carter.The Berlin-based producer and DJ dropped two lead singles last year:“Not About You,” featuring Antlanta singer-songwriter Hadiya George, and “La Femme … Honey Dijon is transgender. Her sets at Panorama Bar have, by her own admission, bought her career to another level. Honey Dijon was born and raised in Chicago the home of house music, but has been living in NYC for many years. Interviews September 24, 2020 Maintaining His Brand, Trance Star Ben Gold Goes with the Digital Flow. That whole crate-digger persona thing just kills me – I am all about finding new records but I do not pontificate on it and I definitely don’t base my identity as an artist on it. I mean, with Derrick [Carter], myself, and K-Hand… there are so few names now. Everyone is living with the fear of not having enough content. Prepare for takeoff! She has settled nicely into her reputation as a DJ titan of sorts, but it wouldn’t be far-fetched to still call Dijon old school. From soundtracking the catwalks of Louis Vuitton to playing at Panorama Bar, she straddles different worlds with deceptive ease but being a black trans artist is not an easy path to tread, says Manu Ekanayake. Honey Dijon is looking remarkably composed for someone who’s just been DJing inside a hot air balloon. From soundtracking the catwalks of Louis Vuitton to playing at Panorama Bar, she straddles different worlds with deceptive ease but being a black trans artist is not an easy path to tread, says Manu Ekanayake And I have to thank Berghain for that, they really took a risk on me and allowed me to just be me. Honey Dijon's brazen style blends all genres without looking to the past. Honey Dijon – legal name, Honey Redmond – is a force. Honey Dijon was born and raised in Chicago the home of house music, but has been living in NYC for many years. People were just freer then – sexually, emotionally, in every way. She has been a vocal advocate for trans rights and awareness, speaking from her experience as a black trans woman DJ in dance music. Dijon famously worked closely with Kim Jones to develop soundtracks for the . Like many involved in the scene, her love affair with music began upon hearing her parent’s soul and r&b records at home. That picture is one of his, he’s a photographer nowadays, but he was huge on the NYC band scene from the 80s until the early 2000s, I think. But it was her move to New York in the 90s that really pushed her towards her calling behind the decks. I just don’t think it’s necessary to do that. But she will be much more involved in their new Equalising Music project. And can I ask you what it’s like to DJ and party in NYC in these post-Giuliani and Bloomberg days? So what about hetronormativity on the dancefloor and socially homogenous clubbing crowds – how do we combat this? What started as the underground music of black and Latino LGBT+ kids is now more white and middle class than ever. Not going to happen. Hans-Ulrich Obrist interviewt Honey Dijon über Technopartys und Mode - WELT. I’m at the intersection of race, gender, and sexual orientation, and so you have to be clear with yourself in order to navigate a world that doesn’t value your existence. “It was a spiritual awakening for me really; it was at the beginning of a lot of electro-pop and 80s new wave and disco and acid, and all of it was mashed together,” her voice glimmers. I’m sorry but I just can’t answer that any further. He was this gay Puerto Rican guy from New Utrecht Avenue in Brooklyn booking and managing all these bands –have you seen the Netflix documentary Who The Fuck Is That Guy? honey dijon The iconic DJ on the origins of her affinity for nightlife, the multi-faceted nature of being a trans black artist, and the importance of not waiting for other people’s permission. It was my parents. We’ll wait. Marvin was spilling his heart on What’s Going On but what people forget is that Berry Gordy didn’t even want to release it! I was like, “Who is this person?” I made it my mission after that to find you. Why? Here she met Danny Tenaglia, another DJ she still considers, like Carter, “truly brilliant. As a wholly independent publication, we rely entirely on our ad bookings to keep The Quietus going. It’s tantalising; music that sounds humid. Not very many, I can tell you. “Honey, Everything Is Marketing” - An Interview With Honey Dijon Manu Ekanayake , March 6th, 2018 09:08 Nobody lives house music and its many contradictions like Honey Dijon. Includes: "Linette", "Designer Gays: Makeover" "Miss Honey Dijon Interview" and "Wiggle 12" Episode #11 Those shopping network girls Deb and Sisi try selling the "Kitchen Magician" on late night TV, the kookiest kids show is revealed with a little help from Denis Simpson and … If you love what we do, you can help tQ to continue bringing you the best in cultural criticism and new music by joining one of our subscription tiers. And I do... [Laughs]. Because disco is what became house, so I discovered disco first, definitely. I know … you know what? Read the choicest cuts from the Quietus archive: reviews, features and opinion, Palm Desert Discs: John Garcia's Favourite Albums, Understand The Feeling: Fenriz Of Darkthrone's Favourite House Records, New Weird Britain: Noel Gardner's 2019 Round-Up, The Quietus Writers' 50 Favourite Dance Remixes, A Tower Of Songs: Sylvie Simmons' Favourite Music, Zoning Out: Meemo Comma's Favourite Albums, What Keith Flint Taught Me About Being An Essex Boy, By Manu Ekanayake, “Honey, Everything Is Marketing” - An Interview With Honey Dijon, Getting The Mask On: The Black Madonna Interviewed, Visions Of The Country: Alison Cotton Interviewed, Real Drool Time: An Interview With Part Chimp, It’s Like The New Past – Life Without Buildings Interviewed, A Sacred Geography: Ivan Zoloto Interviewed. And Lora was the person who introduced me to disco; to Salsoul, to Prelude, to those kinds of labels. She captivates with her instinct, versatile sound and dazzles the club and fashion circuit in London, Paris, Berlin and New York. 1 IAN ISIAH, AUNTIE (Juliet)One of my favorite albums of the year, by an amazing artist. CR Fashion Book and CR MEN have unveiled their new cover stars for Carine Roitfeld’s latest issues (18 and 12, respectively) “AIR CR” which stars models Hailey Bieber and Rebecca Leigh Longendyke, actress Barbie Ferreira, rapper J Balvin, singer Lous & The Yakuza, and DJ and producer Honey Dijon (who also serves as the title’s first-ever guest editor). I don’t live as a professional trans-person. Post Frankie Knuckles dying, I always think: how many Black, queer producers are there now? Honey Dijon – legal name, Honey Redmond – is a force. But strong roots never go out of style and with equality now firmly on the agenda, tQ was more than happy to chat with one of electronic music’s most individual and outspoken characters. (MIDDLE) Coat PREEN BY THORNTON BREGAZZI, tights ERDEM, shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, sunglasses RAY-BAN, necklace and bracelet PEBBLE LONDON, ring ALAN CROCETTI So can I ask you how important that protégé and mentor relationship is to you? Wie Honey Dijon die vielen Höhen und Tiefen des Lebens meistert und sich dabei nicht selbst verliert, hat sie uns im Gespräch verraten. Every time I watch it I hear some new learnings and profound statements. In these days of President Trump, are you party political? She'll be dropping into Australia to play two shows, starting off with a Yaldi Boomtime! Her voice softens with each word, but is unwavering and matter-of-fact. And I live by two things: just because someone told you so, just because someone said something, doesn’t make it true.”, Dijon has fully conquered every world she has traversed, and her influence is ubiquitous. HD: Not either side, neither or. Sound and Music Creation for Film. Riccardo Tisci. Andrew Ryce travels to Manhattan to meet a lifelong vinyl obsessive. While the original – featuring production from Ford out of Simian Mobile Disco – is a catchy piece of rhythmic pop, it’s Honey Dijon’s remix that steals the show. Lest hier Honey Dijons Ask The DJ-Special! She wants to get that straight. Because ‘We’re Open’ is about making clubs places non-binary people especially feel comfortable especially, right? It’s no surprise that Dijon has quickly become a celebrated figure in the industry, and her high-profile rise as one of the few trans women of colour in music and fashion has been noted, as well as her vocality for trans rights – but the two are not mutually exclusive. And the person who introduced me to disco was Lora Branch. People seem to scroll through life now the way they scroll through their phone, and so I think people aren’t given enough time to even understand what is going on. I mean, now you know DJs who have gone from artists to entertainers, so now it’s not only how you sound but what you look like, what label you are signed to, what club you played at, how many followers you have, the brands you associate with.”, When I press her on her thoughts on subcultures now, and the changing faces on the dancefloor from its original “black and queer and underground” roots, she is almost disdainful. Gay clubs were known as forward thinking back in the day. Now her ties are beyond impressive. In an interview with the magazine, she dished on the popular HBO Max show, praising the writers for not making her character, Kat Hernandez, a submissive wallflower. 2 AUSTIN ATO, HEAT (Classic)One of the funkiest house records I’ve heard in a long time, from my mother label, Classic Music Company. These spaces are so needed because not everyone is straight, heteronormative and white! Honey Dijon: It is very much like New York was before gentrification, yes. Music was a huge part of all our lives back then. So you’re playing at Battle Hymn tonight – Luke Solomon has mentioned that place to me before. The Chicago-born house DJ and producer released her remix of Lady Gaga’s “Free Woman,” a cut from the latter’s Chromatica album, playing up the song’s natural […] HD: I feel like the tide is turning on that front. Wow… that’s one of those worrying realities of life, isn’t it? I am really happy to share this in-depth interview with Honey Dijon with you guys. To find out more, click here. People used to move around and be more open-minded because the boundaries weren’t so clearly defined. It was crazy that this young kid could go from hanging out in these punk rock clubs to booking these huge acts. But there are still good places to party – and to DJ – in New York if you know where to find them. Mixing is what keeps it vibrant. Chicago. Or my body, for that matter. Ok, so to go from Berlin back to NYC again, I was looking on your very eclectic and inspiring Instagram and I saw an amazing picture by a NYC rock promoter, I think his name was Michael Alonzo? Now a lot of people don’t get that this is the culture I’m from in NYC; punk rock as well as house. Not just making ballroom music, which takes a lot from house culture, but making house itself. She told Zane Lowe the remix came especially natural to her due to feelings of cultural alignment with the pop superstar. [LAUGHS] But overall I really feel that the internet separated everything: now everyone’s so locked into their own little niche. HD: Well like all the best lovers they approached me first! It’s there to stop tourists, to stop gawkers, to stop people who are not going to participate. I’ve really thought about this a lot, because as you know I work a lot in the fashion business, so it can be easy to fall into fashion rather than owning your own style. The Chicago native and fashion world fave empties the contents of her psychic record bag. What that means is that a lot of people don’t know that they can be or do something if they haven’t been presented with it; I realised I’m probably one of the few trans woman of colour to design a fashion collection, which is kind of mind-blowing. So as we’re talking about Berlin, where I know you’re based when you’re in Europe, I have to ask you about Berghain and its door policy? Honey Dijon Discusses Growing up as a Black Non-Binary Artist in New Podcast ... J. Cole Opens up About Growing as an Artist and HBO Documentary in New Exclusive Interview. In 2016, she was interviewed by the British television channel Channel 4 on the issue of trans visibility. “Yes, it’s weird as fuck. When you start to say, ‘well, this doesn’t feel right anymore,’ then you just start to look for answers. Everyone’s identity is marketed to them to some degree: how you should dress, the music you should like, what you should eat and drink and so on. “Then, when my parents would tell me to go to bed, I would just sit on the stairs listening to all the loud laughter and cursing, to people just being so free and happy. Rick Owens. Wir alle kennen das Gefühl, wirklich am Boden zu sein. I first met Honey Dijon in the early 90s through the incredible NYC club scene that brought so many amazing artists together from all over the world. Honey Dijon dropped a statement-making remix of Lady Gaga's "Free Woman" this week and sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss how it all went down in an illuminating, wide-ranging interview. Honey Dijon talks to Ash Lauryn about the impact that the Black Lives Matter movement has had on dance music. It takes years of introspection, dismantling boundaries, and — very often — pain to get there. Honey Dijon will play gigs in Melbourne and Sydney next month. And what could be mistaken for spikiness is actually just a direct, no-fucks mode of being. Don’t get it twisted. But this was just a part of being an African American person growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the 1970s. “Initially they only wanted me to make two, but knowing me, I had to tell a story, so I did a pair from the 60s, 70s and 80s. She doesn’t have time to waste, she doesn’t suffer fools, and her command of a room is instant. Coming from Chicago, who was responsible for your exposure to music? She’s lounging in the backroom of a restaurant in the tiny village of La Seu in the Catalan Pyrenees, a place that would feel scarily remote had elrow not brought a massive party – SkyFest – to the mountainous region that evening. They call it a damn ‘selector’ these days but I was really just fascinated, I wanted to play that music that everyone was dancing to – because my parents would have parties in our basement – and it just lead on from there. HD: Yes, absolutely! You see, while most of us were tucked up in bed at the age of eight or nine, a precocious Dijon was already a selector of sorts, picking the music at her parent’s basement parties before her bedtime. It is not something that defines her existence by any means. Honey Dijon is transgender. I’ve heard you mention her in interviews before, but she’s not someone whose part in the early house scene is well-known at all. I am really happy to share this in-depth interview with Honey Dijon with you guys. The iconic DJ on the origins of her affinity for nightlife, the multi-faceted nature of being a trans black artist, and the importance of not waiting for other people’s permission. However, she is the first to admit her belief that the landscape has changed irrevocably, and not necessarily for the better.
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