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This Month’s guests are Kohaku and G-Force. Aka. Better Red Than Dead. It’s Amber’s first Love and it’s been A Hot Minute since Gina has been On! I’m Stoked to have these Ladies for a special two-step, ukg, dnb, garage edition of Love! Bio
G-Force
(Gaia Rising, Scientific Sound, New England Junglist, 100proof crew)
Armed with a stack of Jungle records and hand me down stanton direct drive turntables, Native New Yorker G-Force taught her self how to spin in 1999.
After moving to maine in 2008, she found a group of local djs that took her in and became her mentors and cohorts. She first played out at a local bars open decks night and went on to play regional and local festivals such as Maines legendary Beltek festival. Since then G-Force has had the opportunity to play some of the east coasts major weekly events such as Elements in Cambridge, Mass. and Torque in Orlando florida. She’s had the opportunity to be direct support for legends like DJ Craze, Donald Glaude, Sunshine Jones, Monk and Frankie Bones. Her specialty is Jungle and Drum and Bass but can play anything. House music and UK/US garage and two step are some of her favorites to play out. For the past 13plus years G-Force has thrown over 150 shows including monthly Sundaze events in Portland Maine, Rumble in the Jungle events and puts together a festival called Gaia Rising.
Www.mixcloud.com/ginahesse94/
Www.SoundCloud.com/Gina-hesse
DJ Kohaku (Amber Simmons)
Drive it Like Ya Stole It/New England Junglists/Gaia Rising
When Amber Simmons is behind the decks, she becomes a whole new creature. Her mouth takes on a different shape and she bites her bottom lip. Her body too takes on a sort of intensity, her arms elongate and fly in the air as she brings the best out of a mixer. DJ Kohaku has spent the better part of her life as an integral part of the Maine Scene. Her music, her knowledge, and her supportive guidance have earned her the title of rave mom, but her DJing skills are always at the heart of it. Amber’s first encounter with the underground took place at the legendary rave, “Bubblebath.” in 2001. There she witnessed one of Maine’s rave fathers, DJ Joyride (RJ Quirion) play trance, and she immediately knew she wanted to do the same. After a car accident that nearly killed her, she spent her time recuperating from severe injuries teaching herself to spin. That same year Amber and her then partner formed a crew of their own: Drive it Like Ya Stole It. The parties they threw make up some of the best Maine offered in the early 2000s, and were truly representative of the underground. Attendees packed buildings and electrified the woods. She learned that the success of a party doesn’t necessitate a big budget; it requires being “proper” and providing nice, clean sound.
Amber has somehow kept trance “cool” even throughout its dark years, but for this Orbit, she’ll be spinning her second love, drum and bass. In 2009 when Portland’s JoneK@t handed her a fist-full of vinyl, she found an appreciation for tracks that weren’t four-to-the-floor. Amber began to love the nuances of drum and bass; the opportunities to employ the use of double build-ups and double drops–skills that evoke excitement for both the DJ and the crowd. She embraced the different styles of cuts, pop-overs, and layering. She opened her mind and heart to a whole new genre, and once the metallic grime of dubstep and electro merged with the classic, she began to consider herself both a trance and drum and bass DJ.
When it comes to curation, Amber says she looks for music that “doesn’t suck.” She looks for tracks that “go somewhere” –ones that are “edgy, but not noisy.” Her drum and bass sets are diverse, ranging from jump-up to neurofunk to rollers, and to anything that hits the sweet spot at the time. She’s not afraid of new wubby sounds, but she makes sure all the wubs are in all the right places. And her history with vinyl can be heard in all of her sets. Her mixing is so smooth it seems instinctual. Her style is simple. As she puts it, “I don’t need bells and whistles.”
Amber recognizes and has experienced the dangers that come along with partying. She admits there are dark corners in the rave scene, but even in her darkest days, her primary concern was for the music. She finds joy in being able to play a set where there’s an “energy transfer” shared between herself and the crowd. “That feeling,” she says, “is worth every problem” she’s encountered in the scene. She admits she’s made a lot of mistakes, but she hopes that those mistakes provide a cautionary tale, and when attending or playing any party, her goal is for everyone to have a good time, but her priority is that everyone gets home safe.
Amber most enjoys the sets she plays for her rave family, where, “it’s all about us,” and those where she makes new fans and new friends. She hopes everyone feels welcome, and she always wants to be there to help. She understands her influence on up-and-comers, and after losing many, many friends to over-indulgence, she hopes to be an example of someone who raves “safely.”
Amber thinks her success stems from “being around the right people–” those who inspire her, and those who appreciate music in a way that is all-encompassing. She thanks Rick Kidson (DJ Psydways), Mikey Huge, and Pat Fontes for keeping her from becoming jaded unlike many from her era. She has found and still finds inspiration in Maine’s sacred Beltek, Providence’s Funky Communications crew, and Portland’s Flask lounge–a place she calls home. To DJ Kohaku, electronic music is made up of more than just its rhythms. “It’s a sound and a vibe,” she searches for and helps create. Come see Kohaku show you just why she’s sustained relevance for over 20 years. Sometimes we dance, sometimes we listen, and sometimes we get the chance to learn.
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Event venue
FLASK LOUNGE, 117 Spring St,Portland,ME,United States
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.