STRADDLING a life between Ibiza and the UK, Maxinne is an artist that has built her empire from the ground up.
Coming from Toolroom’s Academy programme, Maxinne released her debut single Something In Our Life on the label earlier this year, and has seen subsequent releases on Hot Since 82’s Knee Deep In Sound and Toolroom Trax.
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A weekly resident at Toolroom’s Eden events for the duration of Ibiza season, Maxinne is described as “the real deal” by Toolroom founder Mark Knight.
With Maxinne’s final show of the season coming up this Sunday for Toolroom’s Ibiza closing party, we caught up with her for a chat about the challenges her residency has presented and the importance of platforms like the label’s Academy initiative.
Maxinne, thanks for speaking with us today. Where can we currently find you?
Hey guys, thank you for having me! I’m currently based in Ibiza and i’ll be moving back to Southampton (UK) in October.
It seems like you’ve had an insanely busy summer… what have been some of the highlights?
This summer has been a dream come true and the busiest one so far. Being able to play every week for Toolroom on Sunday’s has been amazing, Eden is an incredible club. I’m so grateful for everything this summer and everyone I’ve met and shared my music with. I’ve enjoyed playing different set times every week especially the week I took over from Mark at 3am to a packed dance floor. It was such a buzz! There’s been many more highlights for me, the island has given me loads of inspiration with my music this summer and towards things I want to achieve in the coming months.
Weekly residencies are something that not a lot of DJs actually get the chance to take on, especially at a club of Eden’s stature.. what challenges has playing that regularly presented?
Having a weekly residency has enabled me to really hone my craft as a DJ, playing different set times every week has been amazing and I’ve enjoyed played the opening sets, b2b sets, closing and peak times sets. The opening sets are a more challenging as your warming up the night, the crowd and building the energy for the rest of the evening. Each week I’ve been digging for new music to play as well as I like to keep things fresh whilst also playing the tracks that have really been working for me at these different set times.
Do you feel like you’ve improved as a DJ over the last few months? If so, why?
Yes definitely, being able to play at different times to different crowds week in week out has given me so much more experience as a DJ. The sound system in Eden is incredible as well so its amazing to play in a club like that and hear my music on those speakers.
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You’ve had some amazing releases out this year… can you tell us about your process in the studio? Is there anything you always try to do, any tricks of the trade?
Thank you! Theres always certain elements of my music I always include in most of my productions, and over the years I’ve built up folders of my ‘go to’ sounds which I to use the same or similar of in my tracks. I love music that has feeling or emotion to it, a bit of soul! So if that’s a musical element, chords, synth, or vocal, I love that! This is what really makes the track stand out but most of all creates a feeling. My process in the studio isn’t the same each time, sometimes I start with building the drum groove or sometimes start with the vocal or hook. I then build a 16 to 32 bar loop until I’m completely happy with the whole groove and all of the sounds I’ve chosen. Once I’m happy I’ll then start arranging the track.
You first became aligned with Toolroom via their We Are Listening programme right? How important are projects like that in giving more women the chance to break through in dance music?
I first met Toolroom at their Academey event in Brighton for their demo drop and then from there got invited to their first WeAreListening event. It has opened so many door’s for me. I got my music signed through these events, got to know everyone working for Toolroom and the support from them since has been amazing. These projects are really important as they help to encourage women and give them a platfom to get their music heard by a leading label. It’s setting such a really great example.
From someone who’s relatively new to the scene, do you get bored people asking you about gender challenges? Or do you think it’s something that needs to be discussed?
I don’t mind it being discussed its interesting to hear others thoughts on it. I think the discussions on it have probably had a positive impact on encouraging more women to really go for it in the industry over the past several years. There’s definitely more women in the industry than ever before. When I got into the industry there were already amazing women DJ/Producers so I never thought about gender imbalance being an issue. I just focused on the music and learning the craft.
Tell us about the mix you’ve put together for us… any tracks we should be looking out for?
I really enjoyed putting this mix together for you. The tracks I’ve chosen are mostly what I’ve been playing out this summer in my sets. Huxley’s latest Toolroom single ‘Made Up My Mind’ I’ve been playing out loads I absolutely love the groove on this. Also Matthias Tansmann’s ‘Induction’ is wicked, proper club track. I’ve also included two of my own releases that recently came out on Toolroom Trax and Knee Deep In Sound, and Darius Syrossian’s remix of my track Everything I Need which is part of the EP. I love what he did with the original, and he gave it his signature sound!
What else do you have coming up this year that we need to know about?
I’ve got some wicked gigs coming up this winter over London and the UK, I’m making my debut at Lio Ibiza on the 1st October and also heading over to Paris to make my debut there very soon. Production wise I’m fully immersed into the studio this winter finishing off new EP’s. I’m working with a singer on a collab at the mo too which I’m looking forward to, we met this year and got on so well so couldn’t wait to get in the studio together. I’ve got a release coming out on Tube & Berger’s Kittball records which I’ll give more info on real soon.
Maxinne plays Toolroom Closing Party at Eden Sunday 22 September. Full line-up and tickets HERE.
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