The Fembassy

By: Glennisha Morgan

In the documentary Roxanne mentioned that it was her 1st time touring with all females. Was it your first time too?

Yes, I have done a ton of all female events but never a musical tour with all female djs & mcs etc. The Playboy 50^th anniversary tour I did a while back was technically all females (myself, burlesque dancers, playmates) but I wouldn’t say that really counts as I was the only musical act.

What was your experience like touring with all females?

It was cool. I enjoyed hanging with all the girls and getting to know & work with everyone. Although I wouldn’t say it was much different than touring with guys on that level, with the exception of all the awesome “GIRL POWER” moments. The experience for me was more about being the only dj & touring with all mcs, performing with 4 of them each night and doing my own dj set on top of it. In addition to my own sets, I have never djed for more than one person on a tour before. It was a lot of work, but definitely a rewarding experience. It was also interesting being the only female DJ traveling in the mix of female MCs. Mcs & Djs each have their own language and it was cool to see & hear the other side of things so-tis-speak. Although when it came to talking shop, I had way more in common with the tour driver who also happened to be a DJ, even though he was a dude, (laughs). In retrospect I find that really funny.

In your experience what’s the difference between touring overseas vs. in the U.S.?

It depends on the genre really. Mainstream/top40 Hip Hop is the same worldwide in my experience, with Asia being the mecca of people who love American pop culture which is ironic. I feel conscious underground Hip Hop & classic Hip Hop is way more accepted in Europe. Back in the late 90s & early 00s we had a decent following for that here in the states but Europe schools us now in that department. But then again that’s just my experience. Mainstream electronic music is still big here in the states but, the rave scene isn’t what it used to be either. It’s trying to climb back up though. The rest of the world schools us on that too. The UK has the best D&B scene hands down (since the music came from there). Europe, Russia, Australia & Africa have a sick dnb scenes as well. House & Techno is huge all over Europe. If you are an electronic music producer here in the states it is much harder to blow up in that scene in contract to someone producing overseas. Whereas if you are into commercial hip hop, the US is the only place to be.

Do you have any rituals or specific things that you do to prepare for touring? If so, what are they?

Before I leave for a tour, or any gig in general, it’s always a whirlwind of activity. I usually pack at the last minute because I’m so busy getting all my sets ready, practicing, getting together my merchandise and freebie giveaways. As far as practicing goes, I am one of those people who needs to over practice in order to feel totally confident. I figure if I’m prepared for any scenario then I can handle anything that comes my way. And that strategy has gotten me out of tons of the craziest situations so I’m sticking to it! Being a DJ it’s also very difficult for me to practice while on the road. An MC can run thru their lyrics whenever, wherever, but my only chance to warm up on the turntables is at sound check, which is mad short so after sound checking all the mcs I immediately go through my showcase beat juggles at least once and scratch a bit to warm up if possible. I also spend hours in my hotel room going thru my sets on my laptop ultra-nerdlike, but it’s still not anything like DJing on turntables and you can’t scratch.

When packing, if it’s a longer tour I always make a packing list because in addition to the normal clothes & toiletries I also have to bring all my DJ gear, cables, adapters etc. Otherwise I will end up halfway around the world with no power cable for my dj mixer, (its happened). Even with the list I tend to over pack my clothes because I like to have “choices” (a girl needs at least 3-4 pairs of kicks to choose from!). I also never travel without my earplugs & squish pillow that way I can sleep anywhere, no matter how many babies are crying on the flight. Oh, and Airborn immune builder tablets are a must, because it sucks to be sick on tour!! I’m a total germ-o-phobe when it comes to airports, planes, traveling and it always seems like everyone is sick and they are all sitting around me. The worst is they guy behind me sneezing on my head. Eww!

As far as rituals, I must kiss my 2 kitties on their heads before I leave and tell them personally that I promise to be back soon. That’s the hardest part since animals don’t understand why you are leaving and if you will ever come back and they have no concept of time so for them it may last years before you return. I have to give them treats so that they aren’t looking at me with their sad little furry faces when I leave  Last ritual would be that my husband has to take me to the airport because I want to see his face as much as possible before leaving for days, weeks or months at a time. I get homesick the most as I’m leaving, once I’m on the road its cool, but the leaving part is the toughest.

Are there any rules that you have as far as what not to do before or while on tour ( health wise)?

Don’t get wasted the night before you leave. Traveling with a hangover sucks. Take Airborne tablets 2-3 times a day. Don’t hang out with sick people. Wash your hands every chance you get. Don’t get drunk every night, you will get sick. Sleep whenever you can, you never know when your next nap will be. Eat whenever you can, you never know when your next meal will be either. I am a packrat with food, I save everything that I can so I always have snacks when we go long times without finding decent places to eat. Drink tons of water.

What advice would you give to upcoming artists about touring?

Over-practice. It saves my ass and it can save yours. You never know what situation you will get into at a live show. Come with a plan b & c for your set. If you are an emcee, get good at freestyling so you can handle anything. Same goes for djs, practice so you can improvise flawlessly in any situation. Create merchandise (t-shirts, cds, dvds, vinyl etc) and sell it or find a trustworthy person to handle your merchandise while you are on stage. Many artists make more money selling merchandise than their performance fee. Besides profits, its great promotion for people to take home a piece of their favorite artist to remember the show by. Pass out free stuff too. DJs, burn tons of promo mixes & pass them out for free, hand out free t-shirts, cds etc (you will also sell more at your table that way). Also if you have the chance, visit local stores and offer your merchandise for them to sell in their shops. That way you are still being promoted locally after you leave in addition to making extra cash with the initial sale. Be nice to everyone you meet, you never know who you are talking to. Treat everyone how you would want to be treated; no one wants to hang with an asshole. Treat fans like they are your best friends because without them you would not be able to do what you do. Don’t be an asshole to them or you will lose fans and they will talk to at least 6 people about how much you suck. Promote your website everywhere. Make sure you spend time with the promoter and show gratitude for them bringing you out to play. As well as keep in touch with them after the show is over and thank them to keep the dialog going, hopefully they will book you again. Getting booked once is great but repeat bookings are where the real money is.

Did the tour play a role in inspiring, influencing, and or supporting you in any new endeavors?

I was definitely inspired & influenced by the other artists on the tour and the experience as a whole. Good times.

Are you currently working on a new project(s)?

My husband & I produce/release 2 full EPs every month on our electronic music label Heavy Artillery Recordings (www.heavyartilleryrecordings.com) – genres include house, drum & bass & dubstep. It’s an extremely ambitious release schedule since we not only produce & master all the music but also design all the graphics, websites & do all the promotion. Everything is done in house. Tons of work but extremely rewarding. In addition to that, I have a new 3 part DJ instructional DVD series releasing in 2010 called “Shortee’s DJ Workshop” to follow up my past dvd series available at www.how2dj.com . I’m also currently filming online dj lessons for www.turntableU.com – the world’s premier online DJ school. I recently just launched a new DJ shore site at www.djshortee.com so check that out as well. Tons of free downloads, videos etc.

Was there anything that you learned from the from the older or more seasoned artists during the tour?

Actually I think my age fell right in the middle but really, age is relative. I learned from everyone. I learned a lot about how mcs prepare and do their thing. I learned a lot about everyone’s backgrounds which was really enlightening & inspiring. I was inspired by the hunger and work ethic of some of the greener talents because it reminded me that there is always someone out there working their ass off and the minute you slack they will be there to rightfully grab that headliner spot. I was also inspired by some of the seasoned talents who would stand their ground, refusing to let anyone compromise their performance.

During the documentary while at the radio station there was a huge discussion about being a female emcee. How do you feel about being labeled as a “female emcee” vs. just being called an “emcee”?

Well, thankfully no one called me an emcee, otherwise I would have had to torture them with my lack of lyrical “flow”, (laughs). But I’m assuming you mean DJ in my case so seriously speaking, I’m not necessarily bothered by being labeled as a Female DJ…because I am a female and I am a dj and I am proud of both. In this somewhat male dominated industry being a female dj makes me a bit more unique, at least it used to back when I started. Now there are tons of female djs so that’s kind of a mute point, although not as many female turntablists (girls that scratch & juggle). The label doesn’t really bug me, I embrace it. What really bothers me is if a female dj has a bad night, or just isn’t very skilled to begin with everyone automatically says “oh she sucks cause she’s a girl” giving all female djs a bad name, rather than just saying “that’s a shitty dj period.”. Whereas if a guy dj sucks he’s just a crappy dj, no one is like “oh he sucks because he’s a dude”.

There are good & bad djs in both genders, but when a girl sucks for some reason her gender is blamed for her lack of skills. That’s annoying. When I started 15 years ago I had to work 10x harder than the boys to get ½ the respect and its still like that in some respects today. I have done tons of gigs where guys are just lined up in front of you arms crossed, waiting for you to fuck up (because you are a girl and they expect that) so there is no room for error or you will give all females a bad name. But then the flipside is that if you are a chick you can usually get a booking faster these days, and your female gender actually helps you get your foot in the door. It wasn’t like that when I started but it is now which is a nice bonus. But to keep getting booked you have to back it up with skills like anyone else. So I say use it if you have it because the guys have a tons of other perks in the industry that us girls don’t.  In regards to the radio interview, and interviews like it: The only annoying thing is that most of the questions usually have to do with being a female in the industry. Questions like that are cool in moderation. But ask us about the craft too, and the experience in general without regards to our gender. We have a lot of experiences to discuss in an interview other than just what its like to spin records or mc while simultaneously having a vagina.

What inspires you to keep doing what you’re doing?

I love DJing & producing music. That’s why I keep doing it. Its insanely hard work for not much money and a tremendous hustle that never ends but it’s worth the struggle because at the end of the day I love music and I love Djing. I also love sharing this business of music with my husband, it’s an added reward to be able to do what you love with someone you love.

What advice would you give to upcoming artists as far as being successful and building their own brand?

Assuming you have already honed your skills and have some sort of demo I say promote, promote, and promote! Promote yourself constantly, especially online via websites, social sites, forums blogs etc.Create a dope logo first & foremost and then trademark it. Get your domain name even if you don’t have a website to put on it. Do it before someone else buys it. Its cheap and well worth the investment. Build a myspace and have it direct to your myspace page. (I say myspace over Facebook because it’s more conducive to an artist’s needs with customizable pages, music etc).  Build a facebook, a blog (like on wordpress) and get your twitter account. All these things should be done using your artist name within the domain name.

Plaster your logo, pictures, bio, discography, and music on everything. Build a website. Create business cards. Create merchandise to sell online and at shows. If you can’t afford it use a service like Zazzle.com. No overhead you just design your merchandise and they manufacture on a per-order basis. Even huge artists like Black Eyed Peas and method man use this service! Make demos and pass them out for free. Not just to club owners and promoters for gigs but, also to anyone else who will listen. It’s all about building awareness and creating your fanbase. Post your demo on any forum for free download on all your social sites, websites and any public forum or blog that caters to your style of music. Viral marketing is key these days. Once people start seeing it up there, if they like it they will post it on their blogs & myspace and it just spreads like that. If you are a dj feature your logo prominently on your dj gear, laptop, record labels, slipmats (Anything that people look at while you play).

As a dj if you want to take things to the next level you also have to learn to produce your own music and then promote it the same way you would your mixes. First give it away for free to gain awareness and then either get signed to a label or start your own label or both. If you are running your own label you have promote your ass off times a million. You are not only promoting your brand as an artist but also your labels brand. All the same things apply. Regarding getting gigs populate promoters and club listings and hit them up via email or phone. Try to make contact before sending a demo so they know its coming. Go out to local club nights that you would want to perform at and hand your demo out to clubgoers, promoters, and club owners. If promoters see you showing face and supporting their night they are more likely to book you in the future.

THE REVIVAL from EMERGENCE Media on Vimeo.