IMOGEN: “I love things to be raw and emotive”
IMOGEN for „Electric Lights – Women in Electronic Music“, Photos by Katja Ruge.
Seeing IMOGEN recently for the first time at Tresor was a real kaput experience. She djs with great enthusiasm and dares to experiment. Same goes for her releases on labels like fabric and Earwiggle, bringing together lust for techno, electro and the adventures in the gaps between. We are very happy to get her excites for “Electric Lights”.
Which music was the first to touch/inspire/move you? What made it so special and standing to you?
When I was growing up my Mum was an old raver so we always had dance music playing in the house. I remember plump DJs and The Prodigy on repeat, and we would listen to a lot of acid house. I then started to listen to some house music and drum and bass when I started finding music myself. I think this had a massive inspiration on my music today and that’s why breakbeats will always have a special place in my heart.
Have there been people whose contribution to the development of your musical identity was of special importance? (regardless if inspiring or challenging)
My best friend Ben Pest, he has helped me develop my own sound a lot. We have collaborated on a lot of music together now and before that when I went to music school he was my sound design teacher. A few years passed and we reconnected as we had a very similar music taste, learning from him back then was so inspiring and I learned so much and now when we are in the studio together we have a vibe which I haven’t found as strong with any other producers. I think this is very rare for a collaboration to become so seamless.
IMOGEN for „Electric Lights – Women in Electronic Music“, Photos by Katja Ruge.
What do you hope to find in music? (both your own music and the ones of others?)
I also hope to find a stand out energy in music, it can be various types but when I listen to music I really need to feel the energy in the track. I’m not bothered if it’s not ‘perfect’ , sometimes that’s a lot better. I love things to be raw and emotive and I try to portray this too within my own music,
What do you prefer, the seclusive working process in a studio or the live presentation of your music in front of the audience?
Currently I am really loving music production in the studio and feel super inspired. I find it really hard to be proactive with DJing as well as music production. My brain always goes in a phase of swinging towards one or the other so I see why people have to take time off touring to focus in the studio! Some of the music I’m writing at the moment isn’t specifically club music so it feels more personal, I would love to build my own live set one day with this music and then I feel like that would be the best experience for me.
IMOGEN for „Electric Lights – Women in Electronic Music“, Photos by Katja Ruge.
What is your ideal space/place to listen to music?
It really depends what type of music it is, of course if its dance music my favourite place is a good sound system in a club. If it’s a vinyl too when the booth is set up properly and you can tell the system is made for records there really is no better sound. I love that feeling so much. I am always listening to music on the go too, after gigs I try to rest my ears but I love listening to more chill music on the journey home, it is always such a vibe.
Whenever I write music I always listen to it on the road, I think you get a much better idea of the track when you step away from the studio and listen to it when you’re getting about your day to day life.
Please name female artists without whose music you wouldn’t be producing music?
Imogen Heap, her music is so beautiful and I find I have always connected with her and loved finding out about her history and story. Helena Hauff too, the first time I watched her play was probably the first time I ever heard a proper banging electro set and ever since then I found my love for electro and watching that set also made me want to collect and play out more vinyl. This was over 6 years ago now so I am very grateful for that day and it makes me proud to think now we have played b2b as little as I would have never imagined it!
IMOGEN for „Electric Lights – Women in Electronic Music“, Photos by Katja Ruge.
What empowers you or helps you to overcome obstacles and challenges in your work?
I have always been a driven person and if I say I’m going to do something I make sure I do, not saying that it is has always worked in my favour having this mind set haha! Being grateful and realising what an amazing precious life I live always makes me strive to overcome challenges and power through. I also love my job too, I am completely obsessed with music, so a lot of the time it doesn’t feel like work and I think it’s good to have challenges and hard times, without that how would we be able to appreciate the highs?
Which music did you buy most recently that carries a lot of value/meaning for you?
DJ Plant Textures new release on return to disorder, I love the energy in each of those tracks they are all so powerful and each are completely different emotionally but with a similar energy and thats what I really love in a release
IMOGEN for „Electric Lights – Women in Electronic Music“, Photos by Katja Ruge.
What would be a fantasy venue or event to dj or play live at?
Draimollen festival to DJ, it looks so beautiful.
What is your favorite app/technology/instrument to create sounds with?
My modular, it is my baby 🙂
IMOGEN for „Electric Lights – Women in Electronic Music“, Photos by Katja Ruge.
This interview with IMOGEN is part of the ongoing photo-project “Electric Lights – Women in Electronic Music” by Hamburg based photographer Katja Ruge and Kaput co-publisher Thomas Venker focused on the role of women in electronic music.
Each photoshoot is accompanied by a short interview, based on a personalised questionnaire. The interviews will be published on the kaput website on a monthly basis, before finding their way into a book.
