DJ MELL G
DJ | Producer | Label Boss
‘Mell g is too ill her own tracks are hard too’. DJ MELL G hasn’t played in front of a crowd for the majority of this year. All she knows for sure is the sound of her tracks bouncing off the four tiled walls of HÖR and wherever else she records her sets, and the comments like the one above that are the only indicator she’s giving her listener’s what they want.
The Hamburg-based German artist has been ploughing through a plethora of ghettotech, footwork, electro, house and much more both in the comfort of her own home and out on the airwaves with live streams for HÖR, Radio Blau, Rinse and more. The pandemic has meant that Mell cannot play in clubs or at large-scale events this year - something which was coming full force towards her just before the landscape for DJing and partying faced a tumultuous change back in March.
Mell has still managed to share her sound and what she is all about online. Mastered with precise mixing, she pulls off her sets with quick-fire blending; if mixers could sweat, all that would be left would be a pile of melted plastic after the workout Mell inflicts. From the start, Mell grips her audience and invites them further down the rabbit hole of breaks, RnB, trap and bold vocals amongst other drama along the way.
The below memory comes from a time when open-airs were considered a summertime thing and not the only way to host a party safely. Mell recalls it below and shares what she has been working on, who she has been listening to and more…
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it? What was the music vibe at the time?
This photo was taken in June 2018 at 7am at one of our open-airs in Marburg near Frankfurt am Main. The timetable had shifted so much that I played my first electronic set at 7am and I was so excited because I had only played trap and hip hop before. And I was sober. I had been the organiser and had to drive the van. The vibe was still there.
In 2018 I was still so afraid of turntables and CDJs that I had hung up with my own controller (haha).
In the background you can see a part of my Marburg gang, to whom I owe my musical influence and the way I play music. At this point big thanks and love to Thinh, Bella aka. Bbybando, Ellen aka. LN(x) and to Lukas aka DJ DR 660.
Musical vibe was ghettohouse, footwork and electro. I discovered so much new and old music at that time, that I wanted to mix everything. Actually just like today.
How have you been over the last few months and what is life currently like in Berlin?
Although I live in Hamburg, I've been in Berlin a lot lately. That was actually one of the reasons to move to Hamburg, so that I'm close enough to the capital. At the beginning of the lockdown I produced my first two ‘real’ tracks, which I didn't see as trash myself. Surprise. They are called ‘i fcck as i live’ and ‘break y0 neck’. One month later I released my debut ‘Booty Fabulous’ under my own name without a label. Amazingly, it went well and was well received. I also think that the pandemic played a big role there. People had/have time to discover music, and so did mine.
Concerning the DJ-topic...well, I think we all have to struggle to stay afloat financially. Streams and radio gigs like HÖR, Radio Fritz and Rinse FM give us reach but no money. How could they? They don't have any money themselves. I want to use this time now to produce as much and as good as possible, record as many podcasts and play streams as much as I can so that hopefully next year we can play live. The funny thing is, I have never played at big events before corona.
My gig at OXI garden in September with Agyena, DJ Spit, MCR-T and Partiboi69 was actually the biggest and first officially paid gig so far. Oh damn, crazy time.
Dropped out of my law studies for music. Don't regret it in any case.
You've played on HÖR, Radio Blau and done a string of podcasts over the summer, sharing a whole blend of electro, breakbeat, ghettotech, jungle and all sorts. What or who is the inspiration behind your varied library? Also, your mixes are quite fast-paced and make full use of the mixer. How do you decompress after doing a mix, particularly a live mix on camera?
Difficult to answer that exactly. If someone asks me which genre I play, I name at least 5 genres. In my opinion, there is no general term. I only play tracks that I love myself. No half measures. And since I'm a fan of speed, I pitch songs that normally run at 130 bpm up to 150.
It all started with ‘What Deez Bitches Want’ by DJ Deeon. A friend of mine sent me the song on Spotify. I put it into a playlist, which I expanded with classic ghettohouse. Through my friends Thinh and Ellen I got to know DJ DR-660, Luz1e aka DJ Tabledance and Toni Moralez aka DJ Disrespect. And then I started looking further and found all the producers/DJs from the underground. I fell in love with kick rolls and razor sharp snares etc etc etc…I have discovered so much new music for me lately and want to play it all and then see how I can mix it. Often it's just crazy fast cutting, a lot of gimmicks and backspins haha. S/o to aitch, my studio mate. You are definitely one of the talented DJs.💜
After every set I need my 10 minutes to get back to reality. To be honest I have a short sit down and ask myself: Ok, wow. Now what? But I think that's because I only play in front of cameras or record a podcast in my studio alone. Happy faces and feedback are missing.
But being able to control speed gives me so much energy and power. I love that.
Are there any artists on your radar who have caught your attention at the moment and if so, who are they?
I can't get enough of Garneau, Dagga, Shawn Cartier, Club Cab and Plus Size Models right now.
Label-wise, Raiders Records from Berlin deserves even more attention. There is so much behind every release and I don't know if everyone understands it. an't wait until the Queens of Club compilation is released. GET DEEZ FEMALE PRODUCERS TO THE TOP!
What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
A lot should happen this year.
Apart from a few tracks that are still on the release list, some podcasts and interviews, my 4-track EP with Destroy (St. Petersburg) will be released in November via Childsplay (London). Also I have produced tracks, which will be released on vinyl (finally).
Besides that I want to start my own label this year, which my team and I have a lot of plans for. Merch will finally be there too. The rest is still a secret hihi.
What has been a source of calm/comfort for you throughout 2020 so far?
My recent move to an apartment that I can finally call my home.
Phone calls with my grandma.
Every song by King Krule.
Charlotte and Juren.
Listen to DJ MELL G’s latest set for BCCO here and follow her below: