Jesse G
DJ | Promoter
If you work in Hard Wax, you’re going to meet vinyl collectors from all walks of life. If you’re a DJ and an employee of the store, you’re going to have a refined record collection. That is a fact. In Jesse G’s case, the Hard Wax staff member has used the advantage of working in one of Berlin’s most prolific record shops to the full extent. With a whirlpool of knowledge on every conceivable genre, Jesse is the epitome someone who has been surrounded by vinyl and vinyl enthusiasts for quite some time; all of her recent sets prove this point.
Situated in Kreuzberg, Hard Wax is an established spot for those who are partial to buying records and for Jesse, her own collection is a far-reaching dig into the pit of electronic music and unearths a plethora of textures. From the tones of trippy techno to weighty breakbeat chuggers, Jesse’s sets weave a myriad of soundscapes. Anyone who considers themselves a DJ would know that mixing vinyl is a whole other kettle of spiders compared to CDJs. Well-versed in this regard, Jesse’s precision in layering wax-based sounds has made her an alluring DJ within the maelstrom of artists residing in Berlin.
Despite describing herself as an ‘unknown DJ’, Jesse has played in Tresor, //:aboutblank, Ziegrastraße 11, Loophole Berlin, and Paloma to name a few, and has played for every Deep Trouble and Sieistguterjunge party in the German capital. Co-running Deep Trouble with RJ Sturm and Smitti91, and heavily involved with the FLINT* techno series Sieistguterjunge, both parties acted as a springboard for Jesse to hone her skills and gain more confidence playing out to a crowd. Mutations of techno, acid, electro and jungle were fed out to a staunch audience until the two events came to a halt due to COVID-19.
The pandemic has made a considerable dent in Jesse’s schedule, but she has remained busy with live streams and mixes for HÖR, NBZ, Acud Macht Neu and continuing work in Hard Wax. The below memory comes from a time when Jesse was still building her experience as a burgeoning DJ and promoter of Deep Trouble, which she elaborates on further, as well as sharing how she is truly feeling at the moment and more…
Photo: Albina Maks
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it?
I actually wanted to choose a photo that I took and where I’m not necessarily in it, but going through my photos I realised I barely take any photos while I’m at a party or after. I chose this photograph even though it’s also my Facebook profile photo and has been used for many events as a promo photo, so it’s not a private photo that no-one has seen before. But I thought it fits the occasion of this interview.
My friend Bina took this photo during my set that I played at the second party of the event series that I organise with my friends, which is called ‘Deep Trouble’. We used to have the parties in a location close to S-Bahn Sonnenallee. This photo must have been taken 3 years ago? It’s funny to look at it now, knowing how nervous and stressed I used to be when we started to organise this party series and how scared I always was that no one would show up.
I think also from a DJ perspective it reminds me how differently I played at that time and how much I developed my DJ skills as well as the way I listen to music and present it.
Beside this I really loved the location and our parties. It always had the nicest crowd and this cool underground vibe that people always look for. Our parties never had a mainstream focus and we always kept in mind to keep a bit of our ‘punk DIY’ attitude while planning and organising those parties. I hope that after the pandemic there will be more small underground parties happening that don’t really focus too much on the names on the line up but more on the party, the crowd and the vibe.
How have you been over the last few months and what's life like in Berlin these days?
In March I had a small existential crisis, like I imagine most people had, about the uncertainty of whether my basic life structures would continue and I definitely had some emotional ups and downs over the last months related to the political events that have happened. Since there aren’t many legal parties happening at the moment, which means I generally have less gigs and am not organising any parties at the moment, I’ve been using this time to be more politically active.
All in all, from my perspective the summer in Berlin was still ok, you can see your friends again, go to bars, cafes, museums etc. It's definitely different but people adapt to all sorts of things and I think generally the restrictions due to corona were less strict in Berlin than in many cities. I think that based on the opportunities you have here, of course apart from the existential questions like stable income, being able to pay your rent etc., compared to other places, Berlin is a relatively okay place to be in the middle of a pandemic.
You've done a few live streams since March, including one for Arte's 'United We Stream' as part of a Hard Wax showcase. How do you feel playing live in front of a camera, are you used to it now or does it feel weird?
It’s true that the United We Stream Hard Wax showcase wasn’t my first time playing in front of a camera, but I think I haven’t been as nervous as I was then in years. Not because of the camera but more because my colleagues were there and were watching me. I also wasn‘t aware of how many people actually watch United We Stream...
Even though I’ve been in front of a camera quite often this year (especially at Hör), I don’t really like to play in front of a camera. I would say I’m more used to it now but I’m still not a camera person. I also can’t watch any of my streams, it makes me uncomfortable and I also never read the comment section.
Of course, you can’t compare standing in front of a camera and playing at a party. I also believe that the music should be in the foreground and not the DJ which is always a bit difficult when you have a video, because you automatically watch instead of just listen.
In the beginning my biggest fear was definitely ‘if I mess something up, it’s there forever’ but the internet is so fast, that if you mess it up there will be already another person messing it up too (messing up is totally fine!).
But on the other hand there are also positive things about it: people from all over the world can see different DJs playing, since not everywhere is lucky enough to have such a privileged club culture like Berlin, also my Mum and other family members saw some of my streams and for them it was the first time to actually see what I’m doing. Also, for unknown DJs like me it can be an opportunity for people you don’t know to listen to your streams. All in all, it’s important to be critical about it but also to see good sides about it.
In terms of music, what have you been listening to recently and have you discovered any particular sounds or artists that have helped to inspire or creatively motivate you, or have just added some colour to your day?
I wouldn’t say I discovered a particular sound but I spend more time on Bandcamp now which helps me to find different artists and different genres. I think not playing in clubs shifted me away from being too focused on techno and typical club music.
So I actually think it’s quite inspiring to not be in clubs regularly and be influenced by the club sets of other artists, but instead to have this time and kind of have an uninfluenced mindset to also think outside of a club context. I mean I did this before as well but now I would say I have more time and mental capacity to try out different things and try to make it better fit together.
I think it’s been less about discovering particular sounds and more about discovering my own sounds if that makes sense. I think this year has been a whole shake but it’s also given me the time to better find out who I am and how I can express that through music.
There are artists who inspire me of course and I think the list would be too long to even begin with, but I think one big discovery for me was a label that my good friend Arthur B. showed me: Hakuna Kulala.
At this moment in time, how do you feel about the future?
Honestly really bad. If you just look at everything that’s happened and is happening, there were so many moments like the Australian bush and the Amazon burning, this pandemic or the big peak of the Black Lives Matter movement – just to mention a few events – that all had the potential to force people to question the structures of our capitalist society, racism, environmental issues etc. and could have been chosen as a possibility to really deeply think about these things and try to change them but actually nothing has changed, everything continues the way it always has.
So, since a while my question isn’t how I feel about the future. The question is more; who actually has the privilege to feel anything about the future and imagine a future for themselves? Not even to mention the club scene. I doubt that those, who posted a black square, will remember this next year since it already seems that most can’t even remember it now. But this is just talking about the future as something big. In smaller circles and scenes, I have the feeling that things can change to become something positive and actually already have. Even though my answer is quite pessimistic, I try to make myself think about the future optimistically (even it doesn’t happen so often) because otherwise there is no reason to be politically active and I do believe it’s important to come together and resist in a way that it can change the future into something good.
What’s the one thing that has remained a constant source of comfort or escapism for you throughout the upheaval of 2020?
This is super cheesy, but I would definitely say my partner who manages to make me feel safe even when I feel like I’m the lowest I can be and feeling the most fearful. Then of course my family and hanging out with my really close friends.
Besides this, definitely digging for music, discovering new artists and tracks and playing new music. But also just being at home in my flat helps me a lot to feel comforted. I also recently rediscovered Pétanque and really hope I will finally find an exercise activity for the next months (I’ve been saying this since years though...).
Listen to one of Jesse’s HÖR sets here and follow her below: