Resident at Panorama Bar in Berlin, owner of a record label, prolific producer and remixer, vocalist, employee of Berlin’s revered Hard Wax record store: there are many strings to this lady’s bow. We catch up with Cassy ahead of her appearance in London for the latest installment of the ‘A Night With…’ parties
You were born in London and later studied here for three years. Do you have a sense of homecoming when you play here?
I was born in Surrey, which is kind of London I guess… I do actually have a sense of homecoming, but not so much with the clubs or music, more with the people, the streets, the general atmosphere.
What is your favourite thing about DJing in London?
fabric, the people I meet and the general openness to music
You’ll be playing a mammoth 8 hour set for ‘A Night With… Cassy’ on 17th. Tell us about how you prepare for a set of this length (something not extraordinary for you as resident at Panorama Bar but rather unusual for London). Do you plan your set rigidly in advance or rather map it out more vaguely?
Well I bring a lot of records, I have to... and then start off slowly, that's the plan. Take it easy and then take it up and down...
You started off in the industry as a vocalist rather than DJ or producer. Do you have any plans for vocal projects coming up?
I sing on my own productions. I have no plans as such or let's say my plan is to make a lot of music, which will definitely involve me singing. But there's no exact plan of what it should be like, look like etc.
Do you ever incorporate live vocals in your DJ sets?
No never, unfortunately. This is something I've been thinking about for a while. It has to be the right moment at the right time...
You are famous for being a vinyl-only DJ. Is this becoming increasingly difficult as the digital takeover gets ever bigger?
No it's not, actually. You just have to have sound checks and be more specific with technical requirements
How would you say your DJing affects your production, if at all?
not my djing, but my experiencing music on the dancefloor...
Your third release on your eponymous label came out this year. Do you have any more productions for release on the label this year?
No nothing planned. I have an upcoming release on Perlon. it should be out now... or more or less now.
So far you’ve only released your own material on your label. Do you have any plans to sign other artists or release collaborations?
No, just me. Egomaniac me. No it's too much work releasing other people, unfortunately. I wouldn't be able to manage.
I ask this question to most women I interview, so I apologise for the repetition, but I never cease to find the range of responses interesting. How would you describe your experience of being a female DJ in a male-dominated scene? Do you think that it is becoming easier and that the industry is becoming more balanced?
One thing that this industry definitely is not is balanced. I don't think that a higher number of female DJs would contribute to a form of balance on the contrary. I've had my share of problems, but because of myself [as] a woman. It's a challenge. Also there are fewer female DJs, because fewer women in the scene seem to be interested in music. It's more the men that seem to be interested in music, really... that's a fact. There are quite a few women interested in DJs, but not so much in music. And I'm sure there are women who are interested in DJs and music, as of course there are women who are interested in music and not so much the DJs, but these are definitely fewer than the ones who are interested in DJs.
It takes a lot of patience and courage to take oneself seriously and men do it more so, because they have been doing it for thousands of years, women only in some cultures or societies. It's a matter of choice. You make your bed, you lie in it... If I want to get ahead I have to accept the circumstances of the present. I can't get on in life as a woman neither ignoring the nastiness nor fighting it blindly. It's a give and take. We all have to learn from each other. I have learned many a good thing from men. Especially when it comes to music and how to treat your peers. I admire a lot of men and women equally.
People love to live in denial, it's what we do. It's the favourite pastime of western civilization, living in denial and escaping. We all do it, but there comes a point where history just keeps [on] repeating itself. I hate to make the same mistake more than, let's say, five times, to be gentle with myself... But what's the point of making a mistake if not making it fully and accepting that you’re an ass and you should better accept that we all are full of s**t... It's the only way of making progress to accept ones flaws and shortcomings. that's the hardest thing to accept, one's shortcomings. My god, sometimes you have to call a spade a spade and move on.
Finally, sum up a day in the life of the extraordinary Cassy...
Which day? a travelling day or a day at home. i don't know. not very interesting...
Leo Pollock