“That instilled in me the love of night,” the DJ recalls. Honey Dijon dropped a statement-making remix of Lady Gaga‘s “Free Woman” this week and sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss how it all went down in an illuminating, wide-ranging interview.. Honey Dijon is transgender. So I hope that it allows not just trans women, but all types of people, to just hopefully have the mindset that they can do what they want.”, (LEFT) Jacket and tights GUCCI, sunglasses RAY-BAN, earring PEBBLE LONDON Because disco is what became house, so I discovered disco first, definitely. I’ll definitely check it out. I’m sorry but I just can’t answer that any further. Nothing is allowed to mature and nothing is allowed to evolve; everything is digested and spit out and done quickly. Wie Honey Dijon die vielen Höhen und Tiefen des Lebens meistert und sich dabei nicht selbst verliert, hat sie uns im Gespräch verraten. Soon she wanted to be the one dropping the needle on the record whenever they held parties in the family basement and the lure of club life soon followed. CR Fashion Book and CR MEN have unveiled their new cover stars for Carine Roitfeld’s latest issues (18 and 12, respectively) “AIR CR” which stars models Hailey Bieber and Rebecca Leigh Longendyke, actress Barbie Ferreira, rapper J Balvin, singer Lous & The Yakuza, and DJ and producer Honey Dijon (who also serves as the title’s first-ever guest editor). Honey Dijon – legal name, Honey Redmond – is a force. Interviews LGBTQ2S. @katehutchinson Email Well then can I ask you how see yourself in a political sense? Subscribe to our YT channel: http://blrrm.tv/subscribe She doesn’t have time to waste, she doesn’t suffer fools, and her command of a room is instant. artforum.com — Honey Dijon is a DJ and producer based in New York and Berlin. Jake Bugg - All I Need; Michael Kiwanuka -Money; Michael Kiwanuka - Solid Ground; Starcrawler - Bet My Brains; HMLTD: "POY Deepfake" Marika Hackman - The One In an interview with the magazine, she dished on the popular HBO Max show, praising the writers for not making her character, Kat Hernandez, a submissive wallflower. But Marvin insisted and so he started that trend for singers baring it all; with people like Jodie Mitchell and Carol King coming later. I don’t know. Soon she wanted to be the one dropping the needle on the record whenever they held parties in the family basement and the lure of club life soon followed. The notorious partymakers, famed for their immersive, wild-as-fuck events, have casually commandeered a fleet of hot air balloons … It’s tantalising; music that sounds humid. What that means is that a lot of people don’t know that they can be or do something if they haven’t been presented with it; I realised I’m probably one of the few trans woman of colour to design a fashion collection, which is kind of mind-blowing. Still from Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion’s 2020 video WAP, directed by Colin Tilley. As an African American person…. Wow… that’s one of those worrying realities of life, isn’t it? TI:ME:CO:DE. And I have to thank Berghain for that, they really took a risk on me and allowed me to just be me. She’s lounging in the backroom of a restaurant in the tiny village of La Seu in the Catalan Pyrenees, a place that would feel scarily remote had elrow not brought a massive party – SkyFest – to the mountainous region that evening. How many other clubs have female queer residents? These spaces are so needed because not everyone is straight, heteronormative and white! HD: It absolutely is. It was sort of a stand for me to say something cool, warm and hot.”, At the end of our conversation, I ask Dijon how she feels about potentially being a role model. That might sound very grand, but it’s true. She wants to get that straight. Or is it the monotonous music that is being played? These are very much the words of someone who knows who she is. Sound and Music Creation for Film. Honey Dijon's brazen style blends all genres without looking to the past. Nicolas Ghesquière. In a recent interview with The Quietus, she opened up about a plethora of topics, including her opinion on … Prepare for takeoff! Don’t get it twisted. It just doesn’t happen. Lora was a black, queer DJ who was close to Frankie Knuckles from his days at The Warehouse [the seminal Chicago club from which ‘house’ music got its name, which was open from 1977 – 1987, though Knuckles left in 1982], so she’s someone who was really there at the beginnings of things for me. DIJON: Honey, a lot of shit happened below 14th Street, let’s not get it twisted. Dijon is a provocateur not defined by genre, but ass-shakingly good times. “I think we’re all in a process of unlearning,” she ruminates. They call it a damn ‘selector’ these days but I was really just fascinated, I wanted to play that music that everyone was dancing to – because my parents would have parties in our basement – and it just lead on from there. After the craziness of the 60s culture died out with people like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin dying, the 70s was more about sexual revolution. HD: Oh, it definitely was not. She discovered this underground scene through her friendship with Derrick Carter, her inspiration as a DJ, along with Mark Farina, another Chicago DJ who would become a lifelong friend. So would you say that clubs have been a ‘safe space’ for you, to use a very fashionable term, as a Black trans woman? How are things in Berlin post-George Floyd? She plays fast and loose with the euphoric soundscape she creates, fusing disco, house, and techno, and incorporating anything from fizzing percussion akin to a bottle spraying uncontrollably around the room to syncopated bass over reggae-tinged melodies. “So someone put this question at me the other day, ‘how do you feel about people prefacing you as a black trans woman’,” she poses to me. Tracklist / Playlist for Honey Dijon & Cinthie - BBC Radio 1 2019-05-31, 31 tracks, House, Tech House Honey Dijon – legal name, Honey Redmond – is a force. Honey Dijon. Now a lot of people don’t get that this is the culture I’m from in NYC; punk rock as well as house. Ok, that’s actually a very concise definition, thank you. Interviews September 24, 2020 Maintaining His Brand, Trance Star Ben Gold Goes with the Digital Flow. Andrew Ryce travels to Manhattan to meet a lifelong vinyl obsessive. 1 hr of heavy house hitters from Honey Dijon at Boiler Room Berlin's 6th birthday party in Mitte. Or can they be again? And one thing to know about Dijon, is that she does not hold back. Now she’s more visible than ever before on club and festival line-ups worldwide, which is the reason for our chat. So that really set the tone for you as a music-lover? HD: Oh, I was a ‘selector’ [LAUGHS] from the age of three, so I am told. It’s there to stop tourists, to stop gawkers, to stop people who are not going to participate. If binary means just zero or one, there’s a whole hell of a lot of in-between, even in physics there’s more in-between, so I think it’s just a matter of society trying to catch up with that complex reality of life as it is lived. Through extensive exclusive interviews with titans of nightlife culture, Where Love Lives contributors Billy Porter, Honey Dijon, Kathy Sledge, Kiddy Smile, Lucy Fizz, John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez and many more explore how those driven to the margins of society are welcomed unconditionally to the centre of the dancefloor. “It was a spiritual awakening for me really; it was at the beginning of a lot of electro-pop and 80s new wave and disco and acid, and all of it was mashed together,” her voice glimmers. Honey Dijon And Tim K ft John Mendelsohn: Thunda Facebook Twitter Pinterest Not to toot my own horn, but I felt like this track had potential to cross over because John has such a great voice. But if we’re talking about clubs as places of safety, do they need to be overtly political, in a time when they’re under threat? “Yes, it’s weird as fuck. Honey Dijon her long-term love of music, art and 1979. 1 IAN ISIAH, AUNTIE (Juliet)One of my favorite albums of the year, by an amazing artist. HD: Well, all I can say is that I think I’ve been lucky enough to have some amazing experiences and I am happy to be able to pass them on. Dijon famously worked closely with Kim Jones to develop soundtracks for the . It’s not even surprising though. However, she is the first to admit her belief that the landscape has changed irrevocably, and not necessarily for the better. I’ve heard you mention her in interviews before, but she’s not someone whose part in the early house scene is well-known at all. New York is a very different place now than it was in the 90s and that is mainly because of gentrification; which you also see in all the big capital cities of the world, I mean London especially suffers from it too. That’s absolutely fine, no need to apologise. It takes years of introspection, dismantling boundaries, and — very often — pain to get there. Honey Dijon’s favourite tracks Kate Hutchinson. Honey Dijon Interview: Clubs and fashion have always been lovers Marko Kutlesa spoke to Honey Dijon about her history in Chicago and New York, … I agree with you about the music, to an extent, but I always think marketing is a part of the answer too. Honey Dijon Discusses Growing up as a Black Non-Binary Artist in New Podcast ... J. Cole Opens up About Growing as an Artist and HBO Documentary in New Exclusive Interview. “Initially they only wanted me to make two, but knowing me, I had to tell a story, so I did a pair from the 60s, 70s and 80s. She has settled nicely into her reputation as a DJ titan of sorts, but it wouldn’t be far-fetched to still call Dijon old school. And what could be mistaken for spikiness is actually just a direct, no-fucks mode of being. In fact I’ve fairly recently become friends with Bruce Forest who will tell me about how things were at Better Days [the 1972 – 1990 West Side NYC club where a young inexperienced Frankie Knuckles first started DJing, to cover for resident Tee Scott on the unpopular Monday and Tuesday night slots], so I’m still learning too. From soundtracking the catwalks of Louis Vuitton to playing at Panorama Bar, she straddles different worlds with deceptive ease but being a black trans artist is not an easy path to tread, says Manu Ekanayake. Right now, I am perched on a stool next to the Chicago native in a studio in East London as she jokingly does some damage control, swatting away any potential judgement while regaling me with wild tales of her formative years. I spoke to Honey Dijon to gain insight into these issues and the effect that the Black Lives Matter movement and death of George Floyd has had on the electronic music community. But trust me on this. People were just freer then – sexually, emotionally, in every way. FLEMING: I was in the right ’hood, at the right place, at the right time, and in some ways, the wrong place at the right time. In NYC especially, where I was a drag artist – as many trans people are before they are ready to live fully as a trans person – they were places I could go to feel safe, to feel good as myself, but also to earn a living where I didn’t have to sell drugs. Because ‘We’re Open’ is about making clubs places non-binary people especially feel comfortable especially, right? It was crazy that this young kid could go from hanging out in these punk rock clubs to booking these huge acts. I don’t live as a professional trans-person. There is no doubt about it, Honey Dijon is intimidating, but only in the measured and impatient way that can emit from someone who has lived many lives. Is the information not being passed down? Her sets at Panorama Bar have, by her own admission, bought her career to another level. HD: If I knew that I’d be a hell of a rich club owner right now, I’ll say that much. ... Honey Dijon … That picture is one of his, he’s a photographer nowadays, but he was huge on the NYC band scene from the 80s until the early 2000s, I think. I mean people said to me, “You cannot play vocals there!” But I knew that was bullshit because I played at Ostgut [the Berlin club’s late 90s / early 2000s predecessor] and anyway, I’m not scared of vocals when I play. Renowned for his fierce, dancefloor-friendly arrangements, Ben Gold is … She captivates with her instinct, versatile sound and dazzles the club and fashion circuit in London, Paris, Berlin and New York. Foto: Florian Hetz (Honey Dijon) Zusätzlich zu unserer ausgiebigen Honey Dijon-Titelgeschichte in der aktuellen Groove-Ausgabe hat sich die Produzentin und DJ, deren Best Of Both Worlds am Freitag erscheint, euren Fragen gestellt. I’m from a blue-collar town, and so it’s weird. Honey Dijon interview: 'We haven't had a social revolution in a long time' By Michael Hennegan 9 December 2018 If you're not familiar with Honey Dijon, she's major People used to move around and be more open-minded because the boundaries weren’t so clearly defined. Honey Dijon is constantly driven by the many positive things in her life. It talks about having to drive away and “vomit” up certain demons to finally be able to “walk on the earth as though [you] had a right to be here”. And I live by two things: just because someone told you so, just because someone said something, doesn’t make it true.”, Dijon has fully conquered every world she has traversed, and her influence is ubiquitous. Honey Dijon … [LAUGHS] No, well, I was asked to do it; it’s as simple as that. They let me be me, anyway. That is not the case now, for the most part. As a wholly independent publication, we rely entirely on our ad bookings to keep The Quietus going. Lest hier Honey Dijons Ask The DJ-Special! I play music vibrationally so people can feel good – I don’t care about playing some rare fucking tune so that three guys at the back can nod to themselves at how clever I am. How about as a DJ? Honey Dijon dropped a statement-making remix of Lady Gaga's "Free Woman" this week and sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss how it all went down in an illuminating, wide-ranging interview. Post Frankie Knuckles dying, I always think: how many Black, queer producers are there now? Honey Dijon is looking remarkably composed for someone who’s just been DJing inside a hot air balloon. As is the Dijon way, she resists such constrictive terminology, instead offering a new phrase, a shimmering world that removes the pedestal and democratises her existence. Share. It’s no surprise that Dijon has quickly become a celebrated figure in the industry, and her high-profile rise as one of the few trans women of colour in music and fashion has been noted, as well as her vocality for trans rights – but the two are not mutually exclusive. That must be quite a relief for you, as New York has been so important to you as a DJ – and personally too, of course? I read an interview you did in 2017, and you talked about the music you were coming up to in Chicago as a youth, and how it was attached to cultural and social change. After nearly 40 years of house music culture there’s a feeling that we are going to again own our own spaces and feel safe in them. That’s how I ended up DJing for fashion brands; I just got to know the people from being out and from DJing. Read the choicest cuts from the Quietus archive: reviews, features and opinion, Palm Desert Discs: John Garcia's Favourite Albums, Understand The Feeling: Fenriz Of Darkthrone's Favourite House Records, New Weird Britain: Noel Gardner's 2019 Round-Up, The Quietus Writers' 50 Favourite Dance Remixes, A Tower Of Songs: Sylvie Simmons' Favourite Music, Zoning Out: Meemo Comma's Favourite Albums, What Keith Flint Taught Me About Being An Essex Boy, By Manu Ekanayake, “Honey, Everything Is Marketing” - An Interview With Honey Dijon, Getting The Mask On: The Black Madonna Interviewed, Visions Of The Country: Alison Cotton Interviewed, Real Drool Time: An Interview With Part Chimp, It’s Like The New Past – Life Without Buildings Interviewed, A Sacred Geography: Ivan Zoloto Interviewed. HD: Well like all the best lovers they approached me first! Prepare for takeoff! On the lab table this time is Honey Dijon’s reworking of ‘Ooh La La‘, a radio-friendly pop tune from Jessie Ware. This project will select ten of the best female and non-binary DJs to be mentored by big-time talents like The Black Madonna, Nastia, Peggy Gou, Artwork and of course Dijon herself. I’ve really thought about this a lot, because as you know I work a lot in the fashion business, so it can be easy to fall into fashion rather than owning your own style. “I like to be a mirror of affirmation,” she says carefully after a deliberated pause. She even remixed disco deity (and LGBT+ hero) Sylvester’s track ’Stars’ for it with vocals by Sam Sparro (an EP of which will be out for Record Store Day). I just don’t do ‘group think’ on any level at all. On to the reason we’re actually sitting down together, can I ask how did you get involved in Smirnoff’s We’re Open campaign in the first place? The iconic DJ on the origins of her affinity for nightlife, the multi-faceted nature of being a trans black artist, and the importance of not waiting for other people’s permission. Earlier this year, she launched her namesake brand with Comme Des Garçons: Honey Fucking Dijon. Honey Dijon is transgender. In 2016, she was interviewed by the British television channel Channel 4 on the issue of trans visibility. 41 likes. “My mother hates that story!” she exclaims of a particularly memorable incident. Not very many, I can tell you. Now I feel that for me, when I stepped away from what was happening – and there was a long time I wasn’t working, what with electro and then minimal blowing up – and just looked to myself, a lot of things started happening for me. Dijon started as a club dancer and then was mentored by house music legends Derrick Carter, and later by Danny Tenaglia, moving to New York in the halcyon mid-90s, the “golden age before the internet”, amongst a mish-mash of “fashion designers, artists, prostitutes, drug dealers.” It was within this very cultural incubator that she sparked up collaborative friendships with a roster of legendary designers and stylists, who would invite her to do after-parties and, later, show soundtracks. He signed Metallica, you know? I know … When you start to say, ‘well, this doesn’t feel right anymore,’ then you just start to look for answers. Honey Dijon's brazen style blends all genres without looking to the past. What started as the underground music of black and Latino LGBT+ kids is now more white and middle class than ever. Where were you born and raised? I’m at the intersection of race, gender, and sexual orientation, and so you have to be clear with yourself in order to navigate a world that doesn’t value your existence. Not going to happen. It was my parents. And can I ask you what it’s like to DJ and party in NYC in these post-Giuliani and Bloomberg days? How much was house music that unifying liberalising force in your own life, then? When I ask her about the experience of people chanting her name and idolising her, she refreshingly decapitates it. Coat PREEN BY THORNTON BREGAZZI, tights ERDEM, shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, sunglasses RAY-BAN, necklace and bracelet PEBBLE LONDON, ring ALAN CROCETTI. So, vomiting up all the things that you were taught about yourself, it takes a long time to unlearn all those things that aren’t true. But if we can start off by going back to your own beginnings growing up in Chicago, I know your father was a huge Marvin Gaye fan in particular, so would you say that soul music – with its unifying, liberalising message – was the first driver for you musically? And I do... [Laughs]. HD: Well, it certainly was a force, but if you want to look at how it was a force, you have to understand disco first. Chicago. She talks about the heyday of New York and Chicago with an amber glow in her eyes, but instantly flinches when I refer to her as nostalgic. To find out more, click here. “I don’t like to be a role model because I swear, I drink, I have sex, I fuck up; I’m not perfect, and honestly – I don’t want that pressure. the RICARDO GOMES series / The Honey Dijon Interview. I realised that I based a lot of my self-hatred on the limitations of others, and that you give other people that much power because you’re conditioned to fall in line. If you’re looking for me to point at someone else and say, ‘That’s how I think about things’ then I’m sorry. That’s it; it’s there to protect what is inside a place that people take very seriously. Honey Dijon dropped a statement-making remix of Lady Gaga 's "Free Woman" this week and sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss how it all went down in an illuminating, wide-ranging interview. FLEMING: I was in the right ’hood, at the right place, at the right time, and in some ways, the wrong place at the right time. If you love what we do, you can help tQ to continue bringing you the best in cultural criticism and new music by joining one of our subscription tiers. She has been a vocal advocate for trans rights and awareness, speaking from her experience as a black trans woman DJ in dance music. I mean so technically gifted that even I wonder, ‘How the fuck are you even doing that?’”. Includes: "Linette", "Designer Gays: Makeover" "Miss Honey Dijon Interview" and "Wiggle 12" Episode #11 Those shopping network girls Deb and Sisi try selling the "Kitchen Magician" on late night TV, the kookiest kids show is revealed with a little help from Denis Simpson and … [LAUGHS] But overall I really feel that the internet separated everything: now everyone’s so locked into their own little niche. HD: Oh, Michael Alago! “It’s really cool because of their history with musicians,” gushes Dijon. Order your copy of the issue now. Gay clubs were known as forward thinking back in the day. “I only like techno, I only like dubstep.” Now you even get people who like genres from one place, like, ‘I only like German techno.’ Believe me, I’ve seen it. HD: No, that’s certainly true. I’m just at a point in life where I look at everything subjectively. I haven’t, I’m afraid. HD: Yes, absolutely! Taken from the Winter issue of Wonderland. I just saw you mention him and wanted to ask you about him, as I can see your Instagram is very much focused on people you find culturally interesting, from all the different worlds you inhabit – like fashion, clubs, art etc. I was friends with her younger brother, which is how I met her. Nowadays, she can be found on decks anywhere from Berghain’s Panorama Bar, to Art Basel, to festivals all around the world. Honey Dijon Discusses Growing up as a Black Non-Binary Artist in New Podcast: She also discusses BLM and her role as a creative. There are some exceptions, like the Berghains in Berlin, the Chapter 10s in London, the Battle Hymns in NYC, but they are the exceptions. I was like, “Who is this person?” I made it my mission after that to find you. I am really happy to share this in-depth interview with Honey Dijon with you guys. Honey Dijon dropped a statement-making remix of Lady Gaga‘s “Free Woman” this week and sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss how it all went down in an illuminating, wide-ranging interview. It was a daily part of life for us. Most people of colour are as vulnerable to marketing as most white people, after all. Please whitelist our site in order to continue to access The Quietus. (MIDDLE) Coat PREEN BY THORNTON BREGAZZI, tights ERDEM, shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, sunglasses RAY-BAN, necklace and bracelet PEBBLE LONDON, ring ALAN CROCETTI