The Mix 049: Evissimax

You’ve obviously got a big mix of different genres that you’re into. What from your upbringing inspired your music taste today?

Oh, I think because being biracial – my dad’s Italian, my mum’s Nigerian – they’re both very proud of their cultures and heritage. So they really instilled in me that I’m a proud Italian, and a proud Nigerian. Whenever people would ask me which I prefer, which is also such a weird question to ask, I’m like, what?! I would always say they’re both the same to me.

Both of my parents have always had very distinct tastes. My dad is very much rock ‘n’ roll and old skool Italian songs that are very gut wrenching and beautiful. My mom has always been into R&B, soul, and hip hop. I grew up listening to both since I was a kid, I was an emo girl and would listen to Lil Wayne and Linkin Park, and those were my two extremes. I think that just evolved into me kind of appreciating everything. I’ve tried to make a set that’s just one genre, but I get bored. I think it’s fun to dabble in a little bit of everything.

Is there anything linking the genres that you dabble in? What is it that draws you to those sounds do you think?

That is such a good question… hmm! In my DJ sets, which is different from what I would listen to day to day, I really like to go for things that make you feel good. I like that feeling of movement and things that make you want to just move and celebrate life in some way. Whether it’s very hard-hitting techno, or it’s a groovier sound, or Jersey, ghetto, rap. The club experience is a celebration, that’s genuinely how I see it. It’s a room, almost like a sermon, and we’re all just celebrating before we go back to our daily lives. But in that moment, we’re celebrating life – we’re celebrating being there. That’s always how I try to see it.

So what’s club culture like at home in Milan? Is it still going strong?

COVID did a big number on the club scene, there was definitely a shift. I think there’s still a big need for diversity within the scene here, to be honest. Everything is very Eurocentric, and in my opinion, there’s only one party right now that exists in Milan, which is Trrrmoto, and it’s a Latin-core party. Everyone is queer, everyone is Latinx, and that’s the only party that does that which is crazy to me. They started out less than a year ago, and they’re doing amazing things. I’m so happy for them, but we need more of that. We need more marginalised communities coming together and creating a space within the alternative dance realm, because there are parties that are Afro and ghetto, but I wish that there was a party for all of us. Just having fun and a safe space where I could go and see people that look like me and feel represented, and it’s not only one specific genre of music, but celebrating all genres of music.

I’ve actually been trying to host my first party for such a long time, and finally, I’m going to throw it in April! I’ve been waiting for so long because it’s my goal, aside from DJing, I wanted to get to a point of having my own party and my own space for people to come into, and just get into my world. I want to create something that’s for everyone. It’s our space, it’s our community, we have fun, and that’s it.

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So how have you personally navigated that Eurocentric landscape as a mixed race woman? Has it been hard to work through those obstacles, and have you felt the presence of those barriers?

I’ve definitely felt those barriers. It’s never something that I try to focus on because I don’t want to think about it too much. But I’ve been told that the only reason why I get booked is because I’m a woman or because I’m Black. I’ve always, since the beginning, felt that pressure. I put so much pressure on myself, because I know that I have to be the best to even be put on the same level as people who are, and this isn’t to shade on anyone, but it’s just how it is as a society. On the same level as people who might be mediocre, I have to be the best I can be to be given the same opportunities as someone who’s not trying their best. So I put that pressure on myself all the time.

I’ve never skipped a gig, I even played when I had a 40-degree fever. I’ve done all of this because I don’t have the privilege to be picky or to say no to things, or to not give 100% every time. So that’s how I feel in my own personal experience, that I navigate through it and I hear it, and in a way, it gives me that push to think, ‘I have to be the best’. But not in the sense of competition, just in the sense that it’s literally what I have to do to be given the same opportunities.

It’s a motivator, right? You’re saying, ‘No, actually, I deserve a space here, so let me show you how great I am’.

Exactly. I have to be at the point where no one can say shit to me. I can say confidently, I’m a good DJ, and no one can say shit to me. The confidence of being able to say that, because people are gonna say shit about me regardless

Yeah, just dust it off and keep owning it. How has your music and DJing developed since you first began?

When I started DJing, obviously I was still trying to find my sound and find my feet within this new world. The tracks that I played in the beginning, I still love them. I still listen to my old stuff. It’s so fun, amazing, 10 out of 10. When you’re starting out, and I love to quote my queen Doechii, you’re allowed to be bad at it, so I allow myself. I was bad at it because I was learning. I think my taste evolved, and more so than my taste, I found what is personally important for me during a set, which is the flow of it. As someone that plays different genres, it was hard for me to get to a point of figuring out how to maintain a stable flow while still mixing in different genres, because it’s very easy to do that when you’re playing one specific thing. If you’re playing hard groove, hard house, techno, and you’re doing the same thing, it’s very easy for you to just go with the flow. Meanwhile, you’re playing different genres, and when I go to the club, I like to be able to shake my ass and twerk. I also like to lock in and be really into what I’m hearing, and into the set. So I like to find a way to merge those two things, of twerking, but still locked in! Locked in twerking.

Tell me more about the event you’re launching…

The name of the party will be ‘Gyrate’, because I really like the idea of uncontrollable movements. I’m very excited! This is kind of a spoiler, but it’s going to be announced very soon.

You’ve previously said that you didn’t used to like clubbing, but it sounds like you’re into it now?

Oh my god, I was such an old lady. My friends were so shocked when I started DJing. They’re like, ‘what the fuck!’. I always loved music and, this is still my biggest issue, I am quite extreme. Balance has been what I’ve been trying to achieve for the last three years. I either stay until the very end, or I don’t go. This was who I used to be, I would come from the very beginning, because I’m like, I have to get my money’s worth! I would stay until 5:AM dancing the whole time. I love the club, to be honest, and I love when the club is clubbing, when people are dancing and having fun – that’s what I go for. I don’t like when I go to the club and there’s too many lights, and the focus isn’t on the vibe but more so on the DJ. To me, the focus should be on the people dancing. I should be curating the night for the people that are dancing, not for the DJ. The DJ is going to do the thing either way, but the people, they have to have fun.

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So what do you think of phones on the dancefloor?

The best parties that I’ve been to? No one is on their phone. Obviously, because you’re locked in. As a partygoer, no phones ever. As a DJ that’s aware of the importance of social media, I understand that people having phones is the reason why a lot of people get booked, because they film the key moment. I’ve talked to promoters who have literally told me that I got booked only because of my social media, which is like… Why are you telling me that?! Like, you didn’t hear my mixes? Okay!

For my party, I don’t want to specifically tell people not to bring their phones. There’s a really cool party, and I’m trying not to make them become too mainstream. What I like about it is that they haven’t really pushed anything, things have happened organically. They don’t put any stickers on phones, but no one is on their phone because they’ve curated the night in such a way that the people who go there appreciate the culture. I think that if you curate your night well enough and you create a community that resonates with the party that you’re throwing or with yourself, it’s gonna happen, because if you’re the only person with your phone out, you’re gonna feel weird. So, I feel it also slowly trains the people around you without outwardly saying: ‘You have to put a sticker on your phone’. I also think sometimes it’s fun to have videos and it’s a cute moment. I don’t know! I have contradicting feelings about it. I still haven’t decided what I feel, but I’m leaning more towards no phones in the club, personally.

And finally, can you tell us about your mix?

This is a classic Evissimax club mix, very high energy from beginning to end while playing around with genres. Some hard drummy ghetto rap techno fun!

Henrietta Taylor is Mixmag’s Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter