It is fitting that number 4 in our running monthly series of mixes by trans/cis women and NB musicians - make space please - is by techno raver and peripatetic roamer Pooja B. For number 4, Pooja B brings a proper four-to-the-floor moving meditation mix - a snippet from a 4-hour set she played in Sisyphos earlier this year for May Day.
"It was probably one of the most challenging gigs for me physically and mentally. With2 planes to hop right after the gig to get back to Dubai to join work, being hungover for the journey wasn't an option so I was sober which means my nerves were through the roof," writes Pooja in her email to us.
"This is one of Sisyphos' biggest marathon parties running straight for 6 days and I had to keep the dancers going on day three at the techno floor Hammahalle. The massive sound system took a while for me to get used to which is quite apparent in this mix. It took every bit of my energy that night and a LOT of Club Mate to keep up with the ravers coz they didn't want to stop or even want a break track for a breather," she explains.
These nerves are entirely absent from the mix itself, as you will soon hear, for the mix belies ineptitude in any form. It is easy to imagine her decks-deep, Club Mate in tow, with a mix clean as can be and a clear sense of groove.
Aside from being a resident at Analog Room, Dubai, Pooja produces music as 'ikigai' and also co-founded the EQ Way collective in India and also curates 'The EQ Way' radio show on Flux Music (Berlin), bringing attention to under-the-radar female-identifying artists.
Prepare for the push-and-pull of slamming hard techno and slightly rosier dub techno:
Here is what you can expect from Pooja B in days to come. The first on the cards is a remix of Vitor Saguanza's Spectral Sailor on Underdub Records, Portugal that you can sample here. Another yet is a two-track EP named Komorebi our on December 2, 2019 on SMR Underground, Italy, with a remix from Nerveclinic.
Written by Uvika Wahi
