Violet: The ‘Shine A Light On’ Mix

 
Music

Residing in Lisbon, Violet is the moniker of Inês Coutinho.

In recent years the city has undergone a cultural evolution if you will as musicians and new talent rise from the undergrowth of Portugal's capital. Radio Quantica is one such aspect of this evolution, a local music station which was founded by Inês Coutinho and Marco Rodrigues in November of last year. In a short space of time the radio station has formed itself as a hub for a blossoming electronic community full of promise and aspiration. Inês Coutinho has been absolutely essential in the formation of such a platform, however, this has not prevented her from pursuing her own musical ventures. In recent years she has released music for the likes of Comeme and Snuff Trax. Her interests also see her play an important role in the push for gender equality within music, a keenly political character she also featured on a remake of Underground Resistance's widely loved "Transition" in honour of International Women's Day. Violet is an artist we can get on board with, listen to her mix and read the interview below…


Please introduce yourself. Who are you, where are you and what are you?

My name is Ines and I make music and DJ under the artist name of Violet (very googlable i know). right now i'm at the Rádio Quântica studio in Lisbon. It's 3am. I am… kind of sleepy – and a bit of a rebel when it comes to deadlines.

What does your music sound like? Can you draw what you think it sounds like for us (an image from the old internet is acceptable)? 

It sounds like a puppy that wants to be a dolphin. and vice-versa. look:

You found yourself recently soundtracking a fashion event, how did this differ from your usual musical outings?

Yes! i guess the biggest difference is that i had a briefing – and a strict deadline – to stick to. musically there is still a lot of freedom – i was working for someone who is very open minded and even risky when it comes to music. the first time (SS16) it featured my own productions, many of which had already been released, hence extremely true to my vibe. The second time (SS17) it was a collab with Photonz: he did the music and I wrote and performed the vocals. Although I do love letting music breathe and come back to it more organically to finish it, I have to say it worked surprisingly well to have a limited amount of time to come up with ideas, it made me find creative resources I hadn't mapped yet and  philosophically verify that our minds really are antennas of sorts – bottomless fountains of ideas straight outta the collective consciousness.

How would you describe your musical taste at present?

I think it's always been about emotion, within a wide range of genres. I look for a vibration on a piece of art, like i feel we all do. Can go from dark and moody to super optimistic really, as long as it speaks to me in some way.

How would you describe the evolution of radio Quantica?

It will turn 1 year old in three weeks. It started as a naive idea about bringing friends together to do something different in the radio scene here, as our fave artists and labels were not active in that medium. It quickly turned into something broader, and we got activists, visual artists and writers on board, turning it into a really big family – 110+ broadcasters and counting. It became a lot more relevant than we initially dreamed of, and that means the world to us – the community loves it and the shows keep surprising me in the best of ways. Fast forward to today and we have a studio in Lisbon that the lovely people at Praga theatre company let us use in their wonderful building, and our fav Lisbon club, and one of Europe's best by any standards, Lux, invited us to take over the 3 floors to celebrate our birthday on October 31st. Going forward, we want to keep pushing the people and projects we believe in, in Portugal and beyond – help create a healthy cultural underground.

Where was the mix recorded?

At the Radio Quantica studio in Lisbon. 

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

Sweaty basement rave with lasers and smoke machine please – this can happen in the actual world or in your head though (cos that's another actual world).

What should we be wearing?

Drag queen/king outfit and make-up.

What would be your dream setting to record a mix: Location, system, format?

Having a vibrational conversation with the crowd means the world to me and makes me a better DJ, so definitely at a rave (any rave with smiling faces tbf). Funktion-one system, that dreamy Formula Sound x Funktion-one new mixer that I used at Field Maneuvers (love yall), and a pair of 2000nexus CDJs.

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

Probably 'Aranha Vermelha´ by Lake Haze, our soon on One Eyed Jacks.

What’s your favourite recorded mix of all time?

Alcantara-mar vol. I by DJ Luis Leite. Look it up, pure raw rave naivety from 90s Portugal.

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

Can't decide between Junior Vasquez, Miss Djax or Luis Leite in the early to mid nineties. JV for the sound factory sweaty gay party vibes and NYC grooves, Miss Djax for everything that queen could teach me about acid bangers, Luis Leite because I've looked up to him since I was a kid, when he was a resident at the legendary Alcantara-Mar club in Lisboa.

What was your first DJ set up at home and what is it now?

I only got the chance to have my own DJ setup very recently – pioneer djm750 and a pair of xdj 700s.

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

Every track counts, I'm very emotional abt the music I pick. But I do love to save the best (or at least something ultra spesh) for last.

What were the first and last records you bought?

First one was the Simpsons soundtrack (i know), last actual record might have been Chunky Buddah by Oscar G at a second-hand shop in London.

If this mix was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

Probably like one of my trademark whip-up-something-with-whatever's-in-the-fridge delicacies hahaha – since it features lots of my own productions and collaborations.

If it was an animal what would it be?

A puppy that daydreams abt being a dolphin obvz.

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything…

Bluemoon Productions – Night. Love that track. It's a house track. I have no idea why but I never quite nail the mix with it, probably a stubborn drum machine? Or maybe I just get too nervous cause I know I've fucked up with it in the past. Anyway, will never stop playing it. 

Upcoming in the world of… 

A track on an ace VA 12" on new Portuguese label Paraíso alongside my pals Trikk, EMAUZ and Jose Acid by the end of the year. A Photonz & Violet remix for DimDJ on Snuff Trax and an EP on One Eyed Jacks in the 1st half of 2017. More A.M.O.R. with Maria (tba soon) and Suspiciously Delicious parties with Elles and Iona in Lisbon (December 9th, Damas) and London (Feb 18th, the yard) and Radio Quantica action for sure and a few other secret-for-now collabs and bits. Playing at La Machine du Moulin Rouge in Paris on the 21 for one of my fav crews Fils de Venus, can't wait for that!

Anything else we need to discuss.

So many questions have been made about this new dance craze called acid. What people really want to know is how the story all goes about acid. 
This is acid. I'm gonna give you acid. 


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