The first artist to take control of our decks is actually a twisted duo directly coming from Australia. ZEFGIRLCLUB and ♀ venus ♀ are the two members of GIRLIRL and their mix will simply drive you crazy if you like quirky sounds, hard hitting samples, pitched vocals, and… BASS! Discover an exclusive interview and their mix available for free download below!
1) Who are GIRLIRL?
ZEFGIRLCLUB: GIRLIRL is an all girl duo comprising of myself (ZEFGIRLCLUB) and ♀ venus ♀. We were both actually friends through a club night called Sidechains that we regularly attend before we birthed our project. I had applied to be a part of FBi Dance Class 2016 which is a traineeship for aspiring female DJs run by FBi Radio’s talented Andy Garvey [Read more about her here]. We had such similar styles and vision that we were asked if we would like to proceed with the traineeship as a duo. Our project started there and was intended for that space, but we may have some sneaky possible plans for the future as well.
♀ venus ♀: We chose our name to celebrate the female aspects of both our DJ names and the fact that we are both women of course. Also I thought it would be funny because a lot of people think it’s pronounced girl-erl, ya gotta pronounce the IRL.
2) What is your musical background?
ZEFGIRLCLUB: Honestly I’m quite musically lacking. I played piano for a little bit when I was younger (none of which i can remember now), and I own 2 guitars I have never touched in my life. Other than that I was in school choirs and the Australian Youth Choir. I didn’t truly understand electronic music or find my style until very recently in my life.
♀ venus ♀: I’ve always been interested in music. I learnt a bit of piano and singing as a kid but didn’t really follow it up into adulthood. Instead I really got into just consuming a lot of different styles and genres, curating my ideal tracks on my soundcloud account. Also I loved the idea of DJing and started putting little mixes together on Garageband because I didn’t have access to anything else. Since I’ve moved to Sydney I’ve had way more chances to actually learn to DJ properly and can’t believe the opportunities that have come my way so far.
3) How would you define your music? We’re totally crazy about it and we love this new kind of sound!
ZEFGIRLCLUB: It’s a complex mystery to me trying to pinpoint the music we play. I try to keep an open mind and stay as genre-less as possible, as to not restrict myself from anything new, but to put it simply: BASS! Anything heavy and pounding that will get a crowd jumping. I love quirky sounds, hard hitting samples, pitched vocals.
♀ venus ♀: If it hits hard and you can jump around to it, we’ll probably play it. Actually even if it doesn’t hit hard we might play it, we have a lot of sources of inspiration and if we find a track that we’re really vibing that doesn’t really fit we’ll probably play it anyway! As we’re really early in the project we’re still kinda working out the specifics with defining what we’re about but it’s nice keeping it broad and being able to play whatever the hell we want.
4) Which artists do you follow or adore?
ZEFGIRLCLUB: This is such a tough question as I would never be able to list all my inspirations and idols, but to try keep it short, I adore Sophie, Ducky, all of the PC Music artists, Masayoshi Iimori and Snappy Jit.
♀ venus ♀: What she said, haha! I do try to keep my listening diverse but I always find myself going back to those artists too. We’re also very into artists like Hannah Diamond, Liz and Charli XCX where their music is linked to their look. We love a good cohesive aesthetic.
5) Is it easy to find a place in the music scene when you are two girls who propose something new?
♀ venus ♀: The scene in Sydney is really inclusive, at least in our circles. There’s heaps of opportunities for women at the moment with a bunch of collectives and parties springing up, hosted or mainly featuring women. We’re really lucky as we were already kind of a part of the music scene as fans. The community around the club night Sidechains, where we met, is so great and everyone is incredibly supportive of more people entering the scene and getting behind the decks.
ZEFGIRLCLUB: I don’t find that being girls keeps us back from opportunities, however there is an undeniable lack of female artists and DJ’s being booked. Maybe not especially in Sydney, but it is an all-round issue. The talent is there, it’s all about being recognised and not dismissed for what you can do. On the other hand, there aren’t too many definite platforms for the music we play, which can be tricky when you’re trying to put what you do out there.
“In Sydney the scene is kinda blossoming again I feel! There are some incredible Australian producers creating amazing music right now!”
6) How would you describe the Sydney or Aussie electronic scene?
ZEFGIRLCLUB: There are some incredible Australian producers creating amazing music right now. A lot stay hidden and don’t get much media attention but the content they create is incredible. It definitely is dynamic. We have a wide range of genres coming through Australia and we are lucky to have some regular talents that are being booked right now. But for me personally, the platform is generally online, which is great for being able to experience all the acts interstate I may not know about otherwise.
♀ venus ♀: In Sydney the scene is kinda blossoming again I feel. With the introduction of the lock out laws (music venues, clubs and bars close at 3) the nightlife dwindled somewhat but now it seems producers and DJs are coming out of the woodwork! In a way the lock out laws have been a good thing as it’s bringing the community together and people in the industry are working way harder to make Sydney a great place for music.
7) What are your coming projects and objectives?
ZEFGIRLCLUB: We are currently on air with Sidechains over the next few weeks on FBi Radio which is both exciting and a blessing, then we will be collaborating with an all female DJ residency with some of our talented friends Ebony Boadu, SOFT HANDS and Katia.
♀ venus ♀: Following that who knows, we will most definitely keep working together in one way or another. GIRLIRL can grow into whatever we really want, we’ve thrown around ideas of a party or club night maybe or even an online streaming event. The sky’s the limit really.
8 ) Finally, what would be your advice to young female artists like you who would like to start a music career?
♀ venus ♀: Just know the world is your oyster! There are so many avenues to success! Nothing is impossible, yesterday you said tomorrow etc! The internet is your best friend, make sure ur on social media and posting mixes and tracks. Keep the content flowing.
ZEFGIRLCLUB: If you know your interests, seek your mentors! You’d be surprised how many people in the music industry are full of support for one another and just want to see each other succeed. I was lucky enough to have a good network of creative friends who helped me get to where I am now. My only regret is not expressing my wish to learn earlier. Most people will be happy to help you gain the skills you need, especially as a young female artist – we want to see you out there!
GIRLIRL and their mix will simply drive you crazy if you like quirky sounds, hard hitting samples, pitched vocals, and… BASS!
Download this mix for free and you stream it, like it, and share it on YouTube and Mixcloud! Connect with the girls on Soundcloud, and Facebook.
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