Introducing... Charlotte de Witte

The Skinny: What inspired you to pursue a career in DJing and producing?

Charlotte de Witte: I actually never intended to become a DJ. It just sort of happened. When I was 16 or 17 years old I started going out more in underground clubs in my hometown in Ghent. I fell in love with the music they played there and wanted to know more about it. First, I started making mixtapes, initially for myself, to listen to while going to school. After a while, I decided to upload those on Myspace and that basically got the ball rolling... I bought my first decks and mixer soon after and seven years later, this is where that all led to. 

You've spoken about how you love the 'darkness' in electronic music and specifically, techno. How do you achieve this sound, in a production sense?
I think this might come naturally. When producing, you automatically look for the sound you like. I feel much more attracted to weird, hypnotising, screeching sounds then I am to happy, catchy stuff.

Your Voices Of The Ancient EP has just been released – what were the inspirations behind the record? 

Voices Of The Ancient has been, to be honest, one of the easiest tracks to make. It all happened so smoothly and fast. All the elements fell right into place. I immediately found the whispering vocal sample and the rest followed automatically. The track is quite stripped and doesn’t really consist of much besides the vocal and the drums. I’m quite proud of that track though. It works well on the floor and I’m honoured to have Keith Carnal and Black Asteroid on board as remixers for that track. 

You've said that it’s very important to compare your own tracks in the process of making them with the tracks of artists you look up to. Which techno artists most inspire you?

It really depends on the type of track you’re looking for. If I’m going for a highly dancefloor-effective track I might look at some of Gary Beck’s work since it’s very aggressive and functional. Slam and anything released on Soma Records keeps on doing the trick on a more repetitive level and nowadays, in general, I’m a big fan of everything Regal, Cosmin TRG, SLV and Amotik are doing.

Can you tell us about the best techno set you've ever seen?

I’ll never forget the first set I heard from Len Faki. It was many years ago at a smaller festival in Belgium, I don’t even remember the name but it was sooo good. Neither will I ever forget dancing in my home studio with one of my closest friends to a set from Ben Klock on a cold winter night.

You used the alias Raving George when you started out, was that a way of deflecting the focus from your gender?

I did choose a masculine DJ name in the beginning because I didn’t want to be judged for my looks. I wanted people to come to a set because they liked the music, not because I am a woman or even worse, a creature with breasts. When I started seven years ago, the entire sexism thing was much more present then it is now. I have the impression that especially in techno music things are moving in the right direction. 

What is a 'typical day' for you at the moment? Can you tell us a bit about the DJ lifestyle?

Except for the weekends or when I’m on tour, I actually have a very normal life. I wake up around 8am and go to bed between 11pm and midnight. I try to make some music every day, but lately I’m very busy checking promos or looking for good music for the radio show. My weekday looks quite normal but I realise I’m a very lucky person to be able to do what I love every single day.

How would you define success? Is it commercial success or more about expressing yourself as an artist?

It’s definitely a combination. I know many people who’re very talented but unfortunately will never make it. DJing is a funny thing. In many ways, it’s an art where you’re expressing yourself and the music you make as an artist but it’s also a service where you’ll have to make people dance. It’s not easy to find the perfect combination between both, but I think that might be the key to success. 

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Charlotte de Witte plays Nightvision Terminal V, Royal Highland Centre, Sun 16 Apr, from £39.50