Long nights in Bern.
Sassy J is an artist in every sense of the word, as a DJ she selects records with feeling, drawing inspiration from her surroundings to shape the mood of each session, or as she describes them, ‘dance floor meditations’. Whether it be illustrating colourful record covers for her favourite producers, sewing incredible one off pieces of handmade clothing, just because she likes to, or organising her long running Patchwork Night parties in Bern, each project is met with the same kind of energy and meticulous attention to detail that’s present in every one of her recordings. Marking our 145th episode, her latest dance floor meditation is certainly no exception, and comes accompanied by a mesmerising episode cover designed by Sassy J herself.
What have you been up to?
Making the transition from the long autumn to winter time. Shorter days and longer nights. Being inside and lighting candles. November was a rather quiet month for me. I need months like this to get reconnected, lock myself into my world. Found some great books at the second hand book store around the corner. Drawing inspiration from those. Listening to the music I’ve bought on my travels playing abroad the months before. Making piles of selections and ideas for mixes. I’ve also sewn new artwork and one off clothing.
Tell us about the special mixtape you recorded for The Trilogy Tapes last year, how did that come about and what was the idea behind it? Do you think it will ever find its way onto the Internet?
My and my friend Kevin aka Kev The Head put on a night in Bern called Stride. We did a Trilogy Tapes night with Will Bankhead and there he heard me play. The day after he asked me if I would be interested in doing the mixtape for him. I loved the idea and immediately agreed to do it. Over all the time I’ve been recording mixes there were two different series of mixes, that I kept on doing: The “Kaleidoskopes Mixes” are focused on downtempo tunes. Music is such a powerful thing and affects one in such a unique way. I love to have perfect mood injections to listen to in the different moments and phases of my life. The “Dance Floor Meditations Mixes” are the uptempo series. The selection on them is also very open, celebrating my love for the journey on the dancefloor. After Will asked me I knew immediately that I wanted to do a Kaleidoskopes side and a Dance Floor Meditations side for the tape.
For now I like the idea that it’s out there on those 100 tapes. But if you’re desperate out there and want to listen to the mix, drop me an email and you can borrow my tape!
Your semi-regular Patchwork Night parties in Bern have been running for around 10 years now if I’m correct? How would you describe the vibe of the parties, and what do you think has been the key to their longevity over the years?
Yes, its about 10 years now, correct – time flies! I started the night because I wanted to invite the artists that inspire me to share their music with the people here and dance to good music. Back in the days the focus was more on live or semi live performances. Within the last few years I had to change that, because sadly this just got too expensive. It has always been a challenge and was never the party that was constantly sold: it’s an underground thing! No compromises in programming or selection. The night has built a reputition amongst music lovers and a family of regulars that come down: It’s a family thing and is a music lover’s night. I think I still do it because I can’t help it: I need to share the excitement for the music on the dancefloor. I need that in my life.
You’ve designed a stunning episode cover for the mix, which feels just like a extension of the music – full of colour and light… Over on your website there are many more of your carefully handcrafted creations, all which seem to tell a unique story of their own. What have been some of your favourite projects to work on of late?
The last “official” project was the Dego & Kaidi EP Cover on Eglo. That was easy, because I like them a lot: music & spirits. That was a family thing. I like to work this way. I usually do one off pieces for friends or people that inspire me. Each piece has its story and connection. Apart from that I just work off the chest, without the purpose of a piece being part of a project or being sold.
What can you tell us about this mix? Were there any particular sources of inspiration behind it?
Dance Floor Meditation #10 – The longer nights of the season set the mood.
The journey starts off somewhere out there in the dark…
What’s up next to round off the year?
I’ll be heading to the north. Excited to play in Helsinki and Tallin on the 11th and 12th of December. On the 17th of December we’ll do another Stride Night with Ron Morelli in Bern, Switzerland. Then back into the lab! Thank you for reaching out!