Ahead of her guest mix on WAV this Thursday evening (14.05) we had a talk with Amelia Holt, one of New York city’s rising stars. She’s a resident at Public Records in Brooklyn, does a monthly radio series on N10.AS and is a frequent guest on The Lot Radio. Earlier this year she visited us in Antwerp for a live radio show. We’re happy to to broadcast a brand new mix now. But first we wanted to have a check on how thing’s are going at her home base.
WAV: Hey Amelia, you currently live in Brooklyn (New York). How’s the situation over there for the moment?
AH: “The situation is still not so good, but I left the city in the early stages of the pandemic, April 13th, with my best friend and her family to their country home in upstate New York.”
WAV: So what have you been up to during these difficult weeks?
AH: “I’ve been watching a lot of tv, which I normally never had time for. I am finally catching up with all the Netflix / HBO / Hulu series, films and documentaries. I am also spending some time sketching, I used to draw a lot back in my teen years so its nice to get back into that groove. And of course, I am dj’ing a bit. Not as much as I want since I am finding it difficult to listen to dance music in our current circumstances.”
WAV: With the extra time on our hands did you discover new things, like good books, movies or new platforms? And can you share some?
AH: “I discovered some things during this time.
Book: The Piano Teacher. I am still finishing this book since I am a very slow reader, but highly recommend it.
Movies: I have discovered some films I have never seen before and returned to watch some older films I’d forgotten about, so this is what I’ve seen so far.
Seen:
-Almost Famous
-Cold Mountain
-Blue Velvet
-Biutiful
-Who Framed Roger Rabbit
-Disney: Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Beauty and The Beast, Snow White, Frozen 1 & 2, Bambi, Lady and The Tramp and Aristocats
New:
-Daughters Of Heaven
-Monos
-Call Me By Your Name
-Bombshell
-The Master
-Guardians of The Galaxy
Platforms:
During this COVID season, all of NYC’s dance clubs – such as Nowadays, Public Records, Good Room, Mood Ring, Jupiter Disco, and Bossa Nova Civic Club – are closed. Public Records launched an amazing community broadcasting platform called Public Access (publicrecords.tv) to serve as a means for communication and expression in response to the current state of the world. All the shows are worth checking out since they are curated by club residents and the music & visual selections are amazing.
I also launched ‘In Your Dirty Ears’, a weekly show blending cross-genre music and a collage of visuals designed as experimental sensory therapy. Ambient, jazz and electronica play against a background of images that feel like snippets of remembered dreams. Every week a new guest takes over the show, so tune in @ 20:00 ET. ”
WAV: You’ve played already a couple of times at Public Records NY. What’s so special for you about the place?
AH: “Public Records is my second home, I love being there even when I am not playing. The programming is refreshing and beyond that all the people who work there love what they do and treat artists, djs and guests with kindness. I remember the first time I went to visit PR before it opened to the public, Francis Harris, one of the owners and friends invited me for a special tour. He showed me the almost finished backroom (dance floor) it was all wooden and beautifully designed, it looked like a James Turrell installation except people would be allowed to dance on it and experience pure sound perfection. Anyway, Public Records serves a purpose beyond the dance floor, it is a community builder so it sparked something in me to be involved. Now, I hold a residency there and hope after this period we are able to celebrate and dance again.”
WAV: For the moment you haven’t released any productions yet. Do you have plans in the future to release something?
AH: “Not yet, but been talking to one of my friends about doing something soon, so expect something in the future for sure.”
WAV: Can you tell us something about the tracks you chose for your second WAV show? Favorites or new finds?
AH: “The mix is a selection of rhythmic and some more experimental songs. Hard to choose which are my favorites in this mix, here is a tracklist 🙂 Highlighted are my favorites.
- Don’t DJ – The Grey Shrine
- Alfredo92 – Tente Hjul
- Dame Bonnet – Portamento
- Die Orangen – Burnt Bay feat. Eva Geist
- Serwed – Initial 2
- Lurka – Rhythm Hi-Tek
- Lurka x Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Lurkz
- Hame DJ – Dog Swamp
- Cousin – Toad
- Don’t DJ – Polyamory
- Liluzu – Chacha-Ha
- Sympathy Nervous – His Forte
- Tuxedomoon – Bombay Tension
- rRoxymore – Hectadrums
- Nummer – Dobe
- Bergsonist – Keto Everywhere
- Exael – Circle”
WAV: Your last visit to Belgium was early January, what did you remember about our country?
AH: “I am so happy I had a chance to go to Belgium early this year, I enjoyed that trip so much. One thing I remember is the depth of music and history Belgium has. I had a little history lesson in Brussels by one of the owners of Doctor Vinyl, he explained the whole Belgian New Beat history in an hour. I hope I can return sometime and play more radio and shows there.”
If you had to chose a favorite Belgian track, what would it be?
AH: “My favorite track is from a young Belgian producer, Hiele. The song is called Moisturizer and I love it because it has a lot of texture, you can hear every element of the track.”
https://hiele.bandcamp.com/
WAV: Thank you !
(Interview by Fred Nasen (WAV))