DJ Mea @ Coachella 2012
LORDS OF ACID VOCALIST AND DPULSE RECORDINGS SOLO ARTIST DJ MEA WILL PERFORM HER (SOLO) LIVE SET EACH WEEKEND OF COACHELLA FESTIVAL 2012.
MEA’S NEW DPULSE SINGLE ’DIRTY GIRL’ IS OFFICIALLY RELEASED ON BEATPORT AND ALL MAJOR MUSIC RETAILERS 28 FEBRUARY, AND COACHELLA 2012 RUNS THE WEEKENDS OF APRIL 13-15 AND APRIL 20-22.
VISIT COACHELLA FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SITE
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China Shop Magazine
FEATURED GALLERY MUSIC DJ Mea Sets The Bar High At Coachella
April 19, 2012 – 1:13 pm
by Nicole Pajer and Catie Laffoon
The gates to Coachella Day 1 were supposed to open at 11am, sharp, but the ticket checkers had a different agenda. Hoards of people stood with their faces pushed against the chain link fence, begging to be let in as the clock ticked by. “There’s music playing right now. We are supposed to be seeing this badass DJ,” a guy yelled, to which a security guard replied, “We’ll open when we’re ready.” The DJ in mention was Mea, scheduled for a Coachella opening slot of 11:20am in the Sahara Tent. When the doors finally opened, we sprinted over and caught her halfway through her set. The crowd arrived shortly after.
“Thank you guys for hanging around. Man I was scared but opening up Coachella was an honor,” chirped Mea who proclaimed that 11am was the earliest she’d been awake in 10 years and that she wasn’t kidding. The spunky singer warmed up the Coachella-ites with live vocals paired with a DJ and backup singer. Towards the end of the set, a live band accompanied her on stage. Several costumed back up dancers appeared and engaged in a choreographed routine. Mea’s sultry lyrics and high tech LED visuals transformed the crowd into a “Coachella state of mind.”
We caught up with the up and coming singer/DJ who told us about joining Belgian-American post-industrial techno band, Lords of Acid, on the road. She also discussed being a role model for budding female DJs and how she refuses to succumb to a single genre.
We really enjoyed your Coachella performance! You had quite the elaborate stage show…
Unfortunately we were not allowed to do all the pyro that we had planned due to safety codes but we were still able to do what the dancers prepared for. We were to the bill late but I have worked with one of the girls [dancers] for almost 20 years and she pulled it [the choreography] together for me, all from another state, by us sending videos back and forth daily. She’s one of my most creative friends so I thought why not keep it in the family?
What’s the best part about touring with Lords of Acid?
Showtime.
You debuted new material at Coachella. Tell us about the new stuff. How is it different from your past material?
I just keep evolving; I love ambient, electro, rock, bass and dubstep yet I won’t succumb to just one solid genre. It’s all about fusion and deep, emotional music that makes me feel creative.
How does it feel to be a role model for up and coming female DJs?
I honestly never thought of myself as a role model DJ. My heart has always been in writing and performing music, but if I can encourage any girls out there to step up and show that men aren’t the only ones who can rock a crowd, well, kick ass!
When you take the stage, what is your ultimate goal?
Bass, hundreds of hands in the air, smooth transitional mixes, happy faces.
What one Mea track best describes your musical style?
“Cry”
What’s one thing you always do the day of a show?
My makeup, hair, drink two sugar free Red Bulls, and tell myself that today is gonna be a good day, no matter what.
Is it true you got kicked out of Catholic school as a child? What was it for?
That got me in so much trouble with my family, I promised to never mention it again.
Happy Birthday, by the way. How are you celebrating?
Not until Coachella is over. The whole crew and I will be going to six flags, if they know what’s good for ‘em, that is!
What was the craziest birthday celebration you ever had?
I honestly don’t remember [Laughs]!!
That good, huh? Who are your DJ idols?
Carl Cox and Donald Glaude. They never let u see ‘em sweat. No matter what the situation, they always manage to bring the house down, rain or shine, smiling all the way. They are my mentors.
Anything else we should know about you?
I’m single! And I worship my lil’ Abyssinian kitty. He rocks. Ask anyone who knows me; they’ll tell you that I have the absolute coolest little monkey cat in the universe. Oh, and I love to dance! Plus, if I could, I’d snowboard every single day for the rest of my life. Red bull definitely helps! I’m nocturnal so waking up early can be an issue.
Words by Nicole Pajer (@NicolePajer). Photos by Catie Laffoon (@CatieLaffoon).
Lords of Acid at Club Nokia: The Beat Goes On with New Vocalist
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| Diamond Bodine-Fischer |
| Isn’t this the Platonic ideal of the crowd at a Lords of Acid show? |
What: Lords of Acid
Where: Club Nokia
Lords of Acid are everything you would expect from a band called Lords of Acid. It’s a zoo, and what the crowd sees is just the beginning. Maurice Engelen (better known by his stage name Praga Khan) makes intense eye contact and calmly proclaims, “You can expect anything”. And it’s absolutely true.
Everyone involved with the band and their personal assistant was there to play rock star and drink the band’s booze. Before too long the friends and crew had all made their way to front of house.
By the time Lords of Acid went on Praga Khan had ingested enough booze to tranquilize Zakk Wylde. Looking like a demented, cracked-out Ginger Fish he proceeded to kick off the show, truly a lord of acid. New vocalist Mea stomped onto stage for her first show with the band. It was a pretty universal sentiment that there was really no comparing Mea to the previous vocalist, Lacey Connor–their vocals as well as performance styles are too different.
The rumors were that practices hadn’t sounded too great but those quickly proved to be false. In fact, DJ Mea was hands down the best part of the show.
According to Engelen he’s most excited for this tour because it’s an opportunity to talk to fans, get their feedback and see what they want more of. He’s planning a new album and wants to let the fans inspire it, insisting “I’m not one of those musicians in an ivory tower, I want to be judged and I want to know!”
Despite a fierceness on stage that would blow Miss Tyra out of the water, DJ Mea remained soft-spoken and gracious behind the scenes, Smiling and whispering”this is just all too perfect, there has to be some force out there that brought us all together as a group.”
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| Diamond Bodine-Fischer |
| Lords of Acid at Club Nokia |