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Years before this interview, we had already become friends, and during ADE 2018 she stayed at our home. In this edition of the series MY FIRST GIG: the lovely Austrian Martina Krassnigg a.k.a. Miss Electric. “The club was a complex tunnel network inside a mountain.”
“I got into electronic music through my older brother Andy. I listened to 2Unlimited and similar music on the radio, but Andy was completely into hardcore and gabber—think Thunderdome. He’s four years older, so when I was ten, that was basically the only genre I listened to. I recorded a lot of music from the radio show La Boom de Luxe on FM4. This Austrian station often broadcast fantastic sets by renowned DJs. Those were beautiful times. In the end, it’s safe to say electronic music is in my DNA.”
Another planet
“Andy had a major influence on my musical development. That became even more apparent in high school. During my first and second years, we had to give a presentation on a subject of our choice. Both times, I chose electronic music and its different styles. I lived in a small Austrian village where nobody was used to techno. My classmates looked at me as if I came from another planet. Funny fact: I received a good grade for both presentations.” (laughs)
Vibrant underground techno scene
“My mother wasn’t entirely negative about the electronic music my brother and I played – at least, as long as it wasn’t hardcore. I, too, quickly moved on from 2Unlimited to underground techno. In the early ’90s there was a vibrant underground techno scene in northern Austria. My brother even took me clandestinely to clubs when I was only fourteen. I clearly remember my first time at Club Nova in Sattledt, Upper Austria, one of the best-known clubs back then. I couldn’t believe what I was experiencing! The people, the connection – it all made a deep impression on me.”
The perfect DJ
“This is also where I saw the legendary Austrian techno DJ Eric Fischer. I found and still find him absolutely fantastic. To me, he is the perfect DJ. His sets are so cool and groovy, and he has a fantastic style. He also played a major role in boosting the Austrian dance culture. Eric has been a huge source of inspiration for me. His sets take you deep into a gorgeous groove. When he plays, you will always find me on the dance floor because I just want to keep dancing to his music. We’re friends now, too. I’m grateful I got to learn so much from oldschool DJs. I often stood behind the booth watching them over their shoulders. Seeing them play was super interesting.”
Well-known oldschool DJ
“Sometime in 2001 or 2002, I wanted to learn to DJ myself. I had messed around a bit with equipment at friends’ places, but soon I bought my own decks: two Numark turntables and a mixer. At first, I found it quite difficult to teach myself. But my boyfriend at the time (from 2004), DJ Chris Ecker, helped me. He’s a well-known old-school DJ and has been playing since the early ’90s. He must have played in every legendary club in Austria at least once. You could say he became my mentor. He taught me the basics, the technique, the real thing. He was a great teacher.”
Complex tunnel network
“And that brings us to my first official gig for an audience. Okay, I had played at small home parties, but never in a venue. And this first one happened to be at a super cool location: Club Tunnel in Linz. As the name suggests, the venue was located in a complex tunnel network inside a mountain. These tunnels connected Club Tunnel to another venue, Club Cembram. Unfortunately, they no longer exist, but back then people spent all night going from one venue to the other.”
Tunnel humidity
“Club Tunnel lived up to its name in another way: it was extremely humid – typical tunnel humidity – and so intense that your clothes absorbed the scent completely by the time you left. I once even had that damp smell seep into my DJ trolley.” (laughs)
First transitions
“The club owner had asked me for the gig. We had already spoken several times and finally set a date in 2004. Of course, I was quite nervous for this debut. So I prepared my set a little at home. No, I never prepare a whole set, but usually the first two or three transitions. It simply makes me feel more comfortable when I know how I want to start. After that, I just go with the flow. That system worked well that first time.”
Monotonous
“I think there were between one hundred and one hundred fifty people. Some of them were friends, so I felt supported. No, my brother wasn’t there. He found underground techno monotonous. I experience it totally differently. Underground techno actually helps me feel more grounded. I don’t get that feeling from hardcore.”
Ultimate learning moments
“I was overjoyed to play there. The gig went fine. Of course, it was vinyl, and with vinyl things rarely go perfectly, but I wasn’t unhappy. Especially given the fact that I struggled with the gear. My own gear at home was better than what they had in the club. The sound system was quite shitty, and so was the monitor. And the turntables weren’t tuned properly, which made beatmatching difficult. But hey – those are the ultimate learning moments!” (laughs)
Tribal techno
“Fortunately, the miserable equipment quality didn’t spoil the fun. I remember exactly which crazy track I played first: an untitled track by Apathism, one of Heiko Laux’s pseudonyms. I played a lot from labels like Pornographic Records, Primate Recordings and some Tresor tracks. I actually released a track on Primate Recordings myself, produced with DJ Greencross. That night my focus was on tribal techno. The crowd loved it and went wild. I had their attention and interest right away. Chris had told me beforehand that it wasn’t a good idea to drink for courage, so I stuck to two drinks. That also made me feel more confident. To this day, I don’t drink much before playing, it simply goes better that way. I admit, I don’t always stick to that rule, and then things can go wrong. That has unfortunately happened once or twice.” (laughs)
Mixed feelings
“During and after my set, I received a lot of positive feedback. Friends and complete strangers came up to me with compliments. Personally, I had mixed feelings. At first, I was satisfied, but once you start replaying everything in your mind over the next few days, doubts creep in. This could have been better, maybe that vinyl would have fit better after that one, and so on. But above all, I felt proud that I had done it. The compliments confirmed that I should continue. And, also important, the owner was satisfied, which led to me having a residency at Club Tunnel in 2005 and 2006. I also organised several parties there with Chris.”
Audio-engineering studies
“I’ve been producing since 2006. I started with Fruity Loops but soon switched to Cubase. When that didn’t really work for me, I moved to Ableton Live, which I still use. I’m almost finished with a course in audio engineering. After that, I’ll start a bachelor’s in music production. Step by step, I’m working to grow further.”
New releases on the way
“In the meantime, I’ve released several records on different labels. Right now, I’m talking to Mark Williams about new releases on an internationally known label and on my own label MER (MissElectricRecordings). Unfortunately, I can’t say much more about that yet. I started MER in 2016 and have already released music from several international names: Woody McBride, Ade Fenton, Ben Long, Mike Dearborn, Hiroaki Iizuka, Beroshima, and Justin Berkovi, among others. So there is plenty ahead. As for gigs: the past two years have been slow, of course. Since I’m focusing more on the other side of music at the moment, performing is a bit lower on my priority list. But don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely open to it!”
“Another plan I’m working on is moving. I want to leave Austria because the energy here isn’t very stimulating for creative minds. I need an international environment with open-minded people like myself. If I want to evolve, that is a must. I secretly dream of the Netherlands, so who knows? I might suddenly show up in your country one of these days.” (laughs)
This interview with Miss Electric is originally published in May 2022 on This Is Our House.
Who is Miss Electric?
Miss Electric is an Austrian DJ, music producer and record label manager. She’s the founder of MER & Artist4Life. Miss Electric is a creative soul who expresses her passion for electronic music with the spirit of oldschool techno.
Martina Krassnigg is Miss Electric’s real name. Under her alias Miss Electric® she has been active in the underground techno scene since the 90s and started her career back in 2003 as a DJ. Her tracks are the result of producing a 90s oldschool techno sound employing today’s tools and music production techniques. Behind the decks, Miss Electric crafts soundscapes which transport the dance floor to ethereal and intangible spaces while remaining loyal to the style that identifies her.
Since 2006 Miss Electric has signed releases to labels like Different Is Different Records (Daniel Greencross), Primate Recordings, Primevil, Driving Forces, Advanced Records, Aesir Records and more. Miss Electric’s music productions have been heard on DJ sets by Ben Sims, Stanny Franssen, Robert Armani or Dantiez Saunderson, as few examples.
‘MER’ is Miss Electric’s record label, faithful to the oldschool sound, it counts with music from legendary producers like Woody McBride, Ade Fenton, Mike Dearborn, Justin Berkovi, Ben Long or Hiroaki Iizuka.
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