This post is also available in:
This week in the series MY FIRST GIG: Dutch Marinka da Fonseca a.k.a. Mirre Joanne a.k.a. DJ/producer Rebelle. These days she's also a loving mother and besides DJing, she works as trauma release and dearmouning therapist. About the start of her career she remembers: “On King’s Day someone threw half a croissant at my head. WTF, throw a whole one, you wankers!”
“My first club gig was seven years ago at Club Up in Amsterdam during ThemeHouse, a party by Ronald Verdegaal (Verdi). I got to open and there wasn’t an audience yet, except for my good friend Carlos (DJ Carlos Valdes) who came to support me – and of course Verdi himself. And honestly, that was a relief.” (laughs) “I think a few more friends were there, and two people who came over from another party just to hear me play.”
Timecode and Traktor
“I had prepared thoroughly, but I was still pretty nervous. Back then I was playing with timecode vinyl and Traktor. Fun fact: those same people who came just for me ended up booking me for my first paid gig. I still don’t really understand why, because I opened at 130 bpm.” (laughs) “Other than that, the set went quite smoothly, which isn’t that surprising – when you’re playing with Traktor and something goes wrong, you can always hit ‘sync’.”
‘Hands in the air’
“I ditched Traktor not long after that. If your music cuts out multiple times during a set, you learn fast. I think the last time I played with Traktor was at Sugar Factory in Amsterdam. My good friend Sandrien (DJ Sandrien) was there to support me. I remember her sitting behind me. Right at the end of a break, in one of those hands-in-the-air moments, my laptop crashed. Or maybe it was the sound card. I looked at Sandrien and she gestured, ‘Put on a CD!’ But of course I didn’t have any with me. That was the last straw. That moment marked the end of laptop DJing for me.”
Almost threw up
“My first gig without a laptop was at Tomorrowland in 2013. I was so nervous. I almost threw up before going on. In hindsight I ask myself: ‘Why on earth would you do that for the first time at that kind of event?!’” (laughs)
Survived Paradiso
“Not that I learned from that… because three years later I decided to play vinyl for the first time – at Paradiso. The records kept skipping and I couldn’t quite correct it properly. So yeah, not my best moment. A bit of a mess. Luckily I survived without getting pelted with tomatoes.” (laughs) “Speaking of: this King’s Day someone did throw half a croissant at my head. WTF, throw a whole one, you wankers!” (laughs)
Opening is a skill
“Opening sets these days are a tiny bit different. It’s a skill in itself. You need to give people time to arrive and settle into the vibe, so they’re warmed up for the next act. And yeah, you usually don’t do that at 130 bpm.”
Became a mom
“This past summer was full of firsts. I played Welcome To The Future for the first time, did my first Red Light Radio set, and played Club Shelter for the first time. And after playing Gay Pride at Amstelveld before, I got to almost close the event this past August. Oh, and I became a mom – for the first time too. The nerves before gigs aren’t as bad as they used to be, but every first time is still exciting.”
“Right now I’m working on a new EP. We’re mixing it at the Red Bull Studios. On Friday, October 19, during ADE, I’ll be playing at Insomnia in Sugar Factory, alongside artists like Barbara Ford. In December, I’m heading to Milan to play there with Tahko and others.”
This interview with Rebelle is originally published in October 2018 on This Is Our House.
Who is Rebelle?
Rebelle’s contagious sound takes flavours from Chicago house to techno. With her company Rebel-Tape Productions she organises LAWLESS, deep underground events in Amsterdam, bringing raw, compact and back to basics sounds that are guided by the flow of music and creativity.
After working as a professional dancer, Rebelle started spinning records. Rebelle grew up with a father who worked in the nightlife as a bouncer and DJ. She heard house music her whole life and she thinks this is why, next to the tons of happy vibes, she prefers the old school vibe and sound so much.
Rebelle played at big festivals like Tomorrowland and great venues like Fuse Brussels and Radion Amsterdam. She shared the stage with legends as Tyree Cooper, a Guy Called Gerald and Marshall Jefferson.
On top of that Rebelle hosts her very own LAWLESS nights in Amsterdam. Here, you can experience Rebelle in her purest form. Old school. Tyree Cooper and A Guy Called Gerald both agreed: “She is a very caring and lovely host & artist, with such great and positive energy.”
More Rebelle?
More FIRST GIGS? Click here!