flyover 10: hyperkarma
We sat down with longtime DJ Jennifer Waege, aka Hyperkarma, to talk about her flyover mix, 90s Minneapolis goth parties, and DIYing noise nights in Reno, NV. Some quotes were edited for clarity.
JF: Thanks for contributing a mix. We haven't done EBM before; I'm excited to go a little darker than we've had the chance to yet. What draws you to EBM?
JW: Ooof, well…that's kind of a big loaded question. I think that kind of music gave me my first real feeling of just really [letting] go on the dancefloor. I've always gravitated towards darker, more emotional music without really understanding why, and then it became about the sound. Before I was into EBM, [I was into] industrial, experimental, and straight-up goth rock. I've been DJing since 2003, and I've always [played] goth, industrial, darkwave, and EBM.
It wasn't until I started playing for [Minneapolis goth night] Dark Energy that I started to expand my musical horizons and find stuff outside of the traditional goth/industrial scene. Going to those early Dark Energy parties gave me a better sense of myself and the kind of music I like.
Now [I’m] digging into underground record labels and finding so much music out there that fits the feeling that goth/industrial music gave me when I first started listening to it…it's really exciting to find stuff that fits in your body and lets you let go. EBM and darker sounds in general [gave] me a better sense of myself, and helped me process things that I wasn't able to consciously.
JF: It sounds like it's aided a process of self-discovery.
JW: Oh yeah, definitely. The last few years especially, finding leftfield sounds that are EBM, new beat, and that hypnotic feeling of techno…it kind of created its own sound. It's been a wild ride.
CS: What were some of your formative experiences with goth nights?
JW: I moved to Minneapolis when I was 19, and I went to First Ave a lot. I went to dance nights like Sunday Night Dance Party, and they played stuff like Nitzer Ebb and Nine Inch Nails, but all the goth clubs were 21 and over. As soon as I turned 21, I [started going to] Hard Mondays at The Saloon. I didn't have friends that were into that music, [so] I decided to go on my own. It was a really scary experience. I was used to going out by myself [in] downtown Minneapolis in the 90s. But like, going to the goth club, it just seemed kind of dangerous. Like, ooh, what's gonna happen? Is there gonna be sex stuff going on in the corner? Because they did bondage scenes there. So I don't know, I just knew it sounded wild and different and fun and dark and weird, and I wanted to check it out.
[My first time at Hard Mondays], I remember hanging out at the far side of the dancefloor after I got a drink, a very strong drink, listening to the music [and] really liking it. Everyone was dressed beautifully and so different than [what] I was used to. Seeing people on the dancefloor being authentically themselves, and [noticing] the looks of bliss on their faces…I wanted it. But I was standing back there with my drink, just kind of shaking, like, oh my God, this is so good, trying to work up the courage to go dance. And then the newest Depeche Mode song came on, “It's No Good,” and I was like, oh my god, I love this. I was like, okay, you're just gonna have to go dance. I went out there and kind of swayed and looked around, like, okay, this is good, and [I] just let go. I had this moment of [realization] like this is where I belong. I was hooked, I [started] going every week, and went to Ground Zero on the weekends.
It gave me a sense of community, and it was my community for a very long time. It brought me to DJing.
JF: So you started DJing in 2003…what were some of your first gigs?
JW: I was living in Reno with my ex-husband, Jason Hollis. We moved out there so he could work with his dad, his family was out there. Reno is a pretty, um…not a very cultured place, especially in 2003 when we moved there. There were no goth nights; there weren't really any good dance nights. We spent a lot of time driving to Sacramento and San Francisco so we could go to shows and go dancing, [which] got cost prohibitive.
So we decided, well, let's just fucking do it ourselves. We started throwing noise shows. Jason was booking, promoting, playing, and trying to get everything set up. Someone [needed] to DJ between the bands, so we got two rack-mounted CD players and a two-channel Behringer mixer. I got busy downloading music and burning CDs. I put a lot of effort into curating my sets [and] picking music, but then it was like, well, what BPM is this? I knew I was supposed to try to match the music…I could tap in [the tempo] on the mixer and do my best. But there was no beatmatching going on; it was just tip-to-tail stuff. I knew early on what [I was] supposed to do, but had to learn on my own.
It was fun; it was exciting. For the next couple of years that we lived there, we were throwing shows as much as we could…[we booked] goth bands, industrial bands, power noise, ambient stuff, all the weirdo shit that was out there.
[Later on] we did a night called Interzone. We got the name from a Joy Division track. We teamed up with a couple of guys [who played] some of the better electronic music in town. They had great record collections of old new wave stuff.
I switched to digital DJing at that point…even [then] it was primarily a goth/new wave night, but I'd always try to push the limits [and] play some harsher stuff, some indie rock stuff…I can't play just goth stuff.
When I moved back to Minneapolis in early 2014, I thought we finally lived in a place where we don't have to throw the events anymore. We can just go out and have fun, you know? It started out that way, and then, of course, everyone I make friends with I meet through music. Talking about my DJing experience naturally comes into [the] conversation. Some people [found] out that [I’m] a DJ and asked me to play some events.
I was a little reluctant at first…I never got into DJing because it was something I wanted to do, it was something I did out of necessity, [because I] needed someplace to go and dance.
I think it was the Goth Prom people [in Minneapolis] who I eventually said yes to. Once I played that first gig here to a large crowd, it got me again. It felt fucking good.
JF: We should talk about the mix a little bit. You mentioned Pinkman is one of your favorite labels.
JW: Yeah, Pinkman [is] in there heavily. Them and brokntoys. As I'm [selecting tracks], I generally don't see what the label is. Every time I put together a mix, it's labor intensive. I listen to a lot of music when I'm putting these playlists together, and seeing that preliminary playlist that I put together, I was kind of shocked. Like, wow, it's almost all Pinkman and brokntoys, [but] they're two record labels that exemplify a sound. [All of the] brokntoys surprised me because I considered it more breaky, but I have been trying to like play more electro/breaky stuff.
I was happy to see that my tastes are changing…it's nice to know that it's not static. It can be easy to know what you like and just buy what you like, you know? For this mix, I was repeatedly getting hit with oh, this feels good for it.
Upcoming gigs:
Sep 02 - Dark Energy Vampire Ball, PNA Hall
Sep 23 - Technosferatu, Mpls
Sep 24 - ROK Eatery, St. Paul
Sep 30 - Stranger Gallery EP Release Party, Icehouse
Oct 08 - Surly Brewing, Mpls
Oct 29 - Constantine, Mpls
Nov 27 - Sanctum Festival, Chicago
Tracks:
Vltra Delta Drive - El Complot [brokntoys, Endless Illusion, 2019]
Benedikt Frey - Can You Feel The Pain [Crème Organization, 2015]
Identified Patient - OCTrax [Pinkman, 2018]
Lokier - Screws In Paradise [Pinkman, 2019]
Scarlit Port - VIRTUAL (r i t u a l) [Tripalium Records, 2019]
Alessandro Parisi - Cosmica 1999 [Charlois, 2016]
Annanan & Maroje T. - Confrontation In Terms Of Sexuality [Pinkman, 2017]
Poperttelli - Merditocraty [brokntoys, 2020]
La Mverte - Nigredo (Javi Redondo Remix) [Les Enfers, 2021]
Silent Servant - Solitude Illuminated [L.I.E.S. Records, 2022]
Ernestas Sadau - Riots In Jail Near Kaunas [Pinkman, 2017]
G String - Seductive Games [Pinkman, 2017]
Olivia - Dancing Snake [Pinkman, 2020]
Alessandro Adriani - Symmetry [Stroboscopic Artefacts, 2019]
Solar - 5 Seconds [Squirrels On Film, 2017]
Kluentah - Wanna Bang [Dischi Autunno, 2021]
Maenad Veyl - Sotto Gli Occhi di Tutti [Pinkman, 2018]
Exhausted Modern - The One [eidetic, 2017]
Pip Williams - ASBO Youth [brokntoys, 2013]
Foreign Sequence - Is This The Limit [brokntoys, 2021]
Peeping Tom - Outraged Keyplayer [Pinkman, 2015]
POLANSKI - Limbless Tree (Angel Attack Remix) [House Of Reptile, 2020]
Richard Sen - Song Of Pressure (The Asphodells Remix) [[Emotional] Especial, 2014]
Follow Hyperkarma on SoundCloud