Dark underground vibes from New York’s Cry Baby
With dark vibes, unexpected tunes and sets at some of the coolest venues in the city, Cry Baby has become a force to be reckoned with on the New York underground scene. Offering a fresh take on house and techno, she’s already made her mark on the city’s nightlife and we got a chance to chat with her on her music:
How did you get started with music?
My good friend in Miami had some turntables and would invite me over to come mess around with them. He didn’t really teach me so I just kind of had to figure it out on my own. Once I figured it out I fell in love. I’m a bit of an introvert so it feels great to be able to communicate through music.
How would you describe your music and what is your inspiration?
I’m an ever changing, ever evolving individual. Always pushing myself to learn and grow as much as possible. I get bored fairly quickly. That’s one of the reasons why I chose to go into this line of work. Being a producer, you are constantly being challenged. But even though I like to play around with different sounds, you can always expect the Cry Baby vibe to remain constant. That vibe is always some kind of darkness. I like to bring out that part of you that holds your deepest and darkest selves. It’s just who I am. I am what I’ve been through. I am not trying to make people feel bad. It’s quite the opposite. Sometimes we need to release these parts of ourselves in order to move on and evolve.
What’s your secret to a successful set?
Well, firstly I’d say that being able to read the crowd is number one. Second is having the intrepidity to play music that is unique and playing songs that the crowd might have never heard before. That is the job of the dj: to educate the crowd through the music.
How would you describe the New York underground music scene and what is it like being part of it?
I’ve always loved the scene here. I’ve only lived here for about 5 years but I spent so much time here before that. I’ve seen it go through so many changes. I think right now might be the strongest the underground has been. Before you would have one or two underground warehouse parties to choose from versus now in 2015 there’s about 20 any given weekend! People are really opening up to the underground sounds and I’m really excited to be a part of it.
What’s next for you?
Well, actually my next few gigs until February are all out of town. I’ll be in Guatemala for New Year’s Eve, which I’m really looking for to! I will be launching my own record label House On Mute next year so stay tuned for that!
Story by HELENA CALMFORS.
