Despite being considered relatively fresh on the scene, Belgian DJ and producer Charlotte de Witte has amply proven her skill in the studio and behind the decks. Her fast-paced trajectory reads like a novel. While championing her own style of uncompromising and headstrong techno, she steers her career and music the way she envisions it.
We had the opportunity to chat with Charlotte de Witte as she prepares for Resistance Mexico and other summer gigs.
EG: HI Charlotte and thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Your summer schedule is looking quite hectic. How do you prepare for such an intense schedule?
Charlotte de Witte: Thanks for inviting me. Your body does actually get used to the lack of sleep. I travel alone for 95% of the time so I can really focus on myself. I try to sleep as much as possible, eat healthy and stay hydrated. This is definitely the kind of job that wouldn’t be possible doing if you don’t completely and utterly love it. To me, being a touring DJ is something that drains a lot of energy but also energizes. It’s very intense but at the same time it’s something that makes me the happiest person I can be.
EG: Part of the tour includes playing at the Resistance stage in Ultra Mexico. Is this your first time playing at Ultra?
Charlotte de Witte: Yes, it will be. But it won’t be the last. During the course of the last couple of weeks, Ultra Europe has been announced in Croatia in July and I’ll also make my Resistance Ibiza debut this summer. Feels like I’m becoming a proud member of the Resistance Family!
I guess the festival season has now officially started and it feels bloody amazing ?
Posted by Charlotte de Witte on Monday, April 9, 2018
EG: What expectations do you have for this coming event?
Charlotte de Witte: I expect it to be massive. I’m not sure I have ever played in front of so many people, sharing the stage with artists I respect so much. It’ll be my Mexico debut as well and you honestly have no idea how long I’ve been wanted to play there. I’m quite sure it’ll be a mind-blowing experience and thinking about it, I’m actually already getting slightly nervous!
EG: You’ll be sharing the stage with other artists like Maceo Plex, Nicole Moudaber, Martinez Brothers, and Paco Osuna to name a few. What has been the experience of reaching such success?
Charlotte de Witte: It’s not something you actually realize. I mean, I do know I’m playing together with the world’s biggest artists but it rather makes me feel fortunate and grateful than successful. Even though I’ve been DJing for over 8 years now, everything exploded 2 years ago. It’s important to not forget where you came from and always appreciate the people you work with and places you visit.
“To me, being a touring DJ is something that drains a lot of energy but also energizes”
EG: With so much touring, how do you find time to focus on producing?
Charlotte de Witte: That became something very tricky. Finding studio time hasn’t been easy. I am often home for a couple of days during the midweek, when I’m not touring outside of Europe that is, but you often feel exhausted with so much catching up to do on promo e-mails that producing is not my first choice of activity. I recently bought a new laptop to bring with me on tour. It’s the only solution to keep working on tracks with the current schedule. It agitates me not being able to work and learn as much in the studio as I would like to.
EG: Are you working on any new material or projects?
Charlotte de Witte: I’ve been working on a collaboration EP with a friend of mine, One Track Brain. Besides that, there’s a new EP coming up on NovaMute in June that contains four original tracks. I recently also quit doing my weekly radio shows on Belgian radio station Studio Brussel. My slot got taken over by my baby concept KNTXT, for which we invite national, but mainly international guests on a weekly basis. I still present those shows so it’s really excited to lift things to another level.
EG: This May is your debut at Movement Festival in Detroit. What’s does it feel to play in the birthplace of techno?
Charlotte de Witte: Truly exciting. I’ve never been in Detroit before but during my last tour in United States everyone was speaking in such great manner about it. I’m really excited and happy I have one night off before my show on Monday. It has to be such an inspiring place. It’ll be like a dream.
EG: Moving to a different subject, do you feel that female artists are treated different? Or have we achieved equality among industry gender?
Charlotte de Witte: Things have definitely improved these last years and things are heading in the right direction. I do have the feeling that female artists are getting the respect they deserve all over the world, especially from promoters and other artists, but if I’m really honest, this isn’t something we have achieved completely, especially not if you look at the online community. The most difficult thing about evolution is changing someone’s mind and way of thinking. I notice, almost on a daily basis, that female artists (also including myself) have to handle shit: we’re faking our DJ sets, we fucked around to get where we are, we shake our ass too much while we DJ, we obviously can not possibly produce our own tracks… It’s a sad online world we live in but it sadly says a lot about the way people living in this world think.
“It’s important to not forget where you came from and always appreciate the people you work with and places you visit”
EG: Can you let us know a little more about yourself? What hobbies do you enjoy other than playing and producing techno? Any guilty pleasure?
Charlotte de Witte: Music has consumed all my time. It’s also my favorite thing to do in the world so no complains at all, but there’s barely time left to work out or see friends. I’d love to go and work out again. Especially because my back starts feeling like an 80 year old one from sleeping vertically on a plane all the time. It would be nice to feel a bit stronger and fitter. If I would have more time during the weekends, I’d go out with friends. I wouldn’t necessarily go clubbing immediately but I would go for a lovely dinner and see where the night would bring us. Catching up on lost time. I’d spent more time with family as well.
EG: What helps you relax after the intensity and adrenaline of a gig?
Charlotte de Witte: Let the time pass by. That usually something that disappears after a while, or the morning after, depending on the intensity of a gig. It often happens that even if I’m exhausted, I can’t immediately fall asleep after a gig. Adrenaline is something strange.
EG: If you would choose a place to sit down and enjoy a nice drink where would it be?
Charlotte de Witte: Ideally that would be a place close to where I live but what truly relaxes me is nature. Somewhere quiet where you can recharge your batteries again
Follow Charlotte de Witte:
http://www.charlottedewittemusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/charlottedewittemusic
https://soundcloud.com/charlottedewittemusic
https://www.instagram.com/charlottedewittemusic
