I am sitting in the lounge at the Caracas airport, waiting for my flight for NYC, where I will be playing tonight. I have spent 2 days here in Caracas and, I know I say that way too often but I think I had the gig of my life! But it’s ok to say it so much, because each time I say it it’s true… until next time! It’s like being in love, each time feels better than the last and stronger than ever… This whole Venezuela experience though has been quite a particular one. First, it was all so last minute! Actually, my last two times in South America have both been so last minute. What happened is that when I left Blue Bookings I suddenly had a bunch of free weekends with unconfirmed gigs in between my confirmed weekends in Europe which are usually every 2 – 3 weeks, and as I gave the whole Central and South America to AM Only to handle it for me it all fell so perfectly because there are no slower people than South Americans to confirm/promote/throw gigs. They can decide one week before the event that they want a DJ and then book (if they are lucky enough that the DJ they want is free) and promote and throw the gig which, often, is successful anyway because the crowd, also, works on a slow basis as they do not need to see a flyer or a poster around for months since they literally don’t care; they like to party and most likely they will be there at each good party thrown with proper international talent. Moreover, it’s very rare that pre-sales work in South America, unless it’s a big big type of concert event where pre-sales are mostly the predominant way of selling tickets. So they have no problem doing everything last minute, unlike me who is very stressed and does not work with the sentence “Why do it today when I can do it tomorrow”, and always need to know everything, immediately and very precisely otherwise I feel even more stressed and confused! In fact, lately I’ve been thinking that even though I would probably run over my last agent with my car (if I only knew how the hell she looks like!) I actually think that all that happened did happen for a reason, a good one, and that even if “the price paid…………” was quite big, it’s surely all for the best now because @ Iturnem (Music & Bookings) I have found the best employees in the whole world whom I work closely with because they are Montreal based and so everything is done quickly, the way I want it, the way I like and, especially, I must say that there will be no one else ever in this world who will be able to either steal my money or accumulate enough of it without sending it to me and then go bankrupt and liquidate it all, as if it was theirs……………………! That said, let’s go back a few lines… I was saying that by having quite a few weekends off it happened so fine that Viktor @ Am Only has placed me to play in Colombia on April 16th and 17th which has been a fantastic weekend with Richie Hawtin, Gaetano Parisio, Corvin Dalek and friends… We really did have amazing gigs and such a good time all together and it was like if we were back in school… With another sudden free weekend on April 30th and May 1st, Viktor has also placed me to play Venezuela this past Saturday. The funny thing about it all is that Katiuska, the Venezuelan promoter, came to Medellin with all of us on April 17th and spent a few days there with the group, hanging out and having a good time with us. What was weird for me is that not only I had been confirmed to play Colombia on that weekend just a couple of weeks before, and that was ok because the party was happening anyway with or without me, but on top of that I was also going to have another last minute gig like that with Venezuela, for where I was the only international talent playing though and for where Katiuska was still wondering only 2 weeks before if she was going to throw the party on the Thursday April 29th or on the Saturday May 1st. I was like… eh? You are wondering about this, so how can it all be confirmed? + Are you sure you are throwing the party…? And she was like, yeah, 100%!!! Ok… So I go back home on April 19th because I have a big week in front of me; still setting up so many things for my house + lots of work to do with my team & I am slowly preparing a new mix CD to come out towards the end of 2004, etc. I also I had my theory exam for motorcycle as I had just started the class before leaving for Colombia and in fact everyone was laughing at me there when I was saying that I had to go to my room to study… It was weird for me too as I didn’t have to study for anything in years, but I did well to study so hard as I am proud to say that I had 100% in my exam! Next thing I would love to find time to do is to get into Martial Arts and become as sharp as Uma in Kill Bill! 😉 Anyway… back on track and speaking about my return home… I tried to contact Viktor to find out what was going on with my gig in Venezuela on April 29th, or May 1st, and what else? No news; Viktor is still in South America with Richie… Ah ok. When will he be back? Oh, on Monday (like, 3 days before my gig!). Ok… Katiuska, also, stayed in Colombia for a few days extra and probably only got back to Caracas a week and a bit more before my party so she could “start” preparing things. I was still wondering how could have it been possible that I would definitely get to go to Venezuela, as per Viktor’s words. I tried not to think about it so I could avoid some stress and live my week well. Every day I was thinking that I should know something today. Was I still going to San Salvador on Friday April 30th? I wonder if I will end up playing Thursday or Saturday in Caracas? How bad will it look if it ever does not happen and I must cancel my NYC gig once again (I had to cancel for personal matters in December and NYC only happens when “you are in the country or near” to minimize costs so I couldn’t have just gone there from Montreal and back)? So many questions… Finally, on Thursday April 29th I find out that San Salvador couldn’t do the gig for the next day (!!) and that I am definitely playing in Caracas two days later and that flights are being bought as we speak. Great! 🙂 So I arrive in Caracas on Saturday afternoon. I had been up since 4 AM as my flight out of Montreal was at half 6. OUCH! I got there quite ok though, more excited than anything else as I had all day in front of me to lie by the pool. But there was no sun. So I chilled in my room. I was wondering what kind of weekend was awaiting in front of me… It all went so well. Dinner in an amazing French Type of Nouvelle Cuisine surrounded by great people; Katiuska and her girl friends who were all so much into Techno and all so cool. Now, Katiuska IS the nicest person. Someone whom you know is real, and in fact whom it takes time to get to know but that’s ok because at least you know it’s all real. Oh, I really had a great time and, to be honest, it was the first time of my life that I was surrounded by girls only in my work environment. Usually I am booked by guys, picked up by guys, brought to dinner by guys, driven around by guys… And I never realized, only until this weekend where I was treated the way a girl likes to be treated, that it takes a girl to understand what kind of things a girl needs. Katiuska works in Promotion with two other women. And, as boys have boy friends, girls have girl friends too, so all weekend long we were a group of girls just hanging out in restaurants and bars and in the car, with music playing and so many laughs about so many things and it was so different and so, so fun! I will miss Caracas and its people. I really had a good time, and I can’t wait to go back! But now let’s get to the gig…. WOW! Ha ha… there we go again. More words please? Of course, typical South American way, in the afternoon when I arrived, on the same day of my gig, Katiuska asked me where I would like the DJ set up to be: upstairs in the mezzanine or on the dance floor closer to the people. I said of course because at that point I wasn’t surprised anymore that things weren’t set yet, even if the party was on the same night… I was in South America after all! So I said that I wanted to be downstairs with the people of course as I don’t like to be far away. She said ok but warned me that there would be the risk that things may get too crazy and too hectic down there. Now, that, I kind of imagined. I may have been fairly new to South America’s way of working but one thing I already knew for sure is how crazy Latins can, no, not can, DO GET when they party all night long! So I told her to see and go as per what she feels and that I would definitely be happy where she would judge it would be best to do the set up. So in the end the set up was made to be on the mezzanine, upstairs. But luckily it wasn’t so high up and I still felt quite close to the people. I arrived at the party very short time before my set, I felt sorry about that but I really needed some sleep because I had been up since so early on that same morning or should I say the day before… When I got there it was boiling hot inside, and I never really mind that, in fact I love it. I love the sweat in a party because it’s the best sign of a real good party! After a few photos with promoters and fans I got ready and when 02:30 kicked I did the same, but with butts! It was funny because I had been told over dinner that the some men in Venezuela are very tough on women DJ’s. I said I wasn’t worried at all and I was used to it because of my beginnings in Spain… men screaming at me to play harder when in the whole night I was the one who was playing harder than all the hard techno DJ’s all together on the same line-up! But it’s more the effect of the woman to the macho man, and now I know that so I don’t let it get to me anymore. Actually it’s fun, it’s like them begging for being beaten up! Ha ha ha. So I was going to give serious lessons on that night, and I did. Indeed… I started my set with some funky stuff, housy mainly, which didn’t last long. I only wanted to test the crowd and see how soft, or not, they were. The DJ before me was playing quite housy, too, so I didn’t want to break it too fast. I didn’t feel like House music was what they needed so I quickly changed towards harder stuff. And there goes my 5 hours. Towards 6 in the morning I thought it was time for some Latin funky pitched up House so I had a bit of fun playing booty stuff with trumpets and groovy bass lines, but after going through all those kind of records I had no choice to get back to Techno, and they were all so happy. I think I went through my entire record box, or almost. I did not see the 5 hours pass by. I really didn’t. I had so much fun. SO-MUCH-FUN!! So many funny things happened and I kept dancing behind the decks and laughing with everyone and I only knew very few people there though I felt like I was friends with everybody. It was amazing. The sound was fantastic, the Champagne was excellent, the vibe was unbelievable and those Venezuelans they really do it for me. Guys, girls, they are all so good looking and they dance so well and it’s so funny to see them on the dance floor with one hand holding their glass and the other arm holding their bottle of Rum! Ha ha. Oh My, they really can party! I behaved pretty much on that night, but I had so much fun just looking at them. And there are so many other things I want to say, but I see again that I’ve been writing so much already and maybe it’s hard for all of you to feel how great my weekend was because at the end of the day I am saying normal usual things implying dinner, sleep, playing, crowd, partying, great set, great sound, great night all in all! So how fun can it be for you? Sorry it’s long and sorry that you weren’t there to see that! Ha ha ha ha. Sorry for laughing. 🙂 It was such a perfect night when you think that things have been done so last minute. The place was completely packed. It was a great success. I couldn’t stop smiling. My feet were hurting so much I was just moving and dancing while playing, and … yeah… I think I have said it all now. The next day I wanted to lie by the pool all day but I just crashed like a baby and slept through the whole morning and afternoon. But the night following the party was the sweetest night with Katiuska and all her sweet friends. We played Domino in a bar, had a few drinks and I got to eat typical Venezuelan dishes that were just exquisite! I cannot wait to go back as I have also been told that Venezuela has the most beautiful archipelago of islands, more beautiful than Aruba apparently and much more Virgin with barely anyone there. I remember when I went to Aruba with Christian Smith a few years back on a holiday (another one of our honeymoons, as we call them) we both got the WORSE sun burn in our entire life. I don’t remember anything worse than that. And I have been told that in Venezuela you get just about the same, if not worse. So…. next time, I will definitely take a vacation and stay there for a few days extra as it was just amazing!!! I am on the plane now and I should be landing in NYC in about one and a half hours. Now that I had to say good bye to Caracas I am ready for the next thing and I am actually looking forward to play the Monday night in NYC again as it has been 11 months since I played there (Monday night @ Sullivan Room). It should be another rocking night… So, before when I mentioned that South Americans decide to do gigs within one week notice, I didn’t mention that they also can decide to cancel them within very short notice like if there was nothing to that… So just to underline all this, I have a nice weekend off next weekend as I was supposed to go to Brazil for two gigs but they cancelled to move it to two weeks later! Two weeks later? Ehem… I was booked for two weeks later already 4 months ago, so I will not do Brazil again this time. It’s a very common thing with them, and it’s a shame as I have not been in Brazil since December 1999 and I think it’s just about time I go back, but as usual the promoter thinks that I have nothing else to do than wait to play there again… So of course I had to say no, as I am already booked up for the rest of the month, or for the next 6-7 months should I say… I am happy though, I get to stay home, work in the studio, rest and enjoy my beautiful brand new life, rid of horrible hypocrites and all the people who were so bad for me in the past few years, and just spend my time with the true, nicest and loved ones. It’s Mother’s Day too this Sunday, so I am perfectly happy to get to spend it with mine as I love her so much! Next is IN DA MOODA DA NITE on Iturnem # 15, coming out sometime this month, and more gigs in Europe; back at Florida 135, Dagobert, Turnmills, Air, Umatic, Detroit Electronic Music Festival and also some gigs that I am looking forward to the most are Sound Bar in Chicago on June 4th and, last but not least, back at Aria June 11th and 12th for the Montreal Formula 1 Grand Prix! For more, please consult the schedule under Artists – Misstress Barbara – Schedule. Soon, the guestbook should be back under some kind of forum form and I shall announce it here when it comes… See you all soon wherever that may be, thanks for reading and take care. Barbara x
