From underground South American raves to prestigious European clubs, DJ and producer Whitney Weiss has carved out a distinct niche in the electronic music scene. With a career spanning over a decade, Whitney’s journey from marathon sets in Argentinean factories to prime slots at northern hemisphere festivals showcases her versatility and enduring passion for music.
Photo credit: Whitney Weiss – Official
Now splitting her time between Paris and Berlin, Whitney continues to make waves with her long-running Rinse France show ‘It’s Whitney, Bitch’ and her recent focus on production. Her latest release, the ‘Temperance’ remix package, features edits from acclaimed artists Jaye Ward, Perfect Lovers, and Quickweave, available both digitally and on limited edition vinyl via Chinotto Records.
In this exclusive interview with EG, Whitney Weiss opens up about her recent releases, her experiences in the industry, and her exciting future projects. Join us as we delve into the world of this dynamic artist who’s been making moves from Buenos Aires to Berlin and beyond.
EG: Hi, Whitney! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been? Where are you right now?
Whitney Weiss: Hey, thanks for having me! I am sat next to some beautiful marbled records that I need to ship and a half-packed suitcase, as I’m getting ready to head back to Sicily for a bit.
EG: How was your summer? Any particular highlights?
Whitney Weiss: Probably the release of my first tracks with my own vocals! ‘Whatever’ came out in June on The Carry Nation’s comp for Nervous Records, ‘Full Tilt Carry Vol. 2’ (alongside some of my favorite songs of the summer) and ‘Gimme’ came out in August on Cómeme, a label I’ve loved for years, with a remix by Christian S. It was pretty rainy and chilly in Berlin the first part of summer, which I loved—it kept me indoors to finish some music I’d started in spring.
EG: By the way, congratulations on the release of your new ‘Temperance Remixes’ EP! How are you feeling about this drop? What has the initial reception been like so far?
Whitney Weiss: Thanks! I’m delighted with the reception so far—people have sent me videos listening while lounging on their couch on a Sunday afternoon in Paris as a breeze flutters their curtains and videos of happy crowds in places like southern Italy and Ibiza from DJ booths. Chinotto Records is about putting out music that fits in both settings. That might be a little ambitious, but it seems to be working, so that’s great.
EG: So, what can your fans expect to find on this one?
Whitney Weiss: A remix for every mood!
“If they recognize the joy that went into making each track and feel a little bit of it when they listen, I’m happy”
EG: And what was the process of selecting Perfect Lovers, Quickweave, and Jaye Ward as remixers for this project? Did you ever connect with them in person?
Whitney Weiss: I’ve known Perfect Lovers since we were both in Buenos Aires 15 or 16 years ago. I love his label Muy Muy Limited and his production work and I knew he’d do something fun. He went and asked his friend Pat to record live saxophone and the result is a remix that would fit in any situation a DJ could be in, but that’s also great if you’re watching a sunset or hanging out at home.
Jaye Ward was the resident at a party I threw in London called PATSY at Dalston Superstore, which is somehow almost a decade ago. I miss getting to see her and hear her DJ regularly, so having her do a remix is the next best thing. She is the most Shazamed DJ by other DJs I’ve ever seen play and you can feel that scope of musical knowledge in her production work, which I’m glad she’s getting back to!
And Quickweave is thanks to the internet and my show on Rinse. I had someone on who recommended an EP that he’d done with Redance and we got connected on social media. I loved his productions, asked if he could do a remix, and here we are! Hopefully, I’ll get down to New Orleans and get a chance to hear him DJ and meet him in person at some point. He’s got a new record out where he collaborates with a bunch of musicians and vocalists that’s exactly the right kind of ambitious. I hope a lot of people hear it.
EG: And how does one balance the weight of expectations with what the final ‘product’ might be like? I mean, it feels like at a certain point, things are out of the original artist’s hands, right?
Whitney Weiss: Absolutely. The music is a success to me when I’m done making it, so it’s more of a hope than an expectation: I hope people hear it and like it. If they recognize the joy that went into making each track and feel a little bit of it when they listen, I’m happy.
The same goes for the remixes: I asked people whose songs and style I like to re-interpret a track of mine without expecting the result to sound a certain way. Each person made something new that I liked a lot and they happened to fit together perfectly.
EG: By the way, your show for Rinse France is in its 11th year. Congratulations! What does the show mean to you by now? How does one keep the enthusiasm going after all this time? What can we expect for the rest of the year?
Whitney Weiss: Thanks! I’m in the ninth year of ‘It’s Whitney, Bitch,’ which is nearing its 100th guest! My first couple of years on Rinse France were spent co-hosting Kiddy Smile’s show, Kiddy Likes It Hot—which I hope he revives at some point—when the studio was still in a damp basement. Being able to do something so long-term is quite fulfilling; my musical practice has grown as the radio station has grown. Rinse France lets me do whatever I want. With that kind of opportunity, there’s no room for being bored. As long as there are interesting DJs (and producers and dancers and writers) to invite on, I’m always going to be excited to make the show. And it’s France, so guests can cuss and songs can be explicit.
As far as what to expect for the rest of this season: you’ll just have to tune in and find out! The next episode is with boxofbox and they’re digging deep into 90s house. Aside from August when we go on vacation (as one should), I’m on the first Saturday of every month at 8pm. I also co-curate the annual Queer Cult Takeover with my friend Monique Destruction, which gives a change of pace each June since it’s nonstop broadcasting for an entire weekend. This summer Monique was like, “what’s the plan?” and I was like, “here’s everyone I want for my hours. Some of it is dance music, but I’m going to have a visual artist playing Pigface and Buddy Holly at 7am,” and he was like, “sounds great!”
EG: Now, on to a current subject… this week, the closure of ASLICE opened up a big discourse surrounding the ‘big players’ and the lack of awareness in the DJ/producer dynamic. How do you feel about this? What are your thoughts on the current power balance and the future of our scene?
Whitney Weiss: I think ASLICE was doing something important and I appreciate their transparency and the detailed reports they made public recently. I hope they or the same model comes back. I think people should buy the music they stream and get used to digital songs costing more than one dollar/Euro/pound. What else can you get for a Euro these days (and that’s BEFORE Bandcamp or whoever takes their cut).
I’m pretty sure that anyone DJing in clubs is well aware of the fact that if other people weren’t making it, they wouldn’t have enough music for interesting sets that keep them working, even if they also produce. I hope the future of our scene is accessibility, but that’s something worth a whole separate article or series of articles.
“I hope the future of our scene is accessibility”
EG: Finally, what can we expect from Whitney Weiss in the next months? Where can your fans catch you playing live next?
Whitney Weiss: I’ve got an EP coming out this November on Sorry Records, a great New York label. There’s a track on there with David Blank, an Italian vocalist, that I’m particularly excited for people to hear. There are a couple of tracks on compilations that will be out in early 2025 and a couple of remixes that I had a lot of fun making that could be out in the next couple of months.
And then Chinotto Records, my label, has a busy fall and winter coming up—in November, an outstanding EP from the Argentinean producer and DJ Ana Helder comes out digitally. She’s doing things with percussions that no one else gets close to and bridging the gap between Ze Records-style bands and house music.
In December, we’re launching the Tarocco Singles Club, a new 7-inch series, with a couple of great songs from New Orleans DJ and producer Bouffant Bouffant. Those are Arthur Russell influenced without being derivative. I sent the masters to someone whose feedback was, “I have listened to this song on repeat 47 times and I’m not sick of it” which was my experience, too.
Aside from DJing in a wheat field in Favignana this fall, I don’t have plans to do a lot of sets other than on Rinse France. I’ve gotten a bit particular about where and when I’ll DJ, but that’s a conversation for another time.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Whitney! We wish you all the best for the future. Take care!
Whitney Weiss: Aww, you as well. Thanks for the thoughtful questions!
Whitney Weiss’s ‘Temperance Remixes’ is now available on Chinotto Records. Stream and download here.
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