- where / Wellington
- what / DJ
- likes / Progressive, House, Breaks
The diminutive gimpgirl hails from Wellington, New Zealand and what she lacks in stature, she certainly makes up for with her energy on the decks. Gimpgirl (a.k.a Odette), had her first experiences with djing when she became involved with student radio in at the age of 20, doing regular radio shows where she played a mix of styles. A few years spent living in London in the 90s, had a further influence on her musical tastes. Always having had an appreciation for a diverse range of music, from alternative, to indie pop, rap and dub, a flatmate introduced her to dance music. The seed was sown and several years after moving back to New Zealand and a spin on a friend's decks one night had her instantly hooked. Several months later at the end of 2001 she had her own set of decks and has not looked back. Within five months she played her first set at the outdoor party Wonderland. Starting off playing Harddance, Odette soon found a love for Breaks and Progressive House, which are the genres she now plays.
Within the time she has been playing out, Odette has played in some of the most respected clubs and bars in Wellington, and featured on line-ups including the likes of Tayo, Tom Middleton, DJ Heather, Phil Reynolds and a whole host of some of New Zealand's top DJs including Sam Hill, Dannyboy, Page 3 and live Breakbeat act, Minuit. In 2003 she was voted Number 1 Breaks DJ for Wellington in New Zealand's most respected dance music website biggie.co.nz's national DJ awards. She currently holds a monthly residency at a Breaks night called Shenanigans, which runs at the stylish club Sandwiches and she plays around town on a regular basis.
Her appetite for phat, chunky beats is evident through the styles of Breaks and Progressive she favours , from funky, electro-tinged, and the more Drum and Bass end of the Breaks spectrum to the darker dirty, tribal styles of Progressive House. She also likes to drop in the odd retro tune to surprise people. This reflects her wide interest and knowledge of music, which goes back to her days involved with student radio, and adds to her own unique style.
Odette's philosophy behind the decks is simple - choosing great tunes and putting a set together that keeps people dancing and enjoying themselves, but most importantly being able to connect with the crowd and create a vibe with them. "That's what it's all about, I love the tunes I play and enjoy having fun. There's nothing better than the energy that is created between an up-for-it crowd and a dj playing to them and I want to transmit the passion I have for what I do, to the floor" she says.
In addition to her djing, Odette is actively involved in the Wellington dance music scene in a number of other ways. With her partner she runs the very successful party Flipped Out. She has also bean involved in putting on Breaks nights and in 2003 joined forces with Auckland Breaks promoters, BlocRok to bring premier Breaks party, Breakers Delight, to Wellington and ran a party called Breaks Down. She has also been actively involved in Wellington's successful outdoor party, Wonderland, as Artistic Coordinator for both the 2003 and 2004 parties.
Her desire and enthusiasm to keep developing her skills behind the decks, combined with her support of Wellington's dance community is a reflection of Odette's love of dance music and djing. This has earnt her respect as an up and coming dj, from both her peers and the people to whom she plays.
Find out more about gimpgirl by visiting www.gimpgirl.co.nz
