- The New World Dysorder founder lays down a blazing techno session.
- We've said it before in these pages, but Jasmine Infiniti is a force of nature. The New York DJ has a style and approach so intense that it hooks you in from the very first moments: hard, fast, confident. Even familiar tracks sound different in her hands, and she'll always find ways to surprise you. Her style, put roughly, is fierce, snarling techno, cut through with a bouncy streak learned from her years in the ballroom scene in both New York and Oakland. And she's quickly established herself as an excellent producer, too. This year's Btxch Släp LP is one of 2020's finest debut albums: techno and electro with a noir-ish atmosphere and jackhammer rhythms.
She heads up the bustling and creative New World Dysorder crew, where she DJs with similarly exciting names like Cali Rose. And with or without them, her sets are wildly unpredictable—we once witnessed her play gabber at 3 in the afternoon, followed by "The Macarena." Infiniti's RA Podcast is a streamlined example of one of her combustible sets, with plenty of galloping kick drums with recognizable vocals underneath, whether it's Jagged Edge's "Where The Party At" or more recent R&B cuts. The blends are livewire and wild, the selection is creative and sometimes out-of-this-world (Deadboy's "If U Want Me" into Cybotron's "Cosmic Cars," anyone?), the spirit relentless. Earlier this year we called Jasmine Infiniti's debut a "new vision of techno," and that's exactly what she lays down here.
What have you been up to lately?
I feel like I shouldn't talk about what I've mostly been up to lately, lol. Not trying to blow up spots. But in my down time I've mostly been working on my own music and trying to get the next album together. I've done a lot of Zoom and Twitch gigs. Finally released our New World Dysorder compilation and planning to have some releases by COTTON and Erica Mar.
I have a few remixes I've been working on, a track with Rubby Valentine, Laorita (formerly known as Butterclock) and thee doll, Memphy! An EP coming out on Molly House records called Prove It, and my album Bxtch Släp is getting re-released (on wax) on the Dark Entries label. I can't believe that is happening to be honest. I even got a cool new logo out of it! Can't wait until that drops.
How and where was the mix recorded?
I made this mix actually at a friend's house, I had honestly been in a rut since August. Was having all these issues with my USBs, and was getting tired of playing the same music over and over. I had like four mixes to do so I finally fixed my usb issue and DJ'd for four hours at my friends house. Just bang em out. But having new tracks really amped me. I think this is best hour of the four I spent making them. I hope people like it.
Can you tell us about the idea behind the mix?
This mix sorta starts out slow, which I do often like to do, have an intro track that helps start the journey, sort of set the tone even though I tend to rapidly shift that tone. Like, plot twist! I feel like not only is DJing a sort of story telling, to me DJing is a form of communication, and sharing my personal story and emotions. I think people can relate.
New York was one of the hardest hit areas in the US at the beginning of the pandemic, but now bars are starting to reopen and small-scale events are happening. What has your pandemic experience been like?
Honestly I was just trying to get my coins, in anyway possible. It's not like the girls' lives aren't always at risk and I think a lot of us (queer trans POC, etc) are a community, and families, and cliques and crews, who find comfort in being around each other, especially dancing. Despite it all we are celebrating. It's an act of resistance. The weird social policing is so complicated, but clearly problematic, especially in lieu of bars reopening and in New York bodegas where they don't even wear masks over the food. It's weird to drag marginalized folks in times like these for surviving and coping the best way we know how.
Your label New World Dysorder released its first compilation last month. What's coming in the future for the label, and who/what are you looking to showcase with it?
Oh yes, as I said we are planning to release an EP by Erica Mar and COTTON. Erica is an original member of NWD based in the Bay Area. COTTON is based here in Brooklyn. We had planned to release COTTON's EP Obake this Halloween, but we may have to delay a lil' bit.
What are you up to next?
I mean tomorrow isn't promised. These times make it so hard to think about the future without having hella anxiety, but I'm really looking forward to a brighter 2021, I was booked to play Sónar in Barcelona and I hope that still happens. I'm actually on my way to the Bay to judge a ball, called United We Resist ball. Then afterwards having an New World Dysorder renegade after-ki. There's just so much, but a lot of it is hard to want to commit to without any incentive.?