FROM THE ROAD: MadamX at Dirtybird Campout
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
“OPA! @melfrancofilm”
SOME FESTIVALS ARE WORTH DOCUMENTING PROPERLY - not on a phone, not through a lens you can preview and delete and reshoot until it looks right, but on something that commits you to the moment, that makes you slow down and actually look. Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights, three days deep in the Northern California Redwoods along the Eel River, is exactly that kind of festival. And MadamX is exactly that kind of person to send in with a disposable camera.
The London-born DJ and label head has built her name on a refusal to be pinned down. Her sets move from Baile Funk to UKG to Techno to Dubstep with the kind of fluency that makes genre feel like a suggestion rather than a rule. That same instinct carried through the weekend. She power-napped on a plane from Salt Lake City, raided the Delta Sky Lounge with Gina Turner before the site even came into view, watched Ivy Lab deliver what she calls a masterclass, and lost, then triumphantly recovered, a sock backstage to a crowd of applause and mezcal. She also stood at the Bunker Stage, looked out at a Front-Of-House mounted on a pile of dirt, and thought: this is giving Dune.
In between, she shot a roll of film, which each photo telling you something real about what it feels like to be inside one of the most beloved independent festivals in the country, present in your body, dancing in the Redwoods, free. These are her photos, and the story behind them.
“Everything's better in a Cuddle Puddle @melfrancofilm”
“FRIENDCAM: Todd Edwards & Will Clarke”
“Je suis arrivée @melfrancofilm”
LUNA: Congrats on playing Dirtybird! What did prepping for your set look like for this one?
MADAMX: I was conscious it was only an hour long, and I jump through so many genres, so I really wanted the set to feel fluid and high-energy without ever feeling random or out of place. Most of the prep went into the transitions and figuring out how I could create those little moments on the dancefloor that build pressure, but still keep people moving and dancing. I was basically working out which songs could speak to each other and how I could jump from Baile Funk to UKG, or Techno to Dubstep, without it feeling forced. I also wanted to represent the music from my label, both forthcoming and already out, so it was a fun jigsaw putting all those pieces together.
LUNA: Take us through your show day for this festival.
MADAMX: Had a power nap on the plane after a gig in Salt Lake City. Met Gina Turner at San Fran airport where we freshened up in the Delta Sky Lounge and raided the free snacks and coffee, before riding to site together. Took some rest at the Airbnb to tune up, prep, and get sexy — and then came to the festival after sundown where I got to enjoy some "Todd-the-God" Edwards at The Grove before hitting the Bunker stage for my set.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite moment or memory from the weekend?
MADAMX: Ivy Lab, start to finish. A masterclass of a performance. And then there was the communal team effort to find my lost sock backstage after my set. I was reunited with it like a Cinderella fairytale, as it was slid back onto my manky festival foot to a shower of applause and mezcal. A true main character moment.
LUNA: What's a moment you wish you had caught on camera?
MADAMX: The Front-Of-House mounted on a huge pile of dirt opposite the Bunker Stage. Was giving Dune...
LUNA: Tell us about your set. What did you want to bring to that specific environment — the Redwoods, the river, that crowd?
MADAMX: In that environment, I wanted everyone to be in their bodies and forget about technology and the outside world for a second. Just be present with the music and feel the collective impulse to dance and be free.
“STAGE CAM: IVY LAB”
“FRIENDCAM: IVY LAB (best set of the night!)”
LUNA: What's been your favorite track to play live lately?
MADAMX: “Hoodlum FC VIP” — it's my secret weapon by Cartridge and me. It's been a staple in our sets this summer and I love seeing the reaction it's been getting!
LUNA: Shooting on a film camera forces you to slow down and be more mindful. What did shooting on film make you notice that you might have otherwise missed?
MADAMX: The composition of everything. Finding beauty in random places and miscellaneous objects. One person's trash can be someone else's art — that type of thing.
“Best Fit of the weekend...”
“Space Hoppers in the Dance is a touch”
“My Happy Place”
“Club-Acrobatics”
LUNA: What's the rest of the summer looking like for you?
MADAMX: Locked away in the studio to finish this project I've been working on with Dusky. A couple more festivals in Europe to hit. A KAIZEN release from Doctor Jeep and some much needed chill time with my family!
