IN CONVERSATION WITH BAE BLADE

Interview by Samo Šajn

Over the past few years, Berlin-based DJ and producer Bae Blade has gone from underground favourite to international talent, bringing her high-energy blend of techno, hard dance and breaks to clubs and festivals around the world. Now, she enters a new chapter with the launch of her own label, B.A.E. – Build Around Energy, and its debut EP, INTRODUCING BAEDDIES. Led by the first single ‘HEY MAMI’, the release captures her playful, kitschy and unapologetic approach to club music while introducing the world she wants to build around B.A.E. We sat down with Bae Blade to talk about creating her own space, owning her sound and why the baeddies have arrived.

You’ve built a name for yourself through your energetic sets and releases. How would you describe your sound today?

I’d say it’s still very straightforward, punchy and present, but I always need those slightly cheesy R&B melodies in there. I love that contrast, something hard and direct next to something emotional, cute or even a little bit kitsch. Contrast is key with me. I don’t want everything to sound like it came from the same setting.

You’re now starting your own label, B.A.E. - Build Around Energy. What made you want to create your own label, and why now?

I feel like I’ve had enough experience with different labels and the whole label process by now to really know what I want and, maybe more importantly, what I don’t want. I also have a background in graphic design, so I naturally have a very specific eye for how I want things to look and feel as a whole. For me, the visual side is just as important as the music. You eat with your eyes first. If the artwork is giving nothing, I’m already suspicious.

You’ve said the label is about owning your work and creating on your own terms. What do you think needs to change in the music industry?

I really don’t like being told what my music should sound like. If I genuinely like something and I have the balls to put it out there, I don’t think someone should tell me to change it just because it doesn’t fit their personal taste. Of course, I’m always open to feedback if it actually helps the track technically or makes it stronger. But just because you build your pre-drops a certain way doesn’t mean I suddenly have to do the same. There’s room for different approaches, and I think artists should be trusted to have their own taste.

You also want B.A.E. to be a space for other artists. What kind of artists and sounds would you like to bring to the label?

I’m generally a very open-minded person, so I’ll listen to pretty much anything first. If a track does something to me emotionally and I can imagine playing it in a club, I’m interested. It could be techno, breakbeat, house, electro or something I can’t even put into a genre box yet. The energy has to be right. That’s honestly the main requirement. I don’t want to build a label around one specific BPM or genre. I want to build it around energy.

‘HEY MAMI’ is the first single on the new imprint. It’s fast, playful and full of breaks, techno and your processed vocals. How did the track come together?

I was thinking about how I wanted to approach the vocals and I thought “HEY MAMI” felt way more fun and natural than trying to make it overly serious. It also felt like a nice way for me to play with that side of myself and own my queerness a little more. It’s more like: yeah, this is me, this is who I’m also attracted to, now let’s make it hot and put it on a club track. Very simple, very Bae.

The track is on your upcoming EP, ‘INTRODUCING BAEDDIES’. What does the EP name mean, and what did you want to show with this first release?

“INTRODUCING BAEDDIES” is basically me introducing you to the world I’m building with B.A.E. I wanted the first release to make it very clear that I’m not just casually starting a label. I mean this shit. “Baeddies” is the energy I want around the label: confident, hot, weird, playful, unapologetic and completely comfortable being yourself. I want B.A.E. to be a place where people can show up as they are and feel like they belong. So this first release is basically the warning shot: the baeddies have arrived.

What are you hoping to build with B.A.E. over the next few years?

I want to build a space where people genuinely feel comfortable, whether that’s through the music, the artists, the parties or the visuals. I want it to become a movement that feels authentic and has a real community behind it, not just another label with a nice Instagram feed, even though it will look nice. I especially want to create an open queer space, while still keeping it welcoming to everyone who comes with the right energy. No fake shit, no forced aesthetics, no pretending to be something you’re not. Just good music, good people and hopefully some questionable decisions at 4am.

You describe your sound as kitschy, edgy and uncompromising. How important is it for you to have fun with your music?

If I stop having fun with music, I’ll probably stop making it pretty quickly. I think we’re all so much more multifaceted as people than the version of ourselves we sometimes present professionally. I want all those sides of me to be allowed to exist in my music, like the tough side, the emotional side, the silly side, the dramatic side… all of it. I don’t want to make music that takes itself too seriously. I want it to make people feel something, but I also want to have fun while making it. Life is already serious enough, babe.

After three years as a Rinse FM resident and playing clubs and festivals around the world, has the way you approach DJing changed?

I’m actually way more relaxed before gigs now. I feel like I can read a room much more easily and adapt without overthinking it. At the end of the day, I’m there to give people a good time, so I see myself as a service provider in that sense. I love that I can play a daytime house set at Else in Berlin and then play something much faster and harder at night for something like Teletech, and both can still have a Bae Blade signature. The genre can change, the BPM can change, but there’s always a certain vibe underneath it.

You’ve played at places like Tresor, fabric and Awakenings. Is there a club or festival where you especially love playing?

I absolutely love Else in Berlin. It’s such a good club and basically a guarantee for a good time. There’s something about playing outside, being surrounded by your friends and having that Berlin summer energy. And as a festival, Glitch in Malta was a real vibe. A beautiful city, warm weather, your friends everywhere, everyone slightly delirious from the heat. What more do you need? Drinking more water probably, haha. But my goal is the Spider Stage at Forbidden Forest. It looks so ridiculously dope, so manifesting that one, lol.

Bae Blade ‘HEY MAMI’ is out September 4th on B.A.E. – Build Around Energy. Save it HERE. Full ‘INTRODUCING BAEDDIES’ EPft. Laure Croft out September 25th. 

Connect with Bae Blade on Spotify | Instagram | Soundcloud  | Bandcamp

Connect with B.A.E. on Instagram | Bandcamp

PHOTO CREDITS:

Creative Direction by Bae Blade

Shoes by Miista

Full Outfit by ESSAI