“Growing up we moved a lot but the one thing that was consistent was the music and art that was so deeply woven in the fabric of our household.”
“The very first records I remember having a large impact on my consciousness where mostly classic R&B, funk, and soul artists. Stuff like Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, the Jacksons, Nina Simone, Percy Sledge, Earth Wind and Fire, Sly Stone, Chic, and many many more. And then there was the Malian desert blues which affected me so deeply.
As a toddler I remember being a huge fan of Little Richard and Bootsy Collins too and whenever I heard mainstream children’s music whether at school or at play date at a friend’s house I somehow couldn’t resist the urge to introduce these kids to my idols. Singing and dancing to tunes like “Tutti Frutti” or “I’d Rather Be with You.”
When I was about 6 I went to see Bootsy for the first time together with my mom and a few of her friends. That show absolutely changed my life and my innate love for Bootsy just grew even deeper. We were front row and with wide eyes I was sitting on the shoulders of one of my mother’s friends. Then came the moment when Bootsy picked me up off of those shoulders and invited me to join him onstage to dance with the entire band. (Supposedly one of my first full sentences I ever pronounced was “bust a move” and I’m sure these three words came in handy during this experience).
After that show I had concluded Bootsy was offically my best friend and husband to be and I started obsessively sending him packages with letters, crochet bracelets, and…mix tapes. To this day I don’t know if he ever received the packages or mix tapes but I know I experienced my first heartbreak once I realized that he would probably never write me back.
Once we moved to Europe from New York I was invited by the Museum of Modern Art in Belgium to DJ at the opening reception. I was only 11 at the time and people somehow knew I had an extensive and unorthodox music collection for an 11 year old. l think the curators who had approached me had this vision in mind that I could act as some kind of performance art installation.. “Let the child stand on a bunch of beer crates and spin some vinyl.” What they didn’t know was that I had serious instincts of how to throw a party and get people to dance and they quickly asked me to become a resident DJ where I’d spin there once a month and they would pay me to purchase vinyl for the museum’s personal vinyl collection.
I played everything from obscure electronica to ’90s hip hop. From Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, to Missy Elliot, Tribe Called Quest, Eric B & Rakim, and Nas. From Iggy Pop to the Cure, to strange field recordings and obscure ambient music. I always loved the harmony and contrast of melody, words, deep bass tones, darker moods, and polyrhythms.
These years of crate digging were hugely influential towards my musical development and remain the foundation of my wide range of influences that are often portrayed within my own music.”
—Trixie Whitley
Trixie Whitley’s sophomore release Porta Bohemica is in stores now. On vinyl.
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PHOTO: RENATA RAKSHA
