Tyra From Saigon
Since I started the Global DJ Series back in November of last year, the one thing I keep hearing with these interviews is that female djs are few and far between. I don’t necessarily agree. Out of the six interviews I’ve done so far, four have been with female djs. Count this interview with Tyra from Saigon, and two of the three interviews I have coming up in the next few weeks, and my interview ratio female-to-male is seven-to-three.
Now, I admit, the ratio is skewed a bit because, at this point, I’ve chosen to interview more female djs than male djs. I’m a sucker for a pretty face. But I’m just not convinced there are that many more male djs throughout the world than female djs.
However, I am convinced that, globally, male turntablists outnumber female turntablists by a wide margin. But Tyra from Saigon and Females Wit Funk is changing this. She and her girls are showing the world that skills behind the decks have nothing to do with gender. Recently, I talked to Tyra about her unique style and why she felt the need to bring female djs together as a collective.ML: Let's start off with your style. It's definitely a unique sound, especially with the arrangement of the piano and guitar in some of your music. Briefly take me through the process of how you compose your music.
Tyra from Saigon: Usually, I’ll start off with the lead instruments I’ll want to use. Say [my track] “California Love.” I used mostly piano to write my melody, and after that I’ll bang out some drums. I’ve never sampled riffs or instruments though; I used to think it was sorta like stealing music, so I made everything from scratch. But now I have a different outlook on it. To sample though, you need a good library, which I’m still working on, so all of the instruments you hear on my tracks are played myself, for now. After I got my instrumental down, I will add in my scratches and a cappellas, and you know, all the fun stuff!
ML: You describe yourself as a turntablist, but in the true sense of the word, you're a musician through and through. Why become a turntablist? Why not just sing at the piano with a guitar behind you? Or does that not appeal to you?
Tyra from Saigon: I wasn’t crazy about djing, but a lot of my friends were djs and I was turned on by how turntables could make continuous mixes, you know? I used to be a mix tape addict. I’d wait for as long as it took to get that perfect song on the radio or even TV. I’d dub off music videos and anything I could find, and I always thought it was amazing how someone could just seamlessly mix a song into another.
Of course, while my friends were djing I was still religiously playing my guitar. I sorta left the piano behind to pursue guitar full throttle, and that went on for a few years. I got to a point where I felt like I plateaued or maybe just became stagnant, and got annoyed.
After being inspired by the “scratch” documentary, I picked up a pair of turntables and mixer from eBay and that was the birth of a new love. At the time, my mixer was such a piece of shit that it couldn’t scratch, so I just used it to blend records. I used to travel to the States a lot and deal dj gear, and I came across a Vestax 07 one day. I knew right away it was made for scratching so I kept it and…yeah, I guess with years of vigorous finger training (haha), the clicking just came naturally to me.
There’s so much you can do with turntables, though. When people think of scratching they think of that “ahhh fresh, wiki wiki” noise. There’s so much more beyond that—you can cut up phrases, instruments, any sound alive. So, that took over my life for a while…I wanted to be able to control the turntable like the piano or guitar.
Why not just sing and play? Well I do. But shhhh…the stuff I make now is very experimental. You know, just messing around with new sounds. The music I make doesn’t really fall into your stereotypical rap/hip hop genre, but it’s got that hip hop element of turntablism. Just having fun for now, seeing what I can come up with, you know?
ML: Obviously, there are gender issues when it comes to turntablism and djing in general. Tell me a little bit about Females Wit Funk and why you felt the need to establish such a group.
Tyra from Saigon: Females wit Funk is a global platform of dope djs that I decided to bring together. We feature strictly female turntablists that scratch from all over the world. When I first started scratching, I didn’t have very many girls to look up to. I knew Annalyze, Shortee and Killa Jewel, and studied whoever I could find. I just remember every time finding one of these gems and getting so excited about knowing there were other girls out there rippin’ it up! I couldn’t even verbalize the inspiration I was drenched in after watching Killa Jewel’s A Trak routine when I accidentally found her on Qbert’s DIY DVD ‘cause I bought the wrong volume.
So I told to myself, you know, I gotta bring these ladies together somehow. I wanna spread back the inspiration that I was blessed with as far as possible to other ladies out there. Let ‘em know what is out there and what they can be potentially capable of expressing. If that is what they wanna learn, of course.
I know it sounds super corny, but I wish more girls scratched. It sucks that the intimidation factor holds a lot of them back. You wouldn’t believe the number of girls that have dipped into turntablism since, though. When I started back in ’04, I knew like four girls who scratched. There are over twenty females on the platform right now, and more on the rise. So watch out guys. Really though, it ain’t about girls vs. boys. It’s just about getting more girls involved.
ML: I'm always hearing that female djs are rare compared to the number of male djs. Why aren't there more female djs? Do you think women who have musical talent are encouraged, or even expected to be vocalists?
Tyra from Saigon: Djing is just a really aggressive skill. Women sing and dance and all that stuff ‘cause it’s graceful in an idealistic society. You don’t expect to see women lugging crates of records in the late hours, throwing plates everywhere to rock a crowd. I think it just links to more testosterone. Really. No offense ladies. Nothing wrong with that. Gender roles are just inevitable.
ML: You were born in Saigon, but now you're based in Toronto. Tell me about the house scene there.
Tyra from Saigon: People sure love their house in Toronto. To be honest, I’ve been outta the loop for the past few years with house. I took a break and leaped into the scratch world. I still make mix tapes once in a while. There’s a bigger emphasis on house, I think, compared to where I’m living now in Cali. I think it’s influenced by the cultural preferences…a lot of Europeans up there. You know how they are with their house and trance.
ML: If anything, you're eclectic, and you work with various styles of music. But when you're alone, what kind of music do you like to listen to?
Tyra from Saigon: I listen to everything, really. There’s good in every genre. Surprisingly though, I don’t really like a lot of rap unless its old school. Anything that is musical. Lots of 90’s alternative/pop/retro/indie. Some bands I could just listen to for hours are The Cranberries, Death Cab for Cutie, The Notwist…
ML: So, where can we catch your next gig?
Tyra from Saigon: This one’s a secret!
