FEATURE: Spotlight: Honey Dijon — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Honey Dijon

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A world-class and iconic…

PHOTO CREDIT: Louie Banks for GQ

D.J., producer, artist, and fashion queen, many may already be aware of Honey Dijon. The New York legend is someone who I wanted to spotlight today. Her incredible work should be known by everyone. Having recently remixed for Beyoncé, the undeniable gifts and talents of Honey Dijon are coming to a wider audience. I am going to reach a couple of recent interviews with her, because there is a lot of fascination and interest around her – and singles like Love Is a State of Mind are awesome and signal we may get an album or E.P. soon. Before coming to that, I want to start by dropping in some biography about the amazing Honey Dijon:

“Honey Dijon (formerly known as Miss Honey Dijon, legal name: Honey Redmond), is an American DJ, producer, electronic musician, and fashion icon. She was born in Chicago and is based out of New York City. She has performed at clubs, art fairs, galleries and fashion events worldwide. Renowned for not adhering to any particular genre, Honey Dijon is known for curating cross-genre sets.

Miss Honey Dijon grew up on the south side of Chicago, in a family that she describes as very musical. She began clubbing during her mid-teens with her parents’ acceptance as long as her academics did not suffer. During her time in Chicago she met and was mentored by DJs and producers such as Derrick Carter, Mark Farina and Greenskeepers. Later on, Honey Dijon moved to New York, where she was introduced to Maxi Records and Danny Tenaglia. Honey Dijon is transgender. She has been a vocal advocate for trans rights and awareness, speaking from her experience as a black trans woman DJ in dance music. She has been interviewed by the British television channel Channel4 on the issue of trans visibility, and she has participated in an extensive roundtable discussion with DJ Sprinkles / Terre Thaemlitz on ‘remixing gender’ in electronic music”.

Just prior to getting to some interviews, Rolling Stone were among those who covered Beyoncé’s decision to release an E.P. featuring remixes of the RENAISSANCE single, BREAK MY SOUL. Honey Dijon was among those selected:

“Beyoncé tapped Will.i.am, Honey Dijon, and more to remix her Renaissance single “Break My Soul” for a new EP.

Beyoncé dropped the the four remixes digitally Tuesday night, Aug. 2. Along with Will.i.am and Honey Dijon, there are contributions from Chicago house great Terry Hunter and the multitalented DJ/producer/percussionist/singer Nita Aviance.

On Twitter, Nita celebrated the new remix, writing, “anyone comin @Beyonce for this moment not bein bout real house music, CATCH, they got ya girl involved! this one is for the queens, dancefloor divas & all the late-night revelers. see u at the club.”

Honey Dijon — who also helped produce two Renaissance tracks, “Cozy” and “Alien Superstar” — previously spoke about getting to work with Beyoncé on her new album, writing, “Your elegance, beauty, talent, work ethic, and vision is truly inspirational. To share my Chicago house music roots and black queer and trans culture with you and the world is profound and emotional. I am honored, humbled, delirious with joy, and proud.”

Renaissance, which dropped last Friday, July 29, marks Beyoncé’s first proper solo album since 2016’s Lemonade. In between she released a collaborative album with Jay-Z, Everything Is Love, and spearheaded the soundtrack album, The Lion King: The Gift”.

There are a couple of great and insightful interviews from earlier in the year where we get a look inside Honey Dijon’s world. An extraordinary talent who everyone should know about and connect with, SSENSE chatted with her recently. It is an extraordinary interview that everyone should read in full:

“Born in Chicago, Honey has been DJing since she was a child. “My parents were pretty young when they had me,” she explains, “and I would play music at their parties before I had to go to bed. I get excited about sharing music with people—it’s just how I was wired.” Honey began going out in her early teens and came of age in the clubs that birthed house music, which gives her an important perspective on the genre’s oft-ignored origins: “This is a 30-year-old subculture that’s now above ground, and I try to convey that music from where I come from—queer, black culture. This music was started by queer people of color.”

Honey moved to New York City in the late-90s, and it was there that her career as a DJ took off. Her style is powered by a borderless intuition. She slides smoothly between disco, house, and techno, and she is as comfortable playing Berlin club mecca Panorama Bar, where she’s a regular, as she is at Art Basel or a Rick Owens afterparty.

Her work behind the decks carried her into the world of fashion, attracting figures like Nicolas Ghesquière, Riccardo Tisci, the aforementioned Owens, and Kim Jones, whose admiration gave way to collaborative friendships. For the past six years, Honey has worked with Jones to develop the soundtracks for Louis Vuitton’s men’s shows. The most recent one made waves with a brand new Drake tune written just for Jones (Drake actually offered two originals, Honey later tells me over email). She has also found time to take on speaking engagements, sharing her experiences via lectures at MoMA PS1 and King’s College London. Her calendar full as it is, she reckons things are about to get even more intense—she’ll soon release her debut full-length on Classic, the label started by her mentor and OG house legend Derrick Carter.

Over tequila cocktails and french fries, Honey and I discuss the changing demographics of dance music, dissociating in the DJ booth, fashion’s appropriation of trans culture, and the records that changed her life. Later, in Berlin—her second home—Benjamin Huseby styled and photographed her in clothes from GmBH, the label he designs with his partner Serhat Isik.

PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Huseby

Given that you’re playing constantly, how do you challenge yourself and keep it fresh?

I’m still excited about the music! I approach DJing as an art form or craft. For me it’s like someone painting a picture, or writing music, or designing something. The hard part is that it’s not every day I have something to say as an artist. You can’t force inspiration, and when you play so much, it’s not like you get as many great records as you do gigs. So it’s about reshuffling these records that I’ve been hearing for the last three weeks over and over again so that I’m still excited. Frankie Knuckles always said the moment you become more important than the music, you’re done. And I live by that.

In house music’s early days, the DJ was not necessarily the focal point of the party, and at some point that changed. Is that something that you consider when you’re playing? Are you thinking about how you look while you’re performing?

Yes. And I relate that back to bands—the look is important. I’ve always had a relationship to style. When I discovered the first musicians that I loved, I would sit and look at what they wore and what the album cover credits were—who took their picture, who did their hair. I love the whole idea of approaching DJing and music as a cohesive project, as an art thing. This isn’t anything new, it’s just that now DJ culture is more visible than it was before. DJing and DJ culture is becoming a lifestyle thing, whereas before it was really just a subculture.

Do you feel like the culture of dance music has shifted towards consumption?

No one is bringing anything to the party! You go to the club and no one’s wearing color, no one’s bringing attitude. They’re all standing there, wearing these bland clothes, looking at the DJ—who gives a fuck? I remember when I started going out I actually had to have a look or an attitude to get into the party. I was there because I was creating part of the atmosphere, not taking something away from it. I wanted to contribute to this music and I wanted to contribute to this culture. I come from that school of thought where art, music, fashion, clubbing, all of it was a cultural center. This was where people—I have a saying: meet, mate, and create.

And a record that changed your life?

There are so many—you can’t do that! “Bostich" by Yello. “Join in the Chant” by Nitzer Ebb. “Mesopotamia” by The B-52s. Oh my god, like, “Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. “Brighter Days” by Cajmere. “One More Round” by Kasso. “Cherry Pie” by Sade. A Seat at the Table, the entire album by Solange—that album is a masterpiece. Marvin Gaye’s “After the Dance.” Are you kidding me? Like, fuck. “A City That Never Sleeps,” The Eurythmics. “Julia,” The Eurythmics. I could go on, and on, and on, and on. “White Boy” by Culture Club. Kissing to Be Clever is one of my favorite albums. That changed my life. I’ll tell you a funny story—I never talk about this. I remember when I was a kid, before I knew what trans was, I went to the mall and I saw Kissing to be Clever, and I just kept staring at it, and staring at it, and staring at it. I didn’t know why I was staring at it, because, like everyone, when I first saw Boy George I thought he was a girl. Something inside me was like, “There’s something different.” I couldn’t put my hand on it because I didn’t have the language to define it. For many years, I thought I was androgynous, until I started to find out more about that. So, that album cover was probably what changed my life. Crazy”.

Prior to wrapping up, I want to bring in an interview from NOTION. If some have not experienced Honey Dijon’s work or know much about her, there are many more who hold her in the highest esteem. One gets a sense of this when reading NOTION’s thoughts:

“The word ‘icon’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but no one wears the title better than Honey Dijon.

A DJ, producer, and musician, Honey Dijon has left an indelible mark on the electronic music scene after decades of spinning house, disco, techno, and other feasts for the ears. Born in Chicago, Honey started her disc jockey career spinning tunes at her parents’ basement parties, regularly scouring for tracks in the city’s record stores. In one such store, she met DJ and record producer, Derrick Carter, who introduced her to the underground Chicago club scene, where she was exposed to jacking house and Detroit techno.

Honey later moved to New York City, where she now splits her time with electronic music mecca, Berlin. To date, Honey has played some of the biggest and most legendary clubs around the world, from Space in Ibiza to Panorama Bar in Berlin, Sub Club in Glasgow, The Block in Tel Aviv, Output in NYC, The Warehouse Project in Manchester, and Smart Bar in Chicago, as well as tons of festivals. Later this month, Honey Dijon brings her signature sound to London.

Notion caught up with Honey ahead of her Pandora’s Box show at the newly refurbished KOKO on 19th May to hear about her insatiable love for books, the rising DJs she’s excited about, and what she wants her legacy to be.

Many would call you an icon of the dance and electronic music circuit, but how do you define success and quantify it on your own terms?

I would define my success as just being a working artist. I don’t get too caught in compliments, be it positive or negative. Of course, it’s nice to hear nice things about my work, but I just focus on bringing joy to people through my music, DJing and being good at my craft. Also just surviving in the world as a trans woman of colour in music, fashion, and on a daily basis, is a success within itself.

You’re set to play an immersive show called Pandora’s Box at the renovated London venue KOKO on 19th May. How did the show all come together? What can people expect?

I love London! It’s a place where I can express myself fully. When I found out KOKO had been refurbished, I loved the thought of combining its legendary reputation with the journey into the unknown within a new venue.

We love to see Pxssy Palace on the line-up. What is your relationship like with the collective? How did you come across them?

I love what they are doing. This is the second time we’ve worked together. House music has always been deeply sexual but less so nowadays. I admire what Pxssy Palace brings to the party and the inclusive community they have built.

Having played sets around the world at some of the most renowned clubs, can you tell us about a show that will always stand out for you?

I am a proponent of joy, so it’s not so much the venue but the people inside of it. Clubs have always been a place for people to lose their inhibitions and leave their troubles at the door even if it’s for a couple of hours. If I am a facilitator of celebration and happiness through music then that’s what always stands out for me. I am so lucky to have this as a career”.

With stunning new music out, I am excited to see whether an album will come later in the year. I have not heard anything at the moment. An established and hugely respected DJ and producer, wanted to use this opportunity to highlight Honey Dijon to anyone who may not know about her. One hit of her incredible work and you…