We’ve had a few people ask us, “Who is this Gina Turner girl listed on the Om WMC flyer?”. Here is the answer.
Originally hailing from New York, Gina Turner grew up with the NYC House sounds of clubs like Shelter and Sound Factory. Drawing inspiration from places such as these, she moved to Boston and gained her own radio shows on 88.9 WERS and 99.9 WECB. She soon became a staple in the Boston club scene and then in 2006 moved to Los Angeles. In LA she formed the DJ duo STACCATO (myspace.com/officialstaccato) and continued with radio and club, and founded an afterhours movement called MAJOR (myspace.com/majorlosangeles).
Gina has extended her talents across the pond and has played in such cities as Oslo, Brighton, & Paris. She has caught the attention Laidback Luke, Zoo Brazil & many other european producers, and with that comes collaborations that are legendary. Tiesto’s label BLACK HOLE RECORDINGS will be releasing her track “BANG IT” with Zoo Brazil in Late October 2009. Gina’s 2009 collaboration with Laidback Luke has birthed a new production duo called “Nouveau Yorican.” The tracks that they have coming out can be described as latin inspired shuffle tech house. This is just the beginning for Gina, she plans to release more tracks as Staccato as well her her highly anticipated solo productions.
We had a chance to sit down with Gina in preparation for the Om Miami 2010 event. Here are some questions we tossed her way…
Om: How did you get into DJing?
Gina Turner: Well, I grew up with NYC clubs such as Sound Factory and Shelter, listening to house music with my fake ID at the age of 14. By the time I was 17, I started buying house vinyl and I inherited my mother’s disco vinyl. Shortly after, I began to DJ in my bedroom. By 18, I moved to Boston to study Audio Production and obtained a radio show once a week on 88.9 WERS. It was an all electronic show and the rest is history!
OM: Who are some of your influences?
Wow…this is a loaded question. My number one influence would have to be TWO WITHOUT HATS, the infusion of Puerto Rican jacking house and energy in their tracks is timeless. Some of my other influences include: John Tejada, DJ Sneak, Derrick Carter, Armand Van Helden, Matthew Dear, and Trentemoeller.
Om: What have you been up to? What can we expect attached to your name?
Gina Turner: I have been quite focused on studio work in all aspects. I have a Radio Show on Scionav.com called Below The Bassline, and i have some really great guests lined up for the next year!
I have been working on a bunch of original tracks, that a close friend of mine described as “Derrick Carter with a little more balls,” this was a huge compliment to me as he is a great influence to me as a producer and a dj.
I have been working quite closely with Mad Decent’s Maluca and have been making beats for her. Also she did vocals for a track that me, Junior Sanchez & Alexander Technique produced.
This past year, I was in the studio with Switch. The tack we produced together might go on his Solid Groove Record. It’s an exciting honor…let’s just hope we finish it. I am working on a couple remixes as well.
I am also currently working on some original productions for my Staccato project.
In addition to all of this, I am doing some vocal work for producers like Sandro Silva and more.
Last…I have a side project called Nouveau Yorican. It is a collaboration between myself and Laidback Luke. Our first release, “Boriqua”, was released on Sound Pellegrino. Our next release, “Jackit”, is scheduled to be released in April/May on MixMash. We have a few more tracks that we are working on together, on top of a remix for Drop The Lime.
Om: What are your top 5 tracks you can’t wait to drop at Om’s WMC event?
Gina Turner:
1.) Cubic Zirconia – “Josephine” (Egyptrixx Dub)
2.) Palmez – “Black B” (David Jones Remix)
3.) Smokin Jo, Marc Romboy- “What Is This?”
4.) All the DOPE JULIO BASHMORE TRACKS! I LOVE THEM ALL!
5.) and i am excited to debut My new originals and the new Nouveau Yorican tracks, for sure!
See Gina Turner at the Om Miami 2010 WMC event!
