“Taking matters into our own hands and offering an alternative”. An interview with Polish trans-femme and non-binary collective DEKONSTRUKT
Published May, 2024
by Zosia Hołubowska
Oramics is a queer feminist artist platform established in 2017 to support and empower femme, non-binary, and queer artists on the Polish electronic and club music scene and to promote music from the Eastern-European region. To give more context you can check out the podcast research showing that despite a wide range of talents and initiatives, artists from the area are rarely invited to show their art in international podcast series. This is just a symptom of a much wider phenomenon of cultural (structural, economic, and political) disparity between the so-called East and West. Although there are vivid discussions about the correct term (post-ost, post-socialist, Eastern-European) this feeling of limited opportunities is a graspable feeling for many artists in the region. This is why the collective is relentlessly building networks and strategies to promote the ‘post-soc’ scene in the global context.
Throughout the years, the collective has organized and curated parties and festival line-ups; facilitated workshops on music production and DJing; and participated in panel discussions on diversity and equality as well as safer space policies. The artists have also released charity compilations collecting funds for the LGBTQIA community in Poland, activists supporting refugees at the Polish-Belarussian border, and Rojava. The collective also runs a podcast series, boosting over 200 episodes. Within the series, they curate special mini-cycles highlighting local scenes or giving space to sibling collectives. In their own words:
“Oramics proudly presents a takeover of our infamous podcast series. There’s nothing more that our platform loves than supporting new feminist initiatives.” -says the curator of the program Mala Herba.
‘Thanks’ to the former government, the last eight years have been rough on the queer Polish community, to say the least. But despite the ongoing pressure, state violence, and smear campaigns, a new generation of artists, activists, and cultural workers emerged. More radical, more beautiful, and even more brave, they bloom. The energy that this generation brings to the table is one of the main motors for the Polish art scene. From indy porn movies to poetry self-publishing, voguing balls to safer space raves the LGBTQIA community proves that they are the change that cannot be stopped.
DEKONSTRUKT is one of the new initiatives that deserves attention. It is the first Polish trans-femme and non-binary collective based between Warsaw and Tri-City. The collective just launched its podcast series with the b2b2b set by all three members. They also organize an event series, mixing stage performances with eclectic line-ups of the new generation of Polish DJs. The three artists: androgienia, DiV4, and KAROLINDA share their thoughts on the local Polish scene, their practice, and hopes for the future. The interviews are accompanied by three DJ mixes published on Oramics’ SoundCloud.
DiV4
Influenced by the ephemerality of performance art and queer identity, oscillating between chaos and sensuality. DiV4’s approach merges rapid, dynamic elements, sharp stabs, and dreamy soundscapes with a lively mix of Latinx influences, highlighting the rhythmic depth of drums. They are no stranger to fast-paced techno and hardcore post-genres as well as deconstructed club. It’s a vibrant, energetic, and captivating mix that evokes a sense of escapism, mirroring their own journey of gender fluidity.
As an artist/performer, they focus on sustaining a dialogue with the recipient by creating collective activities, placing the artist and the audience on equal grounds. They are a member of DEKONSTRUKT and POISE collectives, a founder of DEKONSTRUKT event series.
Mix:
Present yourself and tell us about what you do.
Heycia! My name is Mac, and my pronouns in Polish are ona/jej, and in English they/them, I live in Gdansk. I am an artist, performer, DJ and I work in culture. I try to create experiences that bring artists and the audience closer. I operate at the intersection of the club and art scenes, working with text, poetry, video, and salvaged materials. I produce workshop events and parties. I am interested in activities that disenchant the hermetic nature of the scene, making it more accessible and understandable. I am inspired by queerness and how it deconstructs the existing reality and stands in opposition to accepted norms, develops new paths, and a new language, and creates new points of contact. I belong to two collectives: DEKONSTRUKT and POISE.
What has been support and what has been an obstacle for you in your musical development?
DELUSION and it is an answer to both questions! I started my adventure with playing in 2020 while undertaking my undergraduate degree in Intermedia, at the now-defunct club ZIEMIA (rip). I did 12 performances that were a timely reflection of my search for my gender identity at the time. In this series, I was inspired by situations from my life and friendships with people who gave me a sense of security. I fulfilled my fantasies by taking on activities I had always wanted to try, such as leading karaoke, wedding entertainment or just playing a set in a club. I interspersed them with performative activities referring to the Bible or social constructs. I translated the whole thing into a performative language synonymous with Diva, who doesn’t exist without a bunch of her fans. This is also the origin of my DJ name, which I adopted a few years later.
The last gig in the performance series was like a “DJ-set.” I’m putting that in quotation marks because it was basically a mix of songs I’d put together at home and then played in the club with my buddies, pretending we were doing it live. Loads of folks showed up, and it was a blast for everyone. That’s when I first got the itch to be a DJ. I really got into it and started messing around with a Numark controller. I didn’t know much about mixing rules, so I played around with effects and chopped up the tracks a lot. It was just pure fun. About a year later, as the Ziemia club was winding down, I’d swing by during the day with a friend to practice spinning decks. We pushed each other to get better. Shoutout to Monki from POISE for being awesome! My friends have been the biggest support in my musical journey. They’ve been there since day one, cheering me on. On the flip side, being a bit of a perfectionist, I’ve struggled with overthinking and being too hard on myself about my skills. It’s like looking in a wonky mirror sometimes, but my friends help me see things straight.
Tell a little about your local scene. What cool things are happening? And what would you like to change?
I’ve been very lucky to come across people who have become my support. My scene is made up of friends who do things together. We’re tired of events that don’t care about the comfort of the people playing, we’re tired of lineups of the same guys in the same places. We’re taking matters into our own hands and offering an alternative that provides a safer space and is built on shared values.
Cool things happening:
Young people take up playing, underdogs, grassroots collectives drawing on club aesthetics, and activities on the borderline of various mediums.
What I’d like to change:
More queer and femme people in Tri-City lineups, more queer and femme people on the Tri-City scene.
Performative activities incorporated into the event formula on par with the sets.
What are you passionate about lately? Have you discovered something new that changed your approach to music or DJing?
Definitely, DJ Marcelle’s set at W Brzask at the last Ephemera festival. I am sure nothing will top this experience any time soon. Her set was identical to what I like in music, namely unpredictability and unbridled joy.
The events of the osesi collective from Poznań, especially the neighborhood breakfasts and the Obchód series, which consists of reading/performing texts of one’s choice in an open-mic format in urban space.
The sincere and caring work of Marianna Marszalkowska, with whom I recently had the great pleasure of working on a joint event.
What are your thoughts on the diversity of the Polish electronic and club music scene?
I’m glad to see that a lot of new young self-taught people are starting to play in the biggest clubs in Poland. Newer and newer collectives (such as ours) are trying to disenchant elitism, reaching out to each other in the name of kindness. In this diversity, I see a place for people like me, who are not fond of being assigned to a particular category.
What are your immediate musical and artistic plans?
Completing my master’s degree in Intermedia, which will be about community and queerness. My inspiration is the experience of working on DEKONSTRUKT, observing the transformation of an event series into a collective, and learning to work together. After the defence, I want to start learning Ableton.
Read an interview with KAROLINDA here and ANDROGIENIA on the Oramics website.
Interview by Zosia Hołubowska
Photos by Filip Melnyk
This article is brought to you as part of the EM GUIDE project – an initiative dedicated to empowering independent music magazines and strengthen the underground music scene in Europe. Read more about the project at emgui.de.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.