HARRISON HEAT
JAN. 03, 2025
#010 — GAVNLIG
Between her numerous releases on local and international labels, her behind the scenes organizing and her endlessly curious approach to the craft and culture surrounding electronic music, Gavnlig has established herself as a creative and versatile DJ & producer in the Copenhagen club scene over the past years. While firmly rooted in the deep and driving percussive sounds of dubstep that initially drew her into electronic music, she channels a broad spectrum of influences into her hectic and playful performances.
Coming from sound system & bass music, I’ve tended to play a lot harder and darker, less fun and more brooding music. With this mix I’ve tried to capture some of the directions my sensibilities have evolved since first meeting the Pleasure Control crew back in 2021 for the 3 year birthday party. The selection is focused around sassy and uplifting grooves, the tunes are happier and the blends are longer and more patient than is usual for me. Spanning wide both in genre, geography and time period, all the way from 1989 to today, from groovy garage & house, via breakbeat to bouncy trance & hardgroove.
Musically I’ve been far and wide since I first encountered electronic music, but forwhatever reason I’d sworn off 4 to the floor kick drums entirely - probably because I wasn’t much of a dancer back then. Instead I was drawn to 2 step rhythms, breakbeats, halftime, jungle, and deconstructed leftfield bass & club music. In the last ~5 years, as I’ve gradually learned to navigate nightlife in a way that felt right for me, I’ve branched into a lot more techno, speed garage and lately acid house especially.
By default I’m a bit of a maximalist with a tendency to overproduce and oversaturate, and have there been interested in more focused, minimalist productions. I’m by no means minimalist in absolute terms, it’s more of an aspirational thing, but I find it endlessly fascinating what can be achieved with nothing but a single chord stab, a vocal sample, a handful of drum samples and a couple of FX shots.
2024 has been an intense year full of firsts, learning how to party sustainably and living with authenticity has allowed me to carve out a space for myself on the Copenhagen scene. I don’t have many set plans for 2025, rather some reflections and intentions.
My gut feeling is guiding me in a few different directions: while I love sound system music, I’d love to play more house & techno sets. Teaching for Femme Bass Mafia in Berlin reminded me how much I love sharing knowledge and being part of others’ creative journeys, so I’d love to do more of that - affordable and approachable music production classes for people in the community.
I would like to step up my release game, while I have some remixes & releases lined up, I feel a lot more confident - there’s no longer such a gulf between the music I’m capable of making and the labels that inspire me.
I’d also love to travel more, I love Copenhagen and all its interconnected communities, but it’s also a small pond. Becoming part of this scene was a distant pipe dream only two years ago, so I feel like it’s time to go for it - time for new pipe dreams
