Residing in a remote town in the Southwest, Erin E has immersed herself in unlimited sounds and inspirations from across the globe. An Engineer by day and DJ by night, she has been a staple in her community of underground dance music. Along with her team, “Team Everything”, they have been able to bring a more artistic approach to the underground music scene and introduced it to Santa Fe. In addition still being able to bring the experience of the intimate outdoors gatherings in the local mountains and mesas. One of many great contributors to underground diverse music in Santa Fe, we are excited to have Erin E join our Hometown Heroes lineup. Read her interview and enjoy her mix below!

Hometown Heroes: Erin E from Santa Fe

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Tracklist:
Golden Girls (M.RUX EDIT) / Devendra Banhart
Slow (Real Slow VIP) / Victor Norman
Wahiba / Kora (CA) & Nic Falardeau
Passing By feat. Lima Lew / Iorie & Karlinski
Twilight in Tankwa / Be Svendsen
Condor / Slow Hearts
Chaloupe / Sebastien Casanova
The Clock/ Nandu
Supreme / Corinda, AfroTura
Love Will feat. Bilal/ Boddhi Sattva
Angkor / Fake Shamans
Iration / Model 1975
Fear of Depths / Neferiel
Beule / Douglas Greed
Gratitude feat. Rebecca Murray (MYNY Remix)
Love / Iorie

Interview with Erin E

How did you get into the world of Electronic Music? Is there a specific moment of inspiration you can remember?
My roots were (and still are!) in ethnic musical traditions from around the world – I grew up devouring jazz, african, aboriginal, americana and more obscure field recordings from around the planet. Plus a good bit of Grateful Dead. That brought me to pick up variety of instruments including flutes, hand percussion, didgeridoo and classical guitar. But ultimately, a move to Santa Fe from Vermont 13 years ago really sparked it. Although Santa Fe is best known for its southwestern art scene, something about the high desert draws deeply creative electronic musicians in too. Upon discovering that dj-ing, and the electronic music scene more generally, were places where I was no longer limited to just one instrument, and where I could weave together all these diverse musical inspirations, I was in from day one. I was fortunate to have a rad lady dj introduce me to the technical details, and a fabulous local underground electronic music scene that loves all kinds of juicy and organo-melodic weirdness.

Tell us about the scene out in Santa Fe? How is it unique and what set’s it apart?
Santa Fe feels literally and figuratively remote. We are an hour from the closest city (Albuquerque) and six hours from a substantial urban hub (Denver). Surrounded by high desert and what is essentially the southern reaches of the Rocky Mountains, with epically dynamic and crisp skies and light, it’s a romantic’s dream. We have limited clubs & bars dedicated to electronic music, so the community gets creative. We are also isolated from more mainstream influences which brings a certain level of freedom and experimentation to the music. There have been generations of electronic musicians here holding events in the desert, on the mesas, in little mountain towns, and at unique private venues. Plus in a few mexican and cowgirl bars for in-town ventures. The addition of Meow Wolf (https://meowwolf.com/) has also expanded our ability to bring in touring acts and feature more locals on the same stages.  I think of it a community of makers and dancers more than a ‘scene’. If I had one word for our electronic music community, like the sunsets, it would be ‘colorful’. 

Who are some of your biggest influences?
Close to home, I’m endlessly touched by the music and hearts of Santa Fe-based Mesa Recordings (https://soundcloud.com/mesarecordings) – Brian Mayhall, Mi/Ben Wright, and Feathericci. Communikey festival in Boulder, CO exposed what is possible where digital arts and music and community intersect. And certain record labels have shifted my life for the better: influences are as wide as the grounding forest-centric music from British Columbia-based record label Silent Season (http://www.silentseason.com/) to the Amazonia & Andean-soaked gorgeous sounds from Shika Shika (https://shikashika.bandcamp.com/), a “global collective without owners for music without borders…inspired by nature, by folk, by the past and by the future”. El Buho and Barrio Lindo, who co-founded Shika Shika, are not only beautiful humans and I am blessed to count them as friends, but they are contributing to bringing about music that is vital to us as we navigate these wildly challenging ecological, social and political moments.

Any cool things on the horizon for you?
I am working on a few outdoor immersive mixes and small, curated experiences in the landscapes of Northern New Mexico. Plus collaborating on a water meditation spoken by a friend of mine who focuses her life and home on sustainability, including living with only rainwater as a water supply in the hills outside of Santa Fe. I also have a few collaborations coming up, some also around water (I’m a water engineer by day!). I have a one year old son, so I’m staying closer to home these days.

Top 5 tracks in your playlist?
I love musical diversity! That is something heard in almost all of my dj sets. I’ve been exploring the realms of ambient, deep and dub techno, folkloric and nu-cumbia from South America, slow-mo house, and melodic and crunchy deep house. To me it’s less about the individual tracks and more about the intersection and storytelling that occurs between and within the evolution of a single set. House music, in particular, is very good at inspiring a feeling of love. So my favorite tracks are the ones that do that best.

What is your dream gig?
An intimate group of friends and attendees gathered under an open sky with a big view and a big sound system, with space for dancing, but also space for dreaming and supporting one another. There would also be kids & dogs. 

Tell us about your mix…
This is a morningtime-summertime hour that makes a bit of a global romp, with a focus on love, especially since it is for your blog Music is 4 Lovers. It was also the excuse I’ve been waiting for to drop some of the afro-futurism stuff I’ve been digging lately.

Drink of choice…
Hot tea!

XO!

anam
Ana Martinez
Contributing Editor