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Cindy Li and I met in the early 2010s outside of a club in Toronto. We were introduced through mutual friends who threw parties and she was someone I immediately felt very attached to and inspired by. She was one of the first women directly around me who I knew that was DJing regularly amongst the men surrounding us. I admired her artistic integrity, her interest in fashion (she ran a blog when we first met), her knowledge of chinese food and the way she would never let anything get in the way of speaking her mind.
We became extremely close for many years and bonded over our shared love for house music and the sub genres that surrounded it. I considered her one of my best friends, and during this time she also felt like a sister who guided me through a time that was instrumental in forming my sonic identity. We shared many moments of playing together in clubs and at afterparties, and I learned an immense amount from her.
Sometime after I moved to the UK in 2016, we fell out. It’s not something I’d go into detail in here or usually speak about so publicly, but I think it’s important to mention this when I talk about our history. We didn’t speak for many years and in 2022 I was listening to a mix of hers which featured a few tracks I was also rotating through and playing - it felt like a strange sign to reach out, since these tracks were not new promos, but old ones we’d both separately dug for and found interest in. I mentioned to a mutual friend that I felt this connection and had been thinking about reaching out, and they encouraged me to do so (thanks CCL <3). We reconnected and played b2b again for the first time in Toronto this past Christmas - it felt as natural as it always had and I look forward to hopefully doing it more (this is your sign to book us for your party xx).
Cindy’s mixes were always something to look forward to - when DJing she has a way of effortlessly weaving between sounds & genres. This mix is no exception - it was described as “chic” in a living room with friends a few weeks ago, and it does an amazing job of getting between varying degrees of tech house. It’s stripped back but pulsing with an energy that could only be carried through basslines that keep a groove feeling like it could go on forever. It’s a mix thatshows where she is at as a DJ and a testament to how classy she keeps it always. I hope you enjoy the mix as much as I do :)
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Peach: Hi Cindy :) Thank you for being part of the Sixth Sense mix series. How are you?
Ciel: I'm good, finally enjoying a few days of proper summer weather in Berlin, but of course I have to head to the studio for the rest of the day.
P: Where are you based now?
C: At the moment, I'm doing a European tour and based in Berlin. But the rest of the time, I'm based in Toronto, Canada.
P: What is it like travelling between North America & Europe?
C: It's honestly a lot. The bicontinental DJ brain should be studied tbh. Before I was doing this full time, playing in Europe was something I fantasized about. After I released my first EP on Peach Discs and signed with an agency, things started to happen very quickly for me and immediately I was plunged into the deep end and it was pretty much sink or swim. No one told me how different the European scene is from the one in Canada/US. Or that just because you love DJing at home, doesn't mean it would feel the same regardless of where you go. So in the first few years I really struggled to stay grounded and emotionally regulated on tour, and a bad show could really take the wind out of my sails and leave me psychologically debilitated for days. Now, 8 years on and a whole 2 years of pandemic lockdowns later, I'd like to think I'm a little bit better at existing between two worlds, but I still very much struggle, and what keeps me going is having a really supportive partner, being in therapy, and doing the work to recognize within me when I'm going down a very negative and self destructive headspace. DJs are often some of the most sensitive people in the world, it is literally our job to be able to read non-verbal cues in the club. Training the brain to be able to control that sensitivity so it doesn't control us is soooo vital, and is probably a lifelong work in progress.
P: I know from travelling myself there is a feeling of displacement which is difficult to overcome while also travelling between time zones and trying to show up and play the best set you can. Do you experience this much when you’re travelling?
C: Oh for sure. I often say to friends that Cindy at home vs Cindy on tour are like two different people, and a bad show at home rolls off my back like nothing but a bad show abroad can really disrupt my sense of self worth. You're in a new city / country where you don't know anyone, you don't know what they're into, and you're just doing your best and sometimes it just doesn't connect and it feels terrible. You're also away from loved ones who really make you feel grounded, dealing with challenges alone, and sometimes small things can feel gargantuan and meltdowns come with the quickness. It's a huge reason why I've been on a personal mental health journey, trying to work on myself as a human but also teaching myself the tools to be able to cope with these challenges. It's all about steering your mind away from dark thought loops that can really make you spiral, pep talks really help a lot.
P: You and I met somewhere in Toronto in early 2010s. Do you remember how we met?
C: I honestly think we met at the Drake Underground in 2013 or 2014. I remember this because there's like a FB photo of us outside, and everyone was dressed very health goth 😂
P: TBH I think you were dressed health goth which was pretty cool and I was just obsessed with Dollskilll and Unif and Jeffrey campbell platform sandals (lol). When we met you had already been djing for a while. When did you start DJing?
C: I taught myself how to dj when I was in undergrad at Queens university. I had a radio show at the campus radio station, it was open genre but I only played music made by women, and around that time I started getting into electroclash and 00s minimal. I downloaded a crack of virtual dj and started messing around at home, got a job at the university cafeteria, which was particularly humiliating but I didn't have any money and was desperate, and managed to save up enough to buy a pair of rackmount Numark cdjs and old Stanton 2 channel mixer. I learned to mix blending old Mylo and Spank Rock mp3s.
P: And what is the scene like in Toronto now?
C: I think the scene is really amazing. It kinda blew up during and post pandemic lockdowns and is bigger and healthier than ever before, but it's also gotten more commercial which I'm less excited about. The scene suffers from way too many DJs, but it's nice to see that there's more and more young people making music too. We have a lot more clubs and venues than ever before. Thank God we are past the days of only having Bambi's.
P: T is that everywhere is suffering with too many djs. We need more dancers. Do you do music full time? If not, what else do you do?
C: Full time since 2016! But when I'm home I use any extra time I have to engage with political organizing. I organize with Writers Against the War on Gaza and DJs for Palestine, and a few years ago I did work with unhoused people in Toronto.
P: Since I’ve known you, you’ve always been active in political organizing which I have always been inspired by and admired about you, amongst other things. How does your work in activism play alongside your DJing?
C: When I started out as a local DJ it was around the time of all the discussions around the lack of women in nightlife which felt very dominated by white cis men. At the time it felt lilke a worthy cause to struggle against because it was something that not only affected me but people around me as well. I’m sure you remember back in 2014/2015 going to any rave in Toronto it was entirely all male lineups - international guests or locals. I cant remember any time i saw a woman DJ. It felt like a natural cause to take up. In those early years, i still identified as a liberal, and as the years went on you know i had more discussions, learned more from others, read more books, and the events of our contemporary society slowly startted to radicalize me - and then the pandemic happened, and it felt like my responsibiliy is so much greater than stuff that affected what amounts to the personal lliberties of pretty privileged wsterners. I consider people like us to be in that category. I started to read up a lot more about geopolitics, colonialism…bc its not enough to just say "i care about decolonization" but do nothing in service of that which just felt a lot of times like lip service. And what does that even really mean? Well there's an issue that is ongoing, the longest occupation of our time - and it is a decolonial struggle. It made sense to go down that path. I have a personal story with Israel-Palestine because when i was in my 20s and i lived in South korea and i befriended someone who was Palestinian. He educated me on this, and from that time i was interested and i started following the history of the occupation and it was back then i attended my very first protest for Palestine. Growing up as an immigrant post 9-11, living through the invasion of Iraq, it felt natural to be passionate about this. In general I think i strive to be as authentic as possible, I literally dont know any other way of being. People sometimes ask me "you're so brave, aren't you scared?" And I'm like "well of course I'm scared". I've experienced hate, backlash, blacklisting (being dropped from a club I'd dreamt of playing) - it was devastating. And it was during those yrs being involved in DJs for Palestine, seeing the backlash from German clubs including places I've played at… it was hurtful! It was confusing. I'm not sure if being loud about my politics helps my dj career. If anything I think it's made me lose a lot. But on the other hand, it's also helped expose my music to politically like-minded ppl and that's really incredible. I dont know if music and politics go hand in hand, so much of djing to me is frivolous. I dont think nightlife is going to change the world - far from it. I am the way that i am because this is authentic to me and im interested in politics. You know i dont exect everyone to struggle against these issues and i wish people didnt if they're not well informed on the topic, because sometimes that's really harmful. You know its still a WIP for me, I'm figuring it out one day at a time, but my days of only yelling online about these issues are behind me. i try to be a bit more constructive and productive, and instead of spending my time only online, i go out there, i organize w my community, i see people face to face, i show up, i write, i do research and i think that's a better use of my time than being terminally online and arguing with people, though I still use my platform when I can to spread info bc knowledge is power. I've definitely seen some very ugly behaviour from people who use this for personal gain. People who use politics to attack others, but they don't hold themselves to the same standards. I never want to be someone like that, and I worry about doing the right thing constantly. I'm just trying my best, open to constructive criticism (not attacks) but i hope im able to make a small bit of difference during my time on this planet.
P: You’ve been making music for a while now. What is your favorite track of your own that you’ve made? Why is it your favourite?
C: Oooo idk if I can pick a favourite. Hide from Homesick is definitely a major contender. As was the track Spiral Drive I made with CCL. I still think fondly of my Homeshake remix, which features my very first synth solo I recorded from a jam. I also love Girls Only Want 1 Thing and It's Music! It's very personal to me and I think it signaled my first successful attempt at writing a track under 5 min long and I'm still super proud of that bassline.
P: Do you have any forthcoming releases you’d like to share?
C: I have a collaborative EP forthcoming with my friend Mathis Ruffing on Spray's label Punctuality, and a forthcoming remix EP on Turbo Recordings. I'm also shopping around an EP I made with Joey 2lanes & Ryan Spencer under our alias Brainrot, our first track came out on the Wisdom Teeth compilation released earlier this year. At the moment I have no solo stuff forthcoming, I'm working on redoing my live setup so that I can go DAW-less when I play live so it's a lot of studying and practicing at the moment. Trying to find time to do this in between tours is almost impossible but a worthy challenge.
P: What are your dream labels to release with?
C: I try not to think too much about these arbitrary "career" benchmarks anymore. Expressing myself through music is such a privilege and anywhere I can release on I'm immensely grateful for. Before I did this full time I had a long list of labels I wanted to release with and clubs/festivals I dreamed of playing for. Then I got involved in the industry, got disappointed by a lot of platforms and orgs that turned out to have politics I personally found repugnant, and I just learned idolizing any platform or brand will often yield disappointment. Just because you love a certain label doesn't mean your music fits there, and I know if I place a lot of expectations on any one thing, it's easy to end up taking it personally if it doesn't work out that way. I've been extremely lucky to have released on a lot of labels and worked with a lot of artists I have respect for already, and the exposure and support I've received have been super appreciated. But the longer I do this, the more I simply just appreciate carving out my own space and building my own creative coccoon with other like-minded people. Releasing music with NAFF, doing the anthology with Eris, doing releases with Shanti — these have all felt super validating and I'm forever grateful, but the most powerful validation comes from within.
P: How did you record the mix?
C: On 2x cdj 2000nxs2s and a Pioneer djm 900nxs2
P: How did you approach this mix? Were there any tracks you built it around, or felt like you had to include? Was there any inspiration specific behind the mix?
C: I have been steadily working on a record with my friend C3DE of Acting Press in Berlin. The first track we made ended up as the opener of this mix, with a fresh edit I made specifically for this. It took me a long time to build up enough confidence and skill to play my own music in my mixes and once I got into the habit, I found I like building a mix around my own music. Beyond that I wanted it to reflect what my dj sets sound like these days, and I've been digging and buying a lot of tech house records. Earlier in my career I really wanted my mixes to represent the entirety of my musical wheelhouse, but I came to understand that it's not often realistic to do so much in a 90min mix, and have grown to love these deep excursions into a very specific vibe.
P: Who are your favourite DJs and producers at the moment?
C: My favourite DJs are DJ Fart in the Club, Objekt, Danny Daze, and Patrick Russell, and favourite producer is always and forever the don, Nathan Coles. RIP.
P: Can you tell us where we can see you DJ over the next while?
C: My next show is the queer party Buttons in Berlin..remember that time you and I came to Berlin in 2017 shortly after you moved to London and I played my first European show in Berlin? That was for Buttons!! I enjoy full circle moments like this. Then I'm going home for a month and a half where I will play in the US and Canada, including my Basement NY debut, and coming back to Europe halfway thru August for more festivals including a b2b with CCL at Dimensions and a live PA at Opera Festival in Italy. In between I will debut a hybrid downtempo set that incorporates my own samples and drum loops with other people's music which I'm excited to see how it pans out, and an open til close b2b with Priori for my Standard Time residency in Toronto.
Tracklist:
1. Cindy + Cedric - Morning Mother (Cindy's 'K-hand is Mother' version)
2. Daniel Poli & Gideon Jackson - Ghost dancing
3. Manuel Tur - Immune Response
4. Ben Nevile - Sex with the Ex
5. S-Max - It's More Than Black!
6. Elbee Bad - Eye Wanna Go Back In2 the Future!
7. Rulers of the Deep - Rise
8. SWAG - Version 12
9. Time Design - The Dragon (Echomen Mix)
10. Floormen - Keep it comin'
11. DKMA - Twilight
12. Groove Chronicles - The Beginnings pt 2
13. Raw Pleasure - Come get ya
14. 7 Series - Moving (Penge Party Mix)
15. Console - Where is my dog
16. Johnny Fiasco - Conduction
17. Nathan Coles - Twitchin'
18. Terry Francis - Funky Future
19. Harold Heath - Forget about it
20. DJ One Finger - Housefucker (Niels Hess & Nathan Coles Remix)
21. Soha - Amour
22. Armless Kid - 4 Joel
23. Off the Hook - In my life (instrumental)
24. Get Fucked - Hangover
25. K. Hand - Clap yo hands
26. Marc Green - Woodcraft
27. Jump Source - Bleach
28. Mark Seven - Crank
29. Blue Minds - Troubleshooter
30. Cherry Bomb - Succulent
31. Trevor Rockcliffe vs Access 58 - Air Groove
32. Misstress Barbara - My Passion for You