Episode 16: Sarah Farina
Our Last Episode of 2020! We are going out in great style with this feature from Sarah Farina! Sarah Farina is an international DJ, producer and activist based in Berlin. Her mix is a flawless collection of dance, funk and even some tunes that reflect the Detroit sound. Check out the written interview below to learn more about Sarah. We look forward to more from Farina in 2021!
How did you end up playing the Charivari pre party at Bookies in Detroit? How was that experience?
Angie and Tom from Detroit Techno Militia introduced me to Theresa Hill and she asked me if I would like to play at the pre-party. I felt honored and said yes! It was so much fun and older and younger people were united on the dance floor.
The coolest thing was that during my set a dance cypher developed. That made me really happy and the energy was so good!
How did your 3rd trip to America come about? How was your experience?
My trip to America was good! I had the amazing opportunity to spend almost 2 months in Detroit because I applied for an artist residency program from a platform called „Musicboard Berlin“. I stayed at Submerge and got the chance to work on my music and explore this important birthplace of so many music styles and cultures. Detroit was really one of the missing puzzle pieces when it comes to understanding the interconnectedness of music genres and cultures.
I’m beyond thankful for this experience and it might sound cheesy, but my stay there has really changed me and activated me even more to connect music and politics. It made me realize once again how white-washed many music genres are. I also spent some time in New York because I have family there, so that was nice too.
Can you tell us more about your platform transmission net?
Sure! Me and friend Kerstin Meißner who is a social scientist always shared the love for music and the interest in politics but were always missing some kind of platform for discussions or exchange that focuses on the political side of music. So, we decided to create exactly what we were missing ourselves, so we came up with „Transmission“.
Transmission is a platform, project and network and it’s about connecting different people, scenes and communities from the music world making space and giving a platform for voices which are often unheard. It’s also about creating a network of support for the global music community and focusing on using the power of music and raving as a tool for building alternatives and dismantling oppressive systems.
We believe that creative, academic research practices can contribute to transforming and shaping discourses and coalitions on social justice within club culture and in society at large. This may sound serious and heavy, but music can be used as a tool to activate people to become more aware of politics and being political through music can be fun and joyful too, we kind of want to cultivate that.
In April we were supposed to host an event in Berlin called „Politics Of The Dance Floor“ with Mike Banks, Larisa Kingston Mann, Eugenia Seriakov, Samira Hamid Sharifu and Phatstoki. Due to Covid it couldn’t take place and we produced three podcast episodes in collaboration with Berlin’s "House of the World's Cultures" about the topics „solidarity", „sustainability" and „reset“.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who is totally in love with your amazing curls! Can you tell us about your go to hair care products?
Aww thank you! My hair is textured in a way that it’s enough if I wash it with a shampoo every two weeks, I use "Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine“ and in between those 2 weeks I use the "Les Secrets de Loly – Kurl Nectar“ leave-in conditioner and sometimes I use a deep hair conditioner mask to give my hair some extra treatment. And I really recommend using a hair dryer with a diffuser, it definitely helps to define your curls :)