Joplin rocking Lightning in a Bottle on The Woogie Stage in 2011! (Photo by Arturo Everitt)

Everyone loves Joplin, and I mean, what's not to love?  If you've ever met her then you know that her insides are made entirely of sweetness, her smile will knock you over and her musical skills can rival the best of them.  But don't let this little gem with a heart of gold fool you, when she's behind the decks she means business, and, as it turns out, Joplin is in the business of audiotistically implanting funk in 'yo trunk.  So basically, she does funk implants . . . maybe she should be a doctor?

Before we begin, do yourselves a favor and check out Joplin's "Orport EP" on Beatport, and, if you dig, support these amazing producers and buy that shizzle.  Deep House at it's finest.

For more music, and info on booking Joplin, check out her artist profile page.  Ok, here we go . . . 

POCKET: Joplin, the moment I hear your name, I start thinking psychedelic love acid rock disco. I also remember that you used to wear bell-bottoms a lot. If you wouldn’t mind, tell us a little about why your folks picked that name for you.

JOPS: Well I usually just say “hippie parents” when people ask about my name and people respond with “ahhhh yes, obviously,” but that’s not really the whole story. Both my parents are extremely eclectic musically. My dad taught the History of Rock Music for about 30 years (along with the History of Radio, Film, TV, songwriting, and several other courses) so he is basically a walking encyclopedia. My parents wanted to get as many genres of music into one name as they could so I am named after Janis Joplin and Scott Joplin (a famous ragtime piano player back around the turn of the 20^th century) and my middle name, MacColl, is after the folk singer Ewan MacColl who was popular in the ‘60’s. So a little rock, ragtime and folk are all wrapped up in there.

POCKET: In a sea of really good DJs, you stand out. I would try to describe your style, for those that have never heard you, as deep house / disco house / mid-tempo. But you’re so much more than that. Can you try and describe exactly what it is that you play?

JOPS: Well first of all, thank you! And I think this is always the hardest question. I’d say you hit it pretty square on. I started with disco house back when I first started playing, then I went techy, then really funky. About 5 years ago I started a summer residency at Moonshadows in Malibu and we were asked not to play house, but to keep it mellow and more Down-tempo. This opened up an entirely new world of music, which forced me out of my comfort zone as a DJ. I went from constant 4/4 at around 125 bpm to music that many times could only be blended, not beat matched (sacrilege!) and a set could vary from 80 up to 120 bpm. It became so much more about the music and inspired me artistically and creatively by leaps and bounds. So that eventually evolved into what I play now, which I would say is funky-disco-mid-tempo with a sprinkling of house? …. I think? Haha, I really don’t have a definitive answer for this unfortunately!

POCKET: When you’re digging for tracks, what are some of the key elements that you listen for?

JOPS: It usually has some element of funk in it. I buy house, down-tempo, mid-tempo and disco and the one element that seems to carry through is some sort of funk. I really like dirty, heavy, acidy type bass lines too. You know, that below the belt sound that makes you say “uuunngggghhhh!”

POCKET: Ok, let’s back up for a moment.  What got you into DJ-ing, when was it and what was happening in the world of dance music that inspired you then?

JOPS: Well I remember the exact moment actually. I was at a party (ok…let’s be real, a rave) in ’99. I had only been to a few at that time, but there was this moment where I stood there in the back and just observed everyone around me. I was watching the DJ and I thought to myself “man, this guy makes or breaks this entire party. Everything is riding on what he plays.” And then it hit me. I can do that!! I WILL do that! Which is odd because I am the type of person to completely avoid putting myself in a position to be ridiculed or criticized. But for some reason I just knew. I had danced since I was about five, I was a dance instructor for nine years and I played the fiddle growing up, too. So I feel that my love for dance and music naturally progressed into DJ’ing.

As far as what was going on musically in the dance world, there was something about the funky, disco house sound of the late ‘90’s that just captivated me. There was a local DJ at the time, called Nic Nax, that was SO ridiculously funky I could barely handle myself when he played. I will never forget the time I approached him right after I had made the decision I wanted to start spinning. I went up to him after his set one time and asked if he had any advice for me. He looked straight at me and said “always play from the heart!” It was exactly what I needed to hear and of course that’s how I have always played! Nic Nax, incidentally, is Nic Alvarado who runs www.insoulwetrust.com. We have become good friends over the years, and he now rolls his eyes and laughs every time I tell that story to anyone who might be standing near us! 

POCKET: A fiddle player?!?  Who knew?  I seem to remember that you used to work with House Legend Marques Wyatt, what did you do for him and what was that like?

JOPS: Marques! Well I started off as his personal assistant back in ’07. Over time I started helping out with DEEP in little ways, helping with operations, artist relations etc. It was so much fun getting to know the ins and outs of running a successful and well-established event and entity and working with someone of his caliber. We developed a really close working relationship, and eventually he asked me to start the Deep Soul Lounge where I was able to play every Sunday and also book artists for the room. It was an incredible opportunity for me to be part of DEEP in a musical capacity, since it’s really just Marques and his right hand man, Big Cee. I was very humbled and honored to work with him. DEEP eventually ended as a weekly Sunday event and I eventually got pregnant - hah! So we still keep in touch and that’s definitely a time in my life I will never forget.

POCKET: What’s your obsession with bacon?

JOPS: Who doesn’t love bacon?! Vegetarians and vegans aside, of course. I guess the whole bacon obsession stems back to our first year at Burning Man circa 2008 where we were part of a fabulous crew called Bacon Without Borders. We served bacon pretty much every day. When we weren’t at BM we had a few potlucks that were bacon themed, so everyone would bring a dish with bacon in it. Funny story regarding Marques Wyatt – he actually asked me jokingly one time if I was worried about my heart from all the bacon I consume. The next day I was in my car and a radio commercial came on that said “are you a woman between the ages of 25 and 40? Did you know the leading cause of death is HEART DISEASE? Come to the Long Beach heart clinic for a free test…” Needless to say I went to this clinic, and when I told the doc about these, um, “bacon parties” she said “so would you say you eat bacon every day?” I replied good god no! I told her that in reality I didn’t even eat bacon once a week, it was just that at times, we would have specific days that were dedicated to bacon. So she laughed at me. And according to all the tests, I was fine.

POCKET:  Mmmmm, bacon . . . (drool).  You’re the creator of the LA Based music & visual collective Pork & Beats.  Tell us a little about that and how it ties into your love for bacon?

JOPS: Pork & Beats started around 2006. I had never really been affiliated with any one particular group before so I figured it best to start my own. I have several close friends who are very talented DJ’s and VJ’s that I wanted to include. My fiancée Mike who is also known as Puzz:e Piece in the visual world is a HUGE bbq enthusiast (as well as an extremely talented DJ and VJ) so the name Pork & Beats just made perfect sense. We are also huge foodies so Pork & Beats has grown to include all the crazy food events we get involved in, including the endless number of BBQ’s we have at our house all throughout the year! And of course, bacon is our mascot.

POCKET: With much of the DJ world shifting towards technology with all sorts of digital DJ options, what are you feeling about where the future of DJing is going, and where do you see your place in that?

JOPS: Good question. I have to admit, it was extremely hard for me to make the switch years ago from vinyl to CD’s. I held out longer than most, kicking and screaming the whole way, but eventually I gave in. Even though I’ve adapted, I still don’t “feel it” on CD’s like I ever did with vinyl, which for me feels so much more natural. My dad has a vinyl collection of over 25,000 and he used to come home with stacks of records that I would have to alphabetize – so maybe that has something to do with it hah! There is an extra tangible quality with vinyl you just don’t get with any other format. I spend hours making labels for my CD’s but its just not the same. I will sit here right now and tell you I will never play on a laptop – but I said the same thing about CD’s, so who knows. People can tell me all the advantages about laptop DJ’ing until they are blue in the face, but every step forward digitally and the endless array of new gadgets that appear make me feel further away from what I feel makes me a good DJ. But that’s just a personal thing! Even though it’s hard for me to see DJ’s nowadays who don’t use headphones, and let the computer do all their beatmatching for them, I also know that everything has to evolve and I appreciate that. So I guess as long as they can dust off a pair of turntables or some CDJ’s, I will be that crazy old grandma still playing tunes. 

POCKET: So, you’re a new Mom! Congratulations! I know that we here at Pocket are super excited for you, what kind of music is your baby in to? And what is your biggest musical fear for her?

JOPS: Thank you and yay for parenthood! I try to expose Airrow to as much music as possible, and who knows what she actually will ever remember or be influenced by, but I figure it’s all worth a shot. She’s going to like what she likes no matter what, so hopefully she will at least have an appreciation for a wide range of styles, too. I remember one year when I was a kid my dad gave me a large brown paper bag stapled at the top for my birthday. Inside was the New Kids On The Block cassette I REALLY wanted (go ahead, laugh…) and a Muddy Waters tape. All he asked was that I listen to both, which of course I did. He never discouraged me from what I liked, but he helped me to appreciate and be aware of all other styles of music. I hope I can pass that on. Airrow seems to respond really well to reggae, which we listen to regularly and any time she gets fussy in the car I turn to the classical station and she calms down immediately. Other than that we listen to a lot of classic rock, blues, electronic – you name it.

POCKET: What artists / labels are out there right now producing tracks that are inspiring you?

JOPS: Oh so many! I’m a big Crazy P fan, especially their really funky disco stuff. Space Ranger, Hot Toddy, Lovebirds, The Revenge, Maceo Plex, Tad Wily, Neighbour, Tiger & Woods are a few artists I am digging these days, and Home Breakin, Retrofit and Gomma are a few labels.

POCKET: You’ve produced a track or two, tell us about them and do you have plans to go back to producing?

JOPS: I had a partner back in 2005, Slow Dancing Society, and we put an album out with a friend of ours on their label called EMB. We produced two of the tracks, Blues Cereal and Love Unltd. Love Unltd. actually did pretty well and was released on the Moonshadows compilation that year and got some air play on KCRW thanks to Raul Campos. We only pressed 300 copies on vinyl but it was all just to give away so people could hear us. We really just wanted to make a record. It was a total labor of love. My boy Drew, Slow Dancing Society, moved away and made a name for himself in the ambient/Down-tempo world. He is ridiculously talented, and I am super proud of him! The last album I was part of, was with my new producing partner, Skaggs. This guy… man, I wouldn’t even know where to start. He is on another level of genius when it comes to music. He is a musical and technical guru in every sense, and is more passionate about music and life than most anyone I have ever met. We released an album together in January of 2010 (Orport EP), on Joshua Heath’s label Golden State Recordings. We are absolutely planning to get back together and make some music again soon. Anyone would be lucky to work with this guy, I am just happy I knew him when!

POCKET: What is your process when producing music, what software/hardware do you use and why?  How was the collaborative process for you when producing?

JOPS: Well it usually starts with Kevin (Skaggs) sending me several different short ideas. There are always one or two that hit me right away. Then we get together in his studio and everything just kind of flows out beautifully. Kevin is in the captain’s chair when it comes to technical stuff – he is CRAZY good. I usually do most of the arrangement of the song. I have a pretty large background in music so the flow of songs is really fun for me to work with. Where we start with a track is never where we end up, and we always laugh about this when we are done and wonder “how the hell did we get here?!” We have very different sounds that we like, he is a little more epic and I am a little darker and funkier. But once we get our minds together our sounds blend perfectly into something altogether different and new. As for software and hardware it's all Kevin's set up. We use Ableton Live for the DAW, along with all the Camel Audio plug-ins, FabFilter Twin 2, Dada Life's "Sausage Fattener", Korg's "PolySix", Sonic Charge - "Synplant" - "BitSpeak" & "Microtonic" to name a few. For hardware, Moog Little Phatty SE-II / Moog MF-104z Analog Delay / Nord Electro 2 / Roland GAIA / APC 40 for control / Presonus MP-20 Pre-amp, FilterFactory "Electrix" filter / M-Audio ProFire 2626 Audio interface. His studio sounds fabulous!

POCKET: Any particular shows that you’ve played that really stand out for you?

JOPS: Other than LIB, which is high in my top events ever category, there is a party called Slinky that has been going on for 12 years, and I have played eight of the twelve. I look forward to it all year long. New people come every year but there is a pretty large core group that’s like family to me. I will play for them (Jam On It) as long as they continue to throw it! Slinky is always somewhere out in the Angeles National forest, and I always play sunrise. It’s one of those musical moments where everything is in its right place year after year. I LOVE playing outside and I love playing in the daytime. I personally think that’s when my music sounds best. Next to that, I spin up in Fresno three or four times a year and every single time becomes a favorite experience. I know what you are thinking - Fresno?? But they have some seriously talented DJ’s up in the ‘No and they can throw a mean party. I love me some Fresno!

POCKET: Any shows in particular that stand out as being really strange or uncomfortable?

JOPS: I don’t know why this is such a hard question! I know there must have been tons of crazy and strange gigs over the years but I can’t seem to think of many. One that was extremely bizarre was an event in December of 2010 at the AC Supper Club in Venice. It was like any other normal gig but about 20 minutes into my set I bent down to grab a CD and all of a sudden my entire world flipped on its side. Literally. I couldn’t stand up straight and it was if my equilibrium just, kind of… disappeared. I don’t know how else to explain it. One moment I was fine, and the next I was on the ground, tunnel vision, sick to my stomach… I somehow managed to call my fiancée Mike over to the booth. The funny thing is all I was concerned about was that the track was going to run out and we had to do something about it. Luckily I had a guardian angel DJ that night because none other than Pocket lady Red Sonya had just showed up and said hi to me not five minutes earlier. I was so sick that she had to get on and finish my set with my own CD’s she had never heard before! I think three or four people that night said “maybe you’re pregnant!” which I said was impossible. Little do you know, not a month later I found out I was. By far the strangest thing to ever happen to me at a gig, and thank goodness for Sonya to the rescue!

POCKET: You’ve played at Lightning in a Bottle a few times, what is that experience like for you?  How does it compare to other festivals and gigs you’ve played at?

JOPS: Oh my goodness. There is nothing that compares to LIB! I feel very fortunate to have played when it was on a smaller scale and to now still be involved as it continues to grow – it’s unreal! The Woogie stage and the Funktion One system last year, 2011, was nothing short of ridiculous. The vibe and the energy of the Woogie is thick and infectious and I am honored and humbled to be a part of it. Spinning in the daytime coupled with a massive soundsystem are pretty much my recipe for perfection! I’ll be at LIB whether or not I am lucky enough to play, it’s by far one of the best festivals around. I can’t wait to buy some baby headphones and bring the little one this year!

POCKET: What’s it like being a woman in this mostly male dominated field of DJing?  Have you found it’s been easier being a woman or harder?  Advantages/disadvantages?

JOPS: This is a tricky subject. Overall I honestly have to say it’s been both easier and harder.  Easier in the sense that there always seemed to be something novel about a “female DJ” so people would book me based just on that. Not so much anymore, as more and more females are hitting the decks these days, but more so say ten or twelve years ago. Once I was booked though, I would have to be as good as or better than my male counterparts because I had something to prove. Guys used to stand around the decks with their arms crossed, just staring at what I was doing and judging my every move. It was intimidating but it challenged me to be the best I could possibly be. I never took it for granted. I knew that in my mind it wasn’t a male/female thing, it was 100% about the music and that’s what I wanted to prove. Hopefully I’ve been successful with that! The only real disadvantage is when people don’t take you seriously. But all it takes is a little funk in their face and I can usually change their mind!

POCKET: Anything coming up that you’d like to let us know about?

JOPS: I’ll be playing at a free day party called Shine on Sunday February 12th at the Medusa Lounge and the following Saturday the 18th also at Medusa for a party called Funk In The Front, Booty in the Back for my girl Nici's birthday! 

POCKET: Thanks for your time Joplin! I have to say that personally, you’ve been one of my favorites for a long time, I’ve never heard another DJ exude so much love and funk at the same time. I can’t wait to see what 2012 has you up to.

Check out Joplin's live set from Woogie Nights LA, on Beat Soup.

Joplin bringin' the funk to The Woogie Stage at LIB 2011!