She might have the best pun-based name of any DJ we know, but Estée Louder is no gimmick. Founder of regular club night and podcast series CONTROL, the Sydney-based DJ and event producer's musical tastes veer towards the darker, sharper end of the spectrum - embracing electro, techno and experimental sounds with an industrial edge. Which is precisely what we got when we asked her to share with us five tracks that have shaped her sound as a dance floor selector. That is, plenty of '90s bombs.
Björk - Pluto | 1997
Björk co-produced this track with Mark Bell from LFO and I think it’s probably the most industrial techno version of Björk that I heard when I first started listening to her in my teens. An aggressive punch from the kick punctuates a generally noisy and abrasive composition. Björk sings, "Excuse me, but I just have to explode, this body." It’s an exorcism in a track.
Miss Kittin and The Hacker - Flexibility | 1999
I discovered electro indirectly through Miss Kittin (and maybe Afrika Bambaataa), so I find it difficult to choose my most favourite and influential Kittin-associated track. 'Flexibility' was the first track I heard that married that Italo-disco-Moroder-synth with squelchy electro beats, topped off with her distorted lo-fi deadpan vox. I think this is why electroclash was so exciting - there is so much occurring in a track derived from various corners of the music scene. It has a punk kinda energy that I embrace.
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Capricorn - 20 Hz | 1993
I get tingles on my neck just thinking about this track being played on a big ass, quality rig. Ah! Crystalline marimba meets thundering tribal drums and a progressive bass line that you can picture yourself riding. A perpetual anthem that will always elevate your audience to great heights.
Orbital - Lush 3-2 | 1992
Sensual Hardcore Techno Rave. Orbital are a root for so much of the music I love and I can hear how this particular track has influenced so much of what I like to DJ, from harder faster techno, to the acids and even some EBM!
Claude Young - Nocturnal | 1995
I first saw Claude Young at a rave in Melbourne and was pretty obsessed. Not only do I feel validated by the title of this track, the steady bubbling acid and panning hi hats busy your brain whilst you’re being battered by the kick. It’s such a jam!
Listen to Estée Louder on Apple Music