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DJ, electronic vocalist and artist, Miss Kittin may not be prowling the clubs of Bangkok for her Asian tour in May, but we thought this divine feline deserved a Q&A session anyway. Her first album with The Hacker, aptly named First Album, was a hit for the electroclash movement, though Miss Kittin herself does not entirely identify with the genre. BangkokRecorder got in touch with Carolin Herve, aka Miss Kittin, as she purred about the early French rave scene, celebrity spinners and that inexplicable DJ magic...  What has the response to your music been in Asia? Where was your favourite gig in Asia, and why? Where are you most excited about playing on this tour?
I am not as big in Asia as in Europe so I am really excited always to convince new crowds about my skills.
So far, I enjoyed HK, Shangai and Japan the most, as I´ve never been anywhere else for now.
All fresh and new...
You've said you prefer DJing to performing. What, in your opinion, makes a great DJ?
Each DJ has his secret weapon that makes a difference. But I could say a great DJ has to be respectful, innovative, technically good, have a big musical culture, open-minded, curious, intuitive, professional and full of love! The greatest DJs have, on top this, a kind of magic you can´t explain...
Having played many gigs all over the world for many years now, what do you think makes a kick-ass event?
I don't really know. The only thing I am sure about is: if promoters are reliable, you are safe!
 Your name first appeared in your early rave parties. Why the feline theme?
I don´t know. I had to find a name for the party we organized when I was at art school as I had to play ambient at the bar... It came to me.
I really didn´t know it would stay. And first it was simply "Kittin," until promoters put the "Miss" in front as it was fashionable and they thought better advertisment!
Tell us about those rave days in the early nineties? How has the dance/electronic music scene changed since then?
In France, the scene was wild, very unorganized, in warehouses or open air, but it was something we´ve never experienced before. It was so new, nobody knew what it was, normal people would come across a party and would think we were all ready for mental hospital, dancing to this repeptitive music and strangely dressed! In Germany, for example, everything was more official and developed in a healthier way. France suffered a big police repression so the scene stayed mostly illegal for a long time. Now it´s more democratized, and as a consequence, musical genres got seperated. I miss going to parties and hearing house music during the warm-up, [then] techno and hardcore during the night, and trance in the morning.
 Ex-Kraftwerker, Karl Bartos, who recently visited Bangkok, once revealed the secret to his longevity: he "never looks in the mirror." You've also said that you don't like to revisit or read reviews of your work. Some people view criticism as constructive, so how else do you stay fresh and keep growing as an artist?
I agree with Mr Bartos. I rarely look in the mirror. I don´t like to look at myself or at what I do. I am more interested in the process of things than the result. It´s easy, I am a work in progress myself, until I die! I don´t have time to get lost in contemplation about myself, as there´s so much around to discover. I am hungry for life.
What do you think about the latest trend of "celebrity DJs," where high profile celebrities get behind the decks without any real experience or know-how?
If it´s for fun. Everybody can DJ, and not everybody can be a good DJ. It needs a lot of work, like anything else in life, if you want to do it seriously.
If you could work with anyone in history (dead or alive) who would it be?
The Hacker
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