Live Review: crescendoll takes over NLV Presents with new mix, 'Tribute to The Block 1973-2015'

Crescendoll has released her new mix under NLV Presents on Apple Music, joining the ranks of some of Australia’s best and brightest underground DJ’s. For the past six months, the ongoing mix series has showcased some incredible local talent and this month, Gamiliraay woman and sistergirl Emma Bastable AKA Crescendoll is no exception.

Emma is a Warrang (Sydney) based Trans and First Nations advocate and solicitor who champions representation and community in all that she does. By day she works as a solicitor at a community legal centre. Emma typically works on cases that are focused on homelessness, discrimination law, and policing, primarily with regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. By night, crescendoll’s advocacy for her community is felt through her presence as a DJ in queer and electronic spaces across Sydney. 

This mix is no different, coming to us in the midst of a lockdown, it is an ode to The Block in Redfern and a celebration of First Nations contributions to culture and music in particular. Crescendoll’s deep connection to music is intrinsically linked with her community spirit and this mix reflects her ethos as an artist. The mix features music from DJ SWISHA, Kush Jones, Merca Bae, Tygapaw and Ariel Zetina.

On the mix, Crescendoll states “I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking around the role of club music and dance in exploring and connecting with my identity, as a sistergirl and queer and trans woman, and the ways in which clubs and dancefloors serve as spaces in which we can think about and create new ways of being and existing, but which also are inherently political and can be problematic in terms of gentrification, lack of accessibility, and white, cis, able-bodied bodies being privileged.”

She continues, “In this spirit, I wanted to dedicate this mix to The Block in Redfern and recognise the pivotal role it’s played in celebrations of First Nations culture, art and music, and the real trauma our community has experienced in its redevelopment and the ousting of activists, including the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.”

The mix stands out as an important reminder to all those in the dance community to recognise that we exist on stolen land, and to honour the role that bla(c)k people have played in the formation and evolution of the scene we know and love. Crescendoll encourages us to “celebrate the achievements of POC DJs, event organisers, and dancers.”

Words by Katy Chantharasy

LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC HERE

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