You do not necessarily associate the Mexican electronic music scene with the deeper nuances and facets but rather with Dark Disco and Melodic Techno. All the more Glo My’s way to walk the initially-named path is even more impressive. Originally from Mexico City Jimena, Glo My’s real name, now resides in Italy’s north, Milan to be more precise, spreading her ever groovey yet melodically demanding and sound-wise ambitious music to and with the world. Therefore the artist provides her listeners with a potpourri of Deep House, Breaks, UK Garage and keeps a ravey and with abstract textures sprinkled vibe, which elegantly and smoothly unites the before-mentioned genres and influences to one homogenous sound-experience adding up to the Glo My-way. Her own events, Hell Town, surely have helped Glo My to dive deeper into compiling her sets and creating unique tonal ecstasies but these days the artist distinguishes herself with several productions, something Glo My has only been doing for a little longer than four years. Her latest addings to her catalogue of musical outings are her track Sang Woo on Lis Sarroca’s Maai label, as well as an EP on Womxn Records called Lejos de Casa and another single track, Hey Kiss Me, on Bass Water Freak Out. Having been kissed by Glo My’s style, probably as softly as it was once sung about, there’s only one thing left to say: It’s either the Glo My Way or no way at all. You can convince yourself as the Milanese by choice compiled the latest edition of the art:cast series and talks her latest outing on Maai with us alongside some spicy information of how she became involved with electronic music, her home-county’s influence on her and much more.
Torture the Artist: Hello Jimena, tell us something about your day.
Glo My: Hello, first of all thanks for inviting me, I’m in-between school duties and work.
Torture the Artist: Your artist name is Glo My, what makes you “glow” and how did you come up with the name?
Glo My: Well, honestly speaking I’m very shy when it comes to talking, so I wanted to come up with something that wasn’t easy to pronounce and that additionally creates that connection between spoken language and what I do, namely playing music. So I focused on a name, which is not my mother tongue but in this case originates in Africa. Glo My indeed translates like “believe in me” or “trust in me”. I tried digging more into the indigenous languages from Mexico but couldn’t find anything close and worthwhile. However, it doesn’t matter if the name is English, French or whatever language as long as it is or in that case was unknown to me, because that’s what I personally love.
Torture the Artist: Your are originally from Mexico City but now based in Milan. First off all, how did that come about and how has it furthered your career as an artist?
Glo My: I had already considered migrating to Italy but it happened in a flash. I knew it was risky and wanted to get out of my comfort zone. Practically I began playing at places I had never imagined due to mixes for House Salad, a Mexican label, and also because of radio station here in Milan, where I was invited by some Mexican collective called ‘Boca Boca’. Not sure if it furthered my career because it is always difficult to grow artist-wise at a place where locals struggle too.
Torture the Artist: When thinking of Mexico and the scene there, your style is quite different as you prefer to play a deeper, warm and melodic sound with influences from Deep House, UKG and Breaks, while the sound in your hometown, Mexico City, is very Dark Disco and Tech-House driven. Where do your influences come from and do you feel musically more at home in Europe than in Mexico?
Glo My: Actually there’s been a huge variety when it comes to electronic music genres in Mexico. In fact, there are many parties showcasing these before-mentioned genres and also give space to partly abstract sounds, for example Mutek. And even if the latter aren’t originally from Mexico, they help bringing more interesting artists into the scope. Clubs like Yuyu, Sunday Sunday, Pervert, among others have been hosting quite interesting names like DJ Stingray 313, Move D, Marcel Dettman since the pandemic.
My influences range from Latin infused rhythms like Salsa and Reggae over to European Psychedelica like Led Zeppelin and Funk, Jazz, High Energy, Psy-Trance, HipHop and 90’s House music. I believe I musically have what it takes to make my audience dance and enjoy the variety that I personally cover. However, and to answer the question where I musically feel home I’d say that I’m happy in both places and I’m glad Mexico’s gaining more recognition.
Torture the Artist: How and when did you become involved in electronic music?
Glo My: I began listening to CDs which my brother used to bring from raves or parties, I remember wanting to go to the Love Parade when it was held in Mexico, but I was still a child. I’d like to have visited cult clubs in Mexico like Medusas or Continental though.
When I turned 16, there was a Psy-Trance wave rushing over Mexico, but even though I tried sneaking into the clubs it was impossible at that time. My first gigs where at AM Local and Rioma, which is now named FUNK. It’s a rather dark place bow because of high crime rates in Mexico.
Torture the Artist: What’s the track that you connect with one of your first encounters with electronic music and what are your memories or the story that you goes with it?
Glo My: My first encounters with electronic music where when I heard Hernan Cattaneo, but it was the remix from Satoshi Tomiie for Love in Traffic that finally triggered my enthusiasm for the music. You know it was one of these sensations you feel or you only can feel when you’re young as you can hardly have a similar emotion or feel when you are grown up. It’s this awe deriving or coming from a melody that you simply can’t get tired of listening to. In this case the track was 7:42 minutes long and I could have had it on repeat forever as simply loved it and especially the female vocal. Another track which I used to play at the afters for my friends is Sussie 4’s On Time, the melodies and the percussions quite stuck with me. Lastly there is Haddaway’s What Is Love and it’s this 90s House beat and vibe that I have never felt out of love with.
Torture the Artist: How is the scene in Italy and Mexico different and where do you personally see your future as an artist?
Glo My: I still don’t have an entire overview, because I haven’t attended too many parties and clubs yet. When I got here there was nothing going on due to the pandemic, but I believe there’s much to discover for me in regards to the nightlife and and I think the clubs are safer in Italy as there isn’t as much harassment happening as in Mexico.
To answer the second part of the question, I’d really like to be in every corner of the world where I feel free to be what and who I truly am.
I receive critiques mainly from men, since I grew up in a very sexist or macho-dominated country.
Torture the Artist: You just released a track on Lis Sarroca’s label Maai Records called Sang Woo, a deep yet rather club-oriented take, which appeared as one out of five tracks on a various artists EP produced by females only. Before we speak a bit about the track, how did working with Lis come about? Did it help that you are both originally from Mexico and did it encourage you more to send another female artists or music rather than to the usually male-dominated labels in the scene?
Glo My: We got to know each other a while back – she had always been one of my favorite DJs to be honest – and it started by ‘talking music’. We were booked together at an event and we had similar tastes in music. In this case, she asked me for a track to contribute to the V/A. You know, I always aim to work and pay a lot of attention to labels that correspond with the type of sound I produce. So I sent her various tracks and sometimes she would respond saying something’s missing until she received Sang Woo. Recently women are building trust between themselves in a male dominant scene, I receive critiques mainly from men, since I grew up in a very sexist or macho-dominated country.
It’s key to do everything by heart and to not give in to the anxiety of producing music just because it’s a competitive scene.
Torture the Artist: When did you decide to not only DJ but to produce too and what do you think could help aspiring female artists to lose this before-mentioned insecurity when it comes to own productions?
Glo My: It’s key to do everything by heart and to not give in to the anxiety of producing music just because it’s a competitive scene. There are many big DJs with long careers, who have had few productions only. It’s all about doing it with love and respect for the purpose of music.
Torture the Artist: Coming back to your outing on Maai, namely Sang Woo. Is the track title a reference to the character of the Netflix series Squid Games or what is the story behind it?
Glo My: That track was inspired by a movie called ‘All paths lead to home” and is based upon a true story with real characters, in this case South Korea’s Sang-Woo, a 7 and a half year old young kid raised in a big city. His grandmother is dumb and lives far away from the city. Due to various circumstances the boy is made to live with his grandmother and by her actions and love she manages to transform him to another (better) person and teaches him a certain behavior and respect towards the elderly. Something that had gone missing because of the digital-age. My track attempts to explain how, let’s call it a chaotic situation and living circumstances, can be to transformed into something positive. Starting with seemingly random percussions (chaotic city life) Sang Woo is added harmonic chords (love of the grandmother) that are enriched with a touch of Acid to stabilize the track.
Torture the Artist: What’s the series/ TV-show you would want to produce the soundtrack for and why?
Glo My: Honestly speaking I’ve stopped watching TV a while back, Maybe I have would liked to produce the soundtrack for an older movie… perhaps one from Quentin Tarantino, or Transpotting, even if it sounds cliché, or one the mythic films from Gaspara Noé, for instance Enter the Void.
I enjoy making the crowd move.
Torture the Artist: As mentioned before, Sang Woo is a Deep House track with a clubbier note. To what extent does the track represent you as an artist and is this the kind of music people can expect from you in the future?
Glo My: It represents my persona from my earlier DJ days, but actually I’d like to do more music that combines the mixture of genres that have influenced me or that I enjoy the most, like House, Breaks and Acid. Also I want to focus on dancefloor-oriented music as I enjoy making the crowd move. Once I’ve achieved this I might come up with more relaxing music and some easy listening stuff. There’s a lot of emotions I want to convey.
Torture the Artist: What’s a label you would want your music to be released on, and why?
Glo My: That’s a tough one. I have many favorite labels, but definitely I’d go along with Hessle Audio and Shall Not Fade. I find a lot of inspiration in their sounds and music signed with those labels.
Torture the Artist: Besides music what are you passionate about?
Glo My: I’m into science, especially psychology which is still a ‘young’ science, but it goes hand in hand with reality.
Torture the Artist: When speaking of Milan it’s difficult not to speak about fashion. What’s your connection to it and what’s the outfit that perfectly supports what you are artistically doing?
Glo My: Well, more than fashion I like design, which is a form of expressing one’s feelings, now that I’ve collaborated with a New York-brand I could find that out and that it is something unique and exclusive that sets one free from the strands.
Torture the Artist: Do you feel the city and its style or sense for fashion has an impact on your personal style and what’s a trend you enjoy and one you would not want to participate in?
Glo My: We are talking now about two separate arts here, music and literature, aren’t we? Words expressed in a poetical way can become a song, and music can help them to make them become even more dynamic and entertaining.
Personally, I have strong feelings towards music, I can meditate, make neural connections I didn’t deem possible, listening to beats is a form of meditation that goes on and on.
Torture the Artist: When is it better to have music do the talking rather than words or what can music express better than words can?
Glo My: Music does the talking from beginning to the end on any given day.
Words by Holger Breuer
Pictures by Altea Communication
Torture the Artist 