Exclusive interview with HighHer Management: music future is female

DJANEMAG had a talk with a HighHer Management's boss and DJanes. We discussed many questions concerning booking business, cause every reader is interested to look beyond and DJanes always want to be in roster of the best agencies of the world. Albert Sidoli, HighHer Management founder and boss, told us the story of creation of his business and the secret of how a girl can become a part of his agency roster. 

DJANEMAG: HighHer Management sounds interesting. Who is the author of the agency name? What scence did you actually want to put into this name?

Albert Sidoli: Hi, my name is Albert Sidoli, I am the author of the agency name and the founder of HIghHer Management. My idea was to play with the word “higher” to create a simple but powerful name that would communicate the purpose of my business: provide a higher, and constantly rising, level of entertainment by promoting and helping female artists grow in the male dominated DJ scene. This is why I decided to add an extra capital “H” to the word “higher”: my focus is to elevate “Her,” my female artists.

DJANEMAG: How was the idea of creating such a business born?

Albert Sidoli: After working a few years for fashion agencies and doing bookings for artists on the side, I decided to unite this two worlds by creating HighHer.

DJANEMAG: There are only female DJs in your roster. Why? Why do not you work with guys?

Albert Sidoli: The core of my business idea is to maximize and work with girl’s power in a male dominated world such as the DJ scene. I saw the opportunity to take advantage of a new market and unite my passion for fashion and music to create the first agency of its kind in Italy.

DJANEMAG: What are the criteria for selecting DJs in your agency? To get into the roster a DJane need…

Albert Sidoli: First of all we look for talent, passion, and experience, then it comes to my personal taste and if I see potential in them. In addition, since one of our main targets are fashion events, most of our artists come from the fashion world.

DJANEMAG: DJ's world is men's at the moment. What do you think about it? Do you believe that one day the situation can change?

Albert Sidoli: Of course I believe the situation can change, it is why I created HighHer Management. I believe women have a different sound sensibility that even men are getting

hooked on, and in the past few years this trend has been growing more and more. The DJ scene is ready for change: the music future is female.

DJANEMAG: Which clubs in Europe do you consider the most loyal to the girls? We mean such clubs that book female DJs often and even give preference to DJanes.

Albert Sidoli: I don’t have any particular ones in mind. I believe that music has no sex. Clubs book artists that are right for their crowds and clientele.

DJANEMAG: Which DJane in Europe do you consider the most successful? Why?

Albert Sidoli: It’s a tricky question. I think it depends on personal taste and their musical genre, and of what one considers success is. At the moment, Nina Kravitz is probably one of the top techno female DJ’s, and Nervo are the best in EDM, based on their followers and their market request.

And some questions to girls of cource)

LRO: I'm LRO, a DJ based in London. I play a mixture of Hip Hop, R'n'B, Soul, Garage and Rap music. 

DJANEMAG: Why did you choose this agency from a number of others?

LRO: HighHer Management found me, and I immediately loved their approach. It felt really personal and connected, like they were interested in me as an artist and not just a picture or a number. They want to focus on developing the artists on their roster, and building a real relationship with the DJs, and that means a lot, especially when you're starting out. I loved the aesthetic of their site, and also the mix of talent they already represented. Felt like good company to keep!

DJANEMAG: Pros and cons of working a DJ! What do you love and what do you hate about your work?

LRO:  I love my work being so involved in music, and so constantly evolving - new sounds and new discoveries. It's a privilege to be the person who soundtracks someone's night, and the feeling of leading a great party is like nothing else. Meeting new people is high up there too - especially so many inspiring women doing their own thing. Sometimes the late nights don't lend themselves to the healthiest lifestyle - I need to do better at getting enough sleep and recovery time. And the hassle and inane comments you still get from drunk guys can be a bit heavy sometimes - generally I can laugh about it though. "You're a girl? Are you really DJing or just standing there?" For real. 

DJANEMAG: Give information about new releases so that our readers can enjoy your music.

LRO: I just released the third and final mix in the BLXK LILY: Late Nights Series for some friends of mine. Short mixes with some of my current favorite sounds - and some amazing new artists.

Think laid back Hip Hop and Soca infused beats. Perfect for summer. Find them on my Mixcloud - www.mixcloud.com/LRO. 

Karen Menad: I am Karen Menad, a DJ based in Milano. I play Tech, Techno House and Deep House.

DJANEMAG: Why did you choose this agency from a number of others?

Karen Menad: I chose this agency because a girlfriend of mine, who is also a DJ, referred it to me. I was looking for a booking agency, and when I heard about HighHer

Management, and how it is an exclusively female DJ agency, I immediately liked it and I knew it was the right place for me.

DJANEMAG: Pros and cons of working a DJ! What do you love and what do you hate about your work?

Karen Menad: To be honest right now I cannot think of anything I do not like about my job. I love my job with all my heart, it is part of who I am. Music makes me free and it is

what I transmit to people who listen to my sets. It is priceless to see my crowds full of people with their hands up, eyes closed, and singing and dancing in joy, and what is even

better is knowing that I am the one responsible for them having a good time. Also, I love that my job allows me to travel the world and always meet new and interesting people.

3 Give information about new releases so that our readers can enjoy your music.

Karen Menad: I am currently working on a new production that will be released in July. You can listen to my last set from Ibiza Global Radio on my mixcloud

(https://www.mixcloud.com/karen-menad/ ). I am really proud that I was chosen to be broadcast on such an important radio for electronic music!

Two is a Crowd: Nathalie and Bonita, buddies for life. Why? Cause they have the same life motto: Do whatever you love to do! Enjoying life with endless music on the background,

somewhere on this world with the best people. Don’t worry, enjoy and hype the crowd.

DJANEMAG: Why did you choose this agency from a number of others?

Two is a Crowd: We chose this agency cause we have the goal to grow. How else than with HIGH HER! Higher! Haha get it?!

DJANEMAG: Pros and cons of working a DJ! What do you love and what do you hate about your work?

Two is a Crowd: Pros working as a DJ: Well, music is love number 1, that goes pretty well with spinning :P. Also, to us, it's pure joy, like family is! You get to hype a crowd

which gives you an adrenaline kick! Traveling and seeing the world with music is a pure gift. I think we can go on for a while... but you asked for the cons. Uhm... well we had a

lot of crazy gigs where the console and what we needed was not set up proper. But at the end, when you fix it, we forgot and went straight back to the pros! There are no cons, sorry.

DJANEMAG: Give information about new releases so that our readers can enjoy your music.

Two is a Crowd: We're working on new songs, with different artists, mostly from New York and Amsterdam, and we can't wait to share this new music with you guys.

Check out our SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/twoisacrowd)

Check the HighHer Management website here: http://www.highhermanagement.com/

Don't forget to VOTE for girls at top100djanes.com!