ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY RED BULL, APRIL 2019

DJ JNETT is a name synonymous with the extensive and deep history of Melbourne dance music. A driving force in the genre through the '90s, Janette Pitruzzello's untouchable musical knowledge and skills behind the decks elevated the DJ to the upper echelons of reverence within the industry, while her fanbase would only continue to intensify and diversify as her career entered the 2000s.

But now, in a musical climate driven by digital connections and a global community made smaller thanks to the advent of technology and the internet, how does a luminary such as DJ JNETT view the ever-changing dynamics within the Melbourne music community?

Over a cup of tea in the city’s inner-north, JNETT opens up about the difference in scene now, to when she first began her journey through the ranks.

“I stuck to it because I was completely passionate about it.” she reflects on the early days. “In Melbourne when I was coming up, the huge thing was the progressive house sound. For me, I was more into underground house, disco, whatever genre you’re talking about. The musicality, I struggled with. Like, ‘There is all this other amazing music, how come this is such a dominant sound?’ Personally, it didn’t rock me, but it is what it is. I don’t know what it is, but it’s almost like this other force that kept me going in it.”

As we talk, JNETT’s unbridled love for the art of music and its many sonic forms rings out beautifully. From working in music on a retail front, to spending years crate digging and building an envious collection of her own, and then bringing her own DJ technique to packed clubs and audiences of thousands, Pitruzzello has an intrinsic connection to the beats, the whirrs of production – the odd sense of euphoria that comes with the completion of each sweaty set.

“I feel that there’s this thing that is innate inside you,” she says. “That when you’re exposed to certain things and it triggers something, you don’t really know the answer as to where it’s come from. There are certain personal friends who have really influenced me in such a massive way, musically. Producer-wise, there were a lot of American house producers who now have become headliner names. It’s interesting how before, it would be a sideroom thing, whereas now, everyone seems to be aware of those artists, it’s so interesting!”

Cutting her teeth on stages in Melbourne clubs, eventually growing her style and presence internationally and then on TV as a presenter on ABC's Recovery, Pitruzzello has thrived on each challenge to be put her way. However, she admits the path to success for today’s generation doesn’t necessarily align with her own values.

“Your drive for it changes.” she admits. “For me, I’ve just approached music really honestly, not in a conscious way, which I see a lot of now. The art of planning, ‘I’ve got to go from this to this.’ I’m avoiding a lot of the shitty gigs which I have spent a lifetime doing, because if that allows you to express yourself and hone in on your craft, the more the merrier. The more hours you clock in doing it, it becomes second nature.”

A mother of two, Pitruzzello’s priorities have undergone examination and change over the years. Her role as a parent is one she proudly speaks, but just as fiercely, she is also proud of the dynamic she’s been able to strike as being both a parent and a creative force. Not one to be pigeonholed, or have her path determined for her, DJ JNETT’s creative growth stems from an innate desire to go her own way.

“What I struggle with is the idea that there’s this lane you’re supposed to run with, if you want to keep your profile alive.” she says. “If you really remain true, then there is no formula. I’m not a 25 year old who wants to be posting selfies. There’s elements of that I really struggle with, but then I think, ‘You haven’t had to do that so far, you don’t have to feel the pressure of it’. I want to move past that. We’re in a different time now, it’s a different thing to be aware of. Regardless though, you do what you love - if you’re going to focus that much time and energy on it, you’ve got to love it. I know that for me, I love it on a level that I can’t really explain.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Ken Leanfore
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY RED BULL, APRIL 2019

A connection to home, a connection to the ones who have come before, and a vision for what lay on the road ahead, has been at the centre of Dallas Woods’ musicianship. The Noongar man from the East Kimberley, who now calls Melbourne home, is part of a new wave of Australian hip-hop artists turning the genre on its head.

Touring with Baker Boy - an artist Woods took under his wing back in 2014 - has not only exposed fans to Woods’ electric stage presence, but further invited music fans to discover the rapper’s prowess on the mic and brash lyrical honesty. His music toys with the dark as well as light themes. A dynamic performer, Woods has incorporated his struggles, his evolution and the insatiable ambition he has an artist, into his music with exciting fervour.

What comes across so passionately with your 64 Bars, is a sense of nostalgia and reflection. How has growing up in a small town influenced your direction, making moves in your career?

I feel like, if you don’t know where you come from, how do you know where you’re going?

The person who I am today is a mixture of all these experiences that I’ve had as a kid growing up. When you grow up in a small town, there’s limitations to opportunities but when you’re young, you don’t see it like that. When you finally step out of from where you’re from you’re like, “Man, there are so many more opportunities,” but then you really do appreciate the little things that your town had, that the city doesn’t have. The freedom of a small town - you can really find yourself as a human there.

Have you found your views of home have changed now you’ve been gone for so long?

When I go back, I see a different place. You leave for a little bit and there’s a new generation who is going to take over. You see a difference in how my generation perceived and grew up with things, compared to this generation who would rather stay indoors and play games instead of being out on country and living how the old people used to leave. I didn’t even understand the extent of the place I was living in, the beauty of it.

You’re currently touring with Baker Boy, who is riding a whole wave of his own. What has it been like to see crowds respond to him, and by extension, the work your crew has been doing for some years now?

It’s crazy. I see it from two sides. Getting to travel around with Baker Boy, you get to see how Australia is loving this fresh air of hip-hop. Even an old hip-hop head will come up to me and say, "Lyrically, Australia needs someone like you," - those small little wins are what I do it for.

That’s the [overall] aim, to bring awareness with our artform that everyone listens to. At the end of the day, when I [first] heard Aussie hip hop, I wasn’t a big fan. But when I listen to the actual lyrics, I’m like, “These guys are doing their thing!” That really pushed me to go look at hip-hop in my country and obviously, their stories are a lot different to mine, but they’re stories nonetheless.

Who were you listening to, growing up?

When I was growing up I was listening to a lot of Tupac, 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ album was the one that got me. I was like, “Wow this is crazy.” As I got a little older, I started listening to a lot of Eminem and Nas; that quick storytelling style. My style of hip-hop was always [based] in the storytelling side of it. I like hearing and painting the picture you could only see in your head, or what you perceive the lyrics to be.

They’re a product of their environment and I love that they didn’t have to change who they were to make music that other people could actually relate to. Not everyone is going to be around places where there are guns popping off, but where the less fortunate and the forgotten about...that doesn’t see colour or culture.

What is it about music that keeps you going, and what is it about hip-hop in this country that is exciting you right now?

I’ve been on the road for the last ten years, really. I’ve gotten to see all of Australia, every state and territory, and I’ve been able to be amongst so many different circumstances and so much stuff that is alien to me in my own country! I didn’t have to travel the world to see those things.

With me, my biggest gift is my sense of awareness and ability to adapt to situations. Within that, I soak up all the energy I can; I watch and learn. You can’t be the voice for everyone, but I just want to be one of many.