Chicago-based Hummingbird takes us on a melodic, progressive and ethereal ride for today’s Guest Mix.
A classically trained musician since age four, Hummingbird can’t recall life without rhythm and melody. Starting with violin, and followed closely by piano, drums and clarinet, she began composing classical music at age 10 and performed regularly for years, notably with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and in Disneyland with one of the country’s top youth jazz ensembles.
Throughout college and adult life, she kept close watch over the evolving scenes of favorite genres. Then a chance introduction to Ableton flipped a switch that forever changed her interaction with music. Inspired to her core, she set about recharting her path and reigniting creative ambitions, leaving corporate success behind in favor of a purpose-driven life.
Her philosophy: “It’s up to each of us to determine what our gift to the world will be; to answer that infamous existential question of, ‘Why am I here?’ If we’re lucky enough to figure it out, we must work to bring this vision to life with every ounce of our being, all the while remaining willing to stare fear in the face because going against the grain can be scary as hell. But once you know what you want to create and ultimately leave behind, there’s no choice but to just go for it.”
Making her presence known across North America, she’s equally comfortable at underground warehouse parties and mainstay clubs. In her home market of Chicago, she’s a regular presence at the likes of Spybar, Smartbar, Primary, and the well-respected Paradigm Underground parties, among many others. With an intrinsic knack for setting a proper vibe and managing the energy of a room, she’s warmed up the dance floor for artists such as Steve Lawler, Art Department, Matthew Dear, Tube & Berger, Gui Boratto, Lee Foss, Jeremy Olander, Coyu, Edu Imbernon, Eelke Kleijn, Jody Wisternoff, Kolsch, Olivier Giacomotto, Shall Ocin and 16 Bit Lolitas… just to name a few.
With broad influences ranging from Boards of Canada and The Chemical Brothers to Dmitri Kabalevsky’s piano concertos, The Pixies and Johnny Cash, she’s at home in the studio, drawing on the fertile ground of classical training and an insatiable appetite for sound. Her original productions feature the same complex, driving and melodic elements as her DJ sets, with a focus on intelligent, forward-thinking sounds from across the spectrum of house and techno. Her dynamic, emotive performances are driven by relentless curation, an intuitive connection to time and space, and a palpable energy that goes straight to the heart of the dance floor.
Track listing:
Fountayne Road (Original Mix) – Simao
Dream Vision (Original Mix) – Agents of Time
Moonface (John Digweed & Nick Muir Remix) – Marc Romboy
Clearing Space (Original Mix) – Hummingbird
Haze Moon (Original Mix) – Anna
Utopian Swept (Original Mix) – Anii
Color the Rain (Stereocalypse Remix) – Flowers and Sea Creatures
Exchange (Original Mix) – Colyn
Perpetua Mobila (Original Mix) – Tibi Dabo
Hic & Nunc (Ivory Rain Dance Edit) – Mark Hoffen
Arcadia (Stan Kolev & Matan Caspi Remix) – Citizen Kain, Haze-M
Cleo (Avidus Dub Remix) – Kieran Apter, Leon Power
Junah (Original Mix) – Sudhaus
Imalaya (Original Mix) – Saccao, Iberian Muse
Ourselves Behind Ourselves (The Drifter Remix) – Shiffer
Madness of Many (Original Mix) – Denis Horvat
Geo (Original Mix) – The Chain
Cyclone (Original Mix) – Konstantin Sibold
Terre (Original Mix) – Folie a Deux
Eunis (Original Mix) – Jobe
Connect with Hummingbird: Facebook | Instagram | SoundCloud
