Hi there! My name is Laura Marsh, also known as DJ Laura Lush :) I would like to introduce you to the sound system I am building.. she is called ninthWavesound! As far as I know she is the first sound system in Aotearoa New Zealand to be built by a woman… and the only one currently run only by womxn!
ninthWave is the centrepiece to my PhD project – which is about creating a space for womxn who love bass and bass music (outside of the male dominated sound and music scenes). ninthWave will be the centre of a supportive community of low-frequency lovers. The hope is that this kind of unprecedented support (technological and social) will enable womxn to feel empowered to become involved and engage in new opportunities as DJs, MCs, sound artists, sound technicians, music appreciators and dancers!
How did I get to this moment? For more than ten years I have been a practicing conceptual/ installation/ object-making artist. (Check out my art practice at www.lauramarshartist.nz). For the most part of my career I have made objects which examine colonial/Pākeha identity. A few years ago during an art residency in Java, Indonesia, I started the Vibrating Vaginas Dance Club for the local womxn, creating a space for them to take a break from their heavily male-dominated world… they loved it! So, for my PhD, I challenged myself to dive further into feminism, and to continue to bring my love for music and DJing – and my love of making meaningful and beautiful things – together. The ninthWavesound project was born!
Over the last year and a half I have been conceptualising, designing and making ninthWave’s first stack of speakers – a 21″ sub (which is tuned to very low 35Hz), a 15″ sub (to add a bit extra oomph to the kicks), a double 10″ cabinet (for the mid frequencies (I can’t believe how clear she sounds!), and a high frequency horn (for which I learnt to fibreglass and weld for :). I have a pile of amps and processors to power her up, and all this together makes a 4-way mono stack. Have a look at ninthWave‘s Instagram for details of the build. But this is just the beginning!
This Kickstarter fundraiser is to help build her other half so she can be a stereo system! Or if it goes really well, perhaps her other three quarters can be built! Bigger is most definitely better in the case of wanting to create more space, more noise, more exposure and a bigger louder more heard voice for womxn.
ninthWave and I will be hosting many events over the upcoming Summer including listening sessions, amplified sound healings and dance parties.
(And you can support by booking your own private ones as rewards during this campaign! Got a Christmas party? Got passion for treating your friends to incredible audible pleasure??? This is your opportunity to lock in an amazing experience which may never be offered at this price again!!)
Upcoming public events will be documented as research for my PhD, with many discussions held in conjunction for the participating womxn to express what it means for them to be a womxn involved with music, and what potential a feminist sound system like ninthWavesound has. I invite feminists of all kinds to get involved with ninthWave in what ever capacity they can!
Pics of a few of the treasures available to invest in during this Kickstarter below… all rewards over $40 come with badge and sticker bonuses, and those over $700 come with free teeshirts! Awesome!
Thank you and very much looking forward to seeing you all at the launch party!
Lots of Love, Laura x
My greatest challenge is the niggle of doubt that no one will want to come to the party! But I am totally blessed to have the support of some of Auckland’s finest DJs – Janiac, Scarlett, MISA, Chikaa, Wendy Douglas and Lady Jane – who are stoked to be involved and are offering their DJ time to the project.
The challenge of time is paramount during a PhD. I feel honoured to be here at AUT with an amazing group of supervisors, facilities and technicians which are all here in support of me achieving each of the steps important in creating successful project. I know I have the time and the skills I need to achieve the due dates I have set for delivery on rewards.
As an artist with many exhibition deadlines under her belt, and a deadline set for the build to happen by late February, I feel very confident that the second half of ninthWave will be built in time. Where there is a will, I will most definitely find a way xx