Lucky Miss Nine
There’s always something to be said about a woman in a profession dominated by men. Of German DJ Miss Nine, there’s a lot. Starting with the fact that she’s quite the stunner, all five-foot-nine inches of her; and that she has a figure that will relentlessly pound your brain much like the deepest bass groove. Some people might actually stop there and just take her music as a package deal. After all, a hot woman on the decks will always incite curiosity — maybe even sell tickets.
But you’d be doing her, and yourself, an injustice by thinking like an American Idol producer (where only the pretty sells). Because Miss Nine, Kristin Schrot outside of the decks, can work the spinners in the same way she can make a young man’s head spin with a mere sidelong glance. Maybe even better — and the phrase “for a girl” don’t necessarily have to be attached to her DJ skills.
Deeply entrenched in the progressive house genre, Miss Nine started out her music career in the Netherlands — a good starting point considering the country’s impressive turnout of renowned deck gods such as Tiesto, Armin van Buuren and Ferry Corsten — as a crossover career from modeling. (Surprised much?) She started with spinning mainstream house tracks in 2005 but eventually found her niche in deeper house-trance music, which has had her turning out tracks that recall Chicane when he’s in a good mood or Faithless when they’re being sentimental (it was actually Faithless’s Sister Bliss who influenced her transition to progressive house). Her résumé also reveals tours done with Grammy award-winning duo Deep Dish and spinning gigs in Pacha in Ibiza, Space in Miami, the Mansion in New York and Ministry of Sound in London. In 2006, a year into deejaying, she became the first female to mix a compilation for American music company Yoshitoshi Recordings, a leading figure in progressive and big-room house music scene. She’s set to come out with another Yoshitoshi collaboration later this year.
Sometimes modeling gives her a callback. Nine has appeared on the covers of several magazines (including Elle in Amsterdam) and she’s done campaigns for retail brands, the latest being Levi’s where, along with Swedish indie singer Lykke Li and British model and socialite Violet, she’s ambassador for the jeans brand’s new Curve ID Fit System.
A system that takes the shape of the woman rather than her size into consideration, the Curve ID has identified three body types that represent women all across the globe: Slight (for straight, hipless types), Demi (for women with even proportions), Bold (for women with lush, generous curves). It’s sort of like cup sizes, only for jeans. And what it promises to eliminate is worth the one minute or so that you have to endure while the peeps at each Levi’s store measure your waist and lower and upper hips to determine your curve: gaping waistbands, jeans that scrunch up the leg and muffin tops (you know, when excess skin escapes to hang over waist bands).
Miss Nine, curvy and statuesque, is a proud Bold.
In her recent gig in the Philippines, where she played at Amber Lounge in Manila and at The Penthouse in Cebu, Nine played tracks from her new album “Fantasia,” soon to be released only in the Asian market. The album is quite a revelation; this time she mixes upbeat vocals into her euphoric tracks. And you realize that hers is the perfect poolside party music. Her mixes lack the boom bass build-up heard on many progressive house beats; instead she latches on quick to a breezy melodic tune punctuated by dance-invoking bass beats. The sweet lull of a champagne buzz rather than the pounding headiness of a Vodka/Red Bull potion.
In an interview, Miss Nine reveals how she got to her DJ destination, how she solved her denim woes and what she misses about Germany.
YOUNG STAR: Why Miss Nine?
MISS NINE: It’s very easy. My nickname is Nina — Kristin, Kristina, Nina — and I was born March 9. Also nine has become a lucky number for me. It’s kind of followed me, like I’d always be in room number nine or seat number nine. It just happens.
You were a model before you became a DJ?
Yes, I started when I was about 16. A woman from a boutique store asked me if I was a model and I said “No” and she said I should go into modeling. I joined this contest in Germany and did pretty well, went to New York, but after I went back to finish school and then became a nurse.
You were also a nurse?
Yes. My mom pushed me to do that. I was working out of school as a nurse and then also modeling on the side. I was very busy. After that, I met my boyfriend on holiday in Spain. He told to come to Amsterdam. So I did and he arranged a few meetings for me with some modeling agencies like Elite. I got a chance to work in different parts of Europe like Spain, Germany, everywhere — I was working non-stop. I never went back to Germany.
When did you decide to do other things aside from modeling?
It was three years after I moved to Amsterdam. My boyfriend came up with the idea that I start playing some records.
What type of music were you into when you thought of becoming a DJ?
I was very much into commercial house music with many vocals and uplifting beats. The very first record I ever played and practiced with was Daft Punk’s One More Time. From then on, I started building up my own collection. I’d go to record stores and would practice for a few hours a day. My very first gig was on a boat during Queen’s Day in Amsterdam. It was for about an hour — I was shaking and nervous.
When did your career as a DJ officially start?
After a few months, I could already do everything, like the mixing. For me it was easy since I had a musical background. I started getting more and more gigs and then Club Motion asked me to be their resident DJ — it’s an organization that does parties all across the Netherlands. So I was able to work with all these big artists like Nick Warren and other A-list artists. Then in 2005 I met Deep Dish and they asked me to join their agency Bullitt Bookings for one year as an opening act. I went with them to South America, Canada, the United States.
Were there already a lot of female DJs at that time?
No, not at all.
Do you sometimes feel that you have to work just a little bit harder because you’re a female DJ?
I had noticed, when I started, that when you’re a girl, it’s easier to get bookings because you make a nice picture onstage and the crowd likes that. But another side of that is that you really have to work hard to stay in this kind of business. It’s a male-dominated world. It was pretty hard for me to get accepted by the guys at the start but by the time I started traveling with Deep Dish, it was already changing. They gave me the power, the energy and the confidence to do what I was doing.
When do you think you came into your own deejaying style?
It all came into place when I started working with Sister Bliss, one of the people behind Faithless. This was about in 2007 and 2008. I played with them and liked their sound — a mix of house and progressive — and so I started buying records, and I started experimenting with a sound that was a little bit deeper.
So how would you describe your music now?
My music has influences from house and electronica. It’s very uplifting. You can’t just stand still with my music; you have to move. I also like vocals, you need them in there; I think vocals take you to some other place.
What’s the craziest gig you’ve played?
Last year, in December, I was in Bogota, Columbia. There were about 45,000 people in this open-air venue. The crowd was so crazy. Then I did one gig this year with David Guetta in New England, Mexico and that was amazing too.
You haven’t completely given up modeling, right?
Yes. For the last six months, I’ve been working with Levi’s and their new campaign, the Curve ID system. They called up my management and told us about the research they had done with women all across the globe and have come up with jeans that work with your shape. I like that now it’s not just about your size but the shape of your body.
Prior to the Curve ID system, how was your experience with buying jeans?
It can be a little frustrating. I would spend hours sometimes in the mall just trying to find something that would fit. But now it’s so easy. The idea of having three different fits, where they measure your upper waist and your hips, is very helpful. Now you’ll know if you’re a Slight, Demi or a Bold curve. I’m a Bold — I have hips.
How’d it feel the first time you wore these jeans?
They felt like second skin. I didn’t want to take the jeans off. Since I travel a lot, I need to feel comfortable in my jeans. I like that everything stays inside my jeans, nothing slips out. They hug my hips really well.
How would you describe your clothing style?
It’s a little bit urban, a little bit rock, a little bit edgy. I like to mix vintage clothes with brands.
What’s your favorite city?
For food, it would be Tokyo because I love sushi. I also love New York. I also like Thailand for their beaches. And, of course Oberweissbach, my hometown. I don’t go there very often so I miss it.
What do you miss most about it?
I miss my family a lot. I miss how my mom just cooks for me. Where I come from in the south of Germany, it’s very back-to-basic. It’s up in the mountains, hills everywhere. I miss my bike, actually…
But Holland is pretty much a biking country.
Yes, but everything is so flat. It’s no fun at all.
Tell me about your new album, “Fantasia.”
It’s my new album specifically for Asia. It’s a mix of house music that’s progressive. They’re all special-edit tracks with different artists. It’s very uplifting with a lot of grooving beats.
You’ve been a lot of things: model, nurse, DJ. Is there something else you’d like to do after deejaying?
I’d definitely like to stay in music. And I’d like to work in fashion. Fashion and music fit together. You can always find one with the other. I also started a music label in 2008 where I produce my own tracks. I also host a radio show, Nine Sessions, which is broadcast in different cities all across the world.
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For more information on Miss Nine, log on to www.miss-nine.com.
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Jeans featuring the Levi’s Curve ID Fit is now available in Levi’s stores nationwide.
