This eminent female disc jockey gets candid about her ambitions and a collective she founded for local musical talent.
Russian DJ Katrin Love has gained recognition for her infectious, foot-tapping electronic music and is now resident at one of the island’s popular five-star venues.
Her affair with sound began in her teenage years when she chose to study digital music production and the piano.
“After graduating in 2006, I started helping musicians in studio recordings while simultaneously hanging out with them at big-scale events to get a feel for the industry, “I never wanted to just be stuck in a studio. With some perseverance, I started performing live later that year,” explains Katrin.
After touring within Russia, she decided to showcase her talent beyond its borders.
“As much as I enjoyed playing in my country, the scope there is limited. I signed up for overseas tours and began exploring the world in 2008.
“I played in the UAE, Morocco, Switzerland, France, Spain, Armenia, Cyprus, India, Egypt, Oman, Belarus, Greece and Monaco, to name a few.”
She first visited Bahrain in 2010 as part of a Middle East tour, and instantly fell in love with the Kingdom.
“The fun-loving atmosphere and vibrant social life had me hooked. I bagged a couple of gigs and eventually a residency with a nightclub here. I consider the island as my home now,” says Katrin.
When asked about her inspiration, she says: “The pleasure of creating and playing tunes for the people around me is what inspires me the most and motivates me to fulfilling my dreams.”
Being a female in a male-dominated industry requires determination and courage, but Katrin is not one to back off.
“It takes a lot of guts to stand up for what you believe in and be accepted for it. But Bahrain is great because everyone is helping each other to grow and take the nightlife forward.
“Sometimes people still doubt if I am cut out to do a certain job because of my gender. But this is a common misconception widespread in all professions.”
Katrin is the co-founder of the Bahrain Underground Music Movement (BUMM), a pioneer community that provides a platform for electronic music disc jockeys to showcase their tunes at various venues on a monthly basis.
“The concept was created by DJ Mysterioo Arif and me to fill a gap. It is very challenging to run such a concept as local musicians hardly get any support, unlike in the West.
“Surprisingly, the movement garnered significant attention as participants started to get recognised outside of the Kingdom through our projects.”
For the future, Katrin is working to make BUMM an independent record label.
She encourages aspiring artists to take the risk and follow their passion. “Ignore the negativity and continue doing what you love. Eventually, you will make it. Nine years ago I had to make the toughest decision of my life – to do what I love or get sucked into the daily grind of a mundane job. It took lots of hard work and sleepless nights, but I am proud of where I am and the road ahead only leads upwards,” she says.
You can find Katrin at ART Rotana, Amwaj Islands. Her music is on Soundcloud at: dj-katrin-love
