Words by Tanya Akinola
Honey Dijon is globally renowned in the spheres of dance music, art and fashion. However, despite playing across continents at major music festivals and nightclubs, and working with powerhouse fashion brands like Comme des Garçons, Dijon has a long history as an engaged music lover and dancer first. Her earlier days within the underground communities of Chicago and New York’s Black and queer clubs have shaped her artistry, and still deeply inform the work she produces today.
Her approach to music production also comes from the vantage point of a club-goer. Dijon doesn’t cater to trends, but rather makes timeless feel-good music crafted to elevate dance floors. Her new album, Black Girl Magic, is due out on Luke Solomon & Derrick Carter’s Classic Music Company and is set to further expand upon her vivacious sound palette. Today, Dijon releases the second teaser off the album, ‘La Femme Fantastique’ which features magnetic vocals from London-based musician Josh Caffé.
Caffé is a multi-talented artist and vocalist who breathes new life into the time-tested pairing of powerful vocals and house music. As co-founder of the club night, talk series and record label Love Child, Caffé is also a staple in London’s queer dance music community.
‘La Femme Fantastique’ is a playful track that channels the energy of a sweaty, flirty dancefloor. It’s available through Bandcamp this Friday 7th of August with the album to follow later this year. We had a chat with Josh Caffé about how he and Honey Dijon met, what it was like to work together on the track and what inspired his vocal stylings.
First off, how are you?
Good, thanks! Up and down with everything that’s going on right now, but staying positive and cracking on with things.
When and how did you and Honey link up and get to know one another?
We have mutual friends in common and met each other at gigs and stuff. Actually, the first time I met Honey properly was at a gig in NY we both played at for Lady Fag called 11:11. It was a weekly party Lady Fag ran at a venue in East Village. Such a great vibe with a sweaty dark basement room and killer sound system to match. Sadly the party stopped in 2017, which was a shame. It was the weekly carry for years.
Photo by Francisco Gomez
What was the process like of working together on ‘La Femme Fantastique’?
Pretty easy, considering we were on different sides of the world. I recorded my vocals in London and we sent stuff back and forth over email. Once we spoke about the idea for the track it was a really easy process for me to write too, I loved the beat and wanted to imagine this kind of superheroine with the lyrics, hence the title. The studio sessions were pretty quick too, that’s how we roll 🙂
This is an incredibly fun track that I can hear drawing people onto the dancefloor. What vibe were you two trying to create with this track?
Something strong lyrically, fun, seductive and with a nod to Grace Jones who is a big inspiration to both us.
Photo by Robert Rieger
The vocals in this are so powerful and seductive – it transports my mind to dancefloors I’ve read and dreamed about from New York, Chicago and Detroit in the 80s and 90s. Were you channelling a specific feeling or period?
Pretty much what you just described. I’ve always felt connected to the house vocalists that came from late 70’s to 80’s Chicago and it feels crazy to now be able to call some of them friends. These were bold and authentic black artists who broke down barriers with their craft and went on to become icons and legends. I find it very inspiring on so many levels.
I feel like there are similarities between both yours and Honey’s music, through the use of vocals and channelling that spirit of really strong, classic dance tracks from earlier days. What is it that you admire about her work?
I love that Honey is authentic with her sound and DJ sets. Music that came from the birth of house and techno is timeless but I like that honey reimagines this in a progressive way.
For most of the world, dancefloors are temporarily closed for business. In the absence of a dancefloor, where is the next best space you suggest people listen to this track in?
Get yourself down to the local park with a soundsystem and blast this out on repeat. Failing that, a little dance around in your bedroom is always good.
Photo by Mellisa Gardner