Pamcy is bringing a new flavor to the house music scene

By: 7 years ago

In a scene typically dominated by males, it can be intimidating for women to even attempt to carve out a space for themselves. But for electronic music producer Pamela Fernandez—or Pamcy—it was no hurdle. The young “DIY house” DJ has recently been tapped by Australian label Healthy Tapes, a pleasant surprise she didn’t see coming. Now, she continues to use her music and platform to pay tribute to fellow female artists. While she’s relatively new to the scene, trust us: she’s about to win over your playlists with her infectious, bouncy beats. Below, we ask the producer on what inspires her craft, her dream collaboration, what to expect, and more.

How can you describe your music?

I think my music can be described as DIY house ’cause it’s not quite like the usual house music that gets played in clubs, and I’d like to think it’s my own modification of house. My sound is a mix of chill house, lounge music, and cute synths I tend to put here and there.

What inspired you to get into producing and mixing?

Before I learned how to produce music and make mixes, I used to go to a lot of concerts and music festivals here and abroad—and I’d always come home inspired by incredibly talented artists and DJs I got to watch. Plus I enjoy digging mixes and beats on Soundcloud, ’cause that’s what I listen to when I’m at work. I got so into it that eventually I decided to try and do it myself.

You have two singles under Australian label, Healthy Tapes, can you share with us how that connection came to be?

When I released my track “25 and Dead Inside” late last year, Lee Hannah of Melbourne-based cassette label Healthy Tapes emailed me and told me that he liked the song. He also said he wanted to collaborate with me on my next release. Months later, I sent him demos of Piso Isa which he liked as well, and that was it—we agreed to do a limited run of cassettes for it.

What would be the dream collaboration you’d like to be involved in?

My dream collabs would be with rappers Princess Nokia or Tkay Maidza. I’m a massive fan of rap—I really want to get into making hip hop music and fuse my sound with that eventually.

What was your creative process behind Piso Isa?

I usually start with a concept before I make beats, and I decided to create beats inspired by local candies because I love referencing food and drinks in my music. My first collection of beats called Bottle (https://soundcloud.com/pamcy/sets/bottle), which I released in early 2017, was inspired by sweet beverages that I like. I had fun doing that so I did it again for Piso Isa. I ended up making two tracks called Monami and Goya Coin, which are candies I used to eat when I was a kid. Doing the project made me nostalgic about growing up as a 90s kid.

As a female producer in a scene saturated by men, can you share with us if that ever became an obstacle for you?

It wasn’t really an obstacle for me, but I felt like a unicorn in a stable full of horses—I felt out of place. Right from the start I was well-aware that most beat-makers are male, so when I was starting out, I tried looking for a support system I felt more comfortable in. I found this group called female:pressure which is an online network of female/transgender/non-binary electronic musicians, which I eventually became part of. Through the mailing list which I’m subscribed to, I’ve become more aware of how difficult it is for women to rise above this male-centric industry. Female DJs get sexually harassed often in gigs and female producers & engineers get told that they’re not as good as their male counterparts. I hope that in the coming years, it gets better for women—that it becomes easier for us to forge our desired path in music and challenge the “norm” that inhibits us from doing that.

What’s in store for Pamcy’s music?

I’m going to release an EP very soon, which I’m excited to put out cause I got to work on it with fellow Filipina musicians. It’s a dream project for me, and it’s my way of paying tribute to female musicianship.

Listen to “Piso Isa” below.

Interview by Maria Grant
Photos from Pamcy Fernandez