DJ Lori the hifi Princess of New York was interviewed for Sister USA in August 2004 by DJ Miss Innocent.

Originating from Victoria Canada, Lori the hifi Princess aka Lori J. Ward has been making her mark in the electronic music scene since 1993. She has lived in Canada, London, Luxembourg, NYC and is now currently located in Graz Austria. Lori started out as a house DJ but after making the move to Europe in 1997, where she was introduced techno, she immediately fell in love with the sounds of the harder beats and soon started playing it as her main style. She stayed in Europe for a year and then when she came back to North America she decided to relocate to New York City, where she lived for the next four years. She soon found herself getting booked to play more and more in Europe so in 2002 she decided to switch continents again, this time settling down in Graz Austria.

Now having established herself in Austria and Europe the future is looking bright. While being booked up almost every weekend for DJ gigs she still has the time to run her own booking agency, Futuretech Artists, co-run a record label, EBL Music, and have her own studio where she works on her downtempo and techno projects. The long hours and hard work in the studio have paid off as she recently found out that the track, "Disaster Mind", she made in collaboration with John Chevalier and Alex Sword from Frankfurt made it onto the Love Parade 2004 CD Compilation. This year she also released a downtempo cd entitled "Foreign Communication", which is a 13 track album where she wrote, produced and did the vocals for all the songs. The cd was released under the alias Lori J Ward, which is the name she uses for her downtempo and house projects. Lori was able to take the time out of her busy schedule to sit down and do this interview with me and this is what she had to say.

Miss Innocent: How did you first get involved in the electronic music scene?

Hi Fi Princess: I kind of just stumbled upon it. I went to an afterhours in 1993 and heard real underground house music. I fell in love with the scene and started collecting records right away and began to DJ. The rest is history!

Miss Innocent:Do you remember what one of the first records you bought was?

Hi Fi Princess: The Underground Solution ­Luv Dancin’ ­ Roger Sanchez ­ Strictly Rhythm 1990

Miss Innocent: You are originally from Canada and then lived in NYC for some time and now you are here in Graz. How long have you been living in Graz and what made you decide to relocate to Europe from North America?

Hi Fi Princess: I have been in Graz for a little over 2 years. I was living in NYC during 9/11. After that, NYC really changed and I needed to get away from it. It was very sad time there. I have lived in Europe before and really enjoyed it so I’m very happy I decided to move back.

Miss Innocent: Do you feel this move was better for your career?

Hi Fi Princess: Moving around always helps and hinders a career. I have a lot more time to do my productions now I am in Graz. When I was in NYC I was so busy with everything I had no studio time so I definitely think for that one reason alone moving here was a good idea. Also, NYC is so fast paced that you sometimes forget what you are actually working for as you always get side tracked.

Miss Innocent: Do you find that there is a big difference in the electronic music scene in NYC and Graz?

Hi Fi Princess: For sure, there is a lot more techno here!!! And I see a lot more artists that I like in Graz. Techno is not so big in NYC. It is starting to be, but will never be like Europe. People that go to parties are also a lot older here also which is nice.

Miss Innocent: How long were you in NYC for? And do you feel that being there has changed you as a person in any way?

Hi Fi Princess: I was in NYC for 4 years. I defiantly think it made me a stronger person in business and my personality as a whole. I can get going when the going gets tough so to say. I worked for 2 records distribution companies and 2 record promotion companies where I learned a lot about getting your music out there and how to do it properly. I’m really glad I had the chance to live in NYC but I miss it for sure sometimes.

Miss Innocent: Do you have any current projects that you are working on now?

Hi Fi Princess: I am working on my next down-tempo album, and working with different artists doing producing and engineering. I have a project with I do regularly with Miss Innocent that is going very well. We have finished quite a few tracks, and I really like the way they have turned out. I just finished doing a track with Virgin Helena from Croatia as well. In the next months I will do a re-mix for Hydrailix Records with Slobodan. My last track “Disastermind” which I did in Frankfurt with Alex Sword and John Chevalier was just released on Highball Music, and it was also signed to the Love Parade 2004 Compilation. For more info go to : www.highball-music.de

Miss Innocent: You have just released a new down tempo cd, can you tell us some more about this project and what it means to you?

Hi Fi Princess: Yes, it is called “Foreign Communication” It was a real challenge doing a different sort if music which was great for me. I also love to sing, so this was the perfect kind of music to fit. We released it on our own label called EBL Music. It’s a very special album from me.

Miss Innocent: Where can you buy this cd or find out more information about it?

Hi Fi Princess: You can order it and find more info at www.ebl.cc.

Miss Innocent: Do you plan to deejay down tempo music? Or are you just going to stick with techno?

Hi Fi Princess: I will always play all sorts of music. When I have a chance to play down-tempo or ambient stuff I always do.

Miss Innocent: Who are your favorite producers at this time?

Hi Fi Princess: Kobbe, John Selway, Vitalic.

Miss Innocent: What are your future plans?

Hi Fi Princess: Music, music, and more music…Just keep working hard!

Miss Innocent: What is your favorite food?

Hi Fi Princess: Sushi

Miss Innocent: What is your favorite color?

Hi Fi Princess: Leprechaun green!

Miss Innocent: How would you describe your current sound?

Hi Fi Princess: It is a mix of techno with psychedelic influence. Sometimes hard if I’m in that mood, and always filled with warm synths, and lots of percussion.

Miss Innocent: What are some of your favorite labels?

Hi Fi Princess: Traction, Goathead, Weave Music, Work Hard, Play Hard.

Miss Innocent: You have recently started using Final Scratch in your DJ sets. How do you find using Final Scratch in your sets? Do you find this a useful tool?

Hi Fi Princess: It’s great, and very useful. You can produce something in the studio and play it immediately. It’s also great to find strange music on CD and be able to play it on vinyl.

Miss Innocent: Do you have a favorite DJ?

Hi Fi Princess: I really admire Adam Beyer. I think he is a great DJ, and has a very unique sound.

Miss Innocent: What are your current top 5 records?

Hi Fi Princess:
1. Jeff Mills / white vinyl / black label (unknown)
2 .Kobbe/ USA Aggression / Traction
3. The Semblance Factor / Hotwire / Weave Music
4. Genie / Toxic / Convolute
5. Basic implant / Revenge Of The 202 / Toneman

Miss Innocent: Do you listen to other types of music?

Hi Fi Princess: I love jazz, and listen to a lot of chill out music. I also like electro stuff like Buffalo Daughter, Peaches, Chicks on Speed...

Miss Innocent: Is DJing and producing your full time job? Or do you have a day job?

Hi Fi Princess: Yes, I also do the label EBL music, and own Futuretech Artists, a DJ booking agency.

Miss Innocent: Is there any deejay that you would like to play with at some point?

Hi Fi Princess: I would have to say Adam Beyer, as he is my favorite!

Miss Innocent: You have played in many places all over the world. Is there one place/city that stands out the most to you?

Hi Fi Princess: Definitely Tokyo. It was so crazy there.

Miss Innocent: What are some of your favorite places to play?

Hi Fi Princess: I love playing in Austria, at Suncity. It’s in a place called Dom im Berg, which is a club in the mountain in the middle of the city. I also like Slovakia, and the Eastern European countries a lot too because the people are always so up for it!

Miss Innocent: How long have you been producing for? Did you think you were going to start producing music when you first started DJing?

Hi Fi Princess: I have been producing since 1999. I wish I had of started earlier, but I didn’t start building up a studio until then. It is quite costly to get all the gear you want. I like to use gear, not just work with software, so it took a while to get the studio together.

Miss Innocent: What is your studio set up like?

Hi Fi Princess: I have a Sony Vaio and a Mac G3, both are laptops. The heart of my studio is my Kurzweil K2500. I have a mackie 16 channel mixing desk, 2 event 20/20 monitors, and run Cubase with a midi man audio/midi interface. I want to switch to Pro Tools though, as it is my favorite sequencer I have worked on. A friend I work with has it, and I love it!

Miss Innocent: Do you prefer producing on your own? Or do you like collaborations better?

Hi Fi Princess: They are both really different, I enjoy both. What I really like about collaborating is that you have someone there to keep you in line. I can go off when I am working alone on one sound forever. When you work with someone you have another opinion, and it keeps you moving forward. I tend to get tracks done faster when I work with someone else.

Miss Innocent: Is there a pop music producer or artist that you would like to work with someday?

Hi Fi Princess: Bjork , Jon Selway, Adam Beyer and David Bowie!

Miss Innocent: When you are not producing or DJing, what do you like to do with your time?

Hi Fi Princess: I love to cook. I always make big dinners, and sushi for my friends. When I can I like to paint, graphics stuff and rock climb. I will go again for a week to Croatia this summer as I find they have great sports climbing there. I am usually always working on something to do with music though, so I don’t have so much free time. That’s ok though, because I really love what I do.

For more info about Hifi Princess and her current projects you can check out: www.hifiprincess.com, www.ebl.cc, www.futuretechartists.com