homo elektrik





	school of loving


	The May homoelektrik session at Conne Island (Leipzig) supports the DJa workshops for girls as presented by Propellas (www.propellas.de) during the Leipziger Mädchentage (= "Leipzig girls days") this June. The following interview with two homo elektriks took place during an internal debate about the Conne Island as a venue and represents the individual views of the interviewees.

	You are trying to combine minimal electronic dance styles with gender topics in a party setting. Does it work?
	Falk: We have been doing this for almost 2 years once a month. The fact that homo elektrik is still around is already a success. We attract two target groups that have to get along with each other. It works, but there is still a need for explanations in both directions. Stefan: there's still not enough women, tough.
	What do you think is the reason for this?
	Falk: one reason might be that we are perceived as a "gay party", which is actually not the case. Others say that our musical profile is not compatible with the tastes of lesbian women. But I think that's nonsense. Stefan: on the other hand there's also women who appreciate homo elektrik as a place where they are not constantly confronted with lusty guys or everyday sexism for that matter... which doesn't imply that heterosexuals are not allowed to snog at our parties.
	isn't that basically a makeover of gay/lesbian nightlife clichees, a mere improvement in terms?
	Stefan: it's not about running a politically correct gay-night (a local gay party) or going back to oldschool subculture. Falk: the label "homo elektrik" is ironic, obviously. And people understand that. Queerness doesn't end with providing darkrooms for women. Yes, you can question the state of things at a party!
	...while critically reflecting your own social relations?
	Falk: Of course not. Doing that is important, but never enough. Stefan: we once did a party where we tried to observe the cash flow at the entry and the bar with photos and video. The audience was encouraged to take part in this. Putting such an issue into the context of a party worked quite well. Falk: you don't remove surveillance that way, but people come to realise what the places they define as their own mean to them.
	what exactly is your may benefiz for the propellas group about?
	Stefan: we believe it's not okay that women which would dj at our parties always have to be brought in from berlin or elsewhere, while there's five boys trying to have a go at one of our parties each month. We would like to see more women play music at our parties. But it always proves quite a strain to make it happen, since it's hard to find female djs, especially for our sounds of choice. Propellas have made the situation of women on the scene their issue, and they are trying to give support to girls and women to make a change.
	what is exactly going to happen?
	Falk: Propellas are involved in two upcoming projects: first up they are organising workshops during the leipziger mädchentage. There's debates about gender roles in music and the media, dja workshops etc. which hope to raise the chances for girls in a male-dominated music business. Working gender specific is a feminist concept which does not conform to contemporary gender-mainstreaming ideas. We support these projects and the networking of propellas. Stefan: there's also the Ladyfest coming up this summer at the conne island. We are looking forward to that and are also going to support it: kick it like grrrls!
	what will your support be?
	Stefan: first of all we hope that lots of people will come and will learn about what propellas is and what they are about. Falk: we also want to set an example, to prove that gender and queer events are possible and working at the conne island. The rosa-sterne party (="pink stars", a group of queer supporters of local leftist football team roter stern leipzig [="red star leipzig"]) was a beginning and maybe there will be more coming up after the ladyfest. At least we hope so.
	why is the next homo elektrik called "sturm und drang" (impossible to translate, literaly means something like "storm and longing" and is actually a term for a literary period during german romanticism) anyway??
	Stefan: we want to be taken seriously but we also want to be taken not so seriously all the time. Falk: Homo elektrik is SEX. Homo elektrik is a school of loving. You definitely have to understand "sturm und drang" in a sexual sense in this context..


	interview took place at 04/09/03 and was done by bronco. It was published in the Conne Island Newsflyer #99
	CEE IEH #99 [mai 2003]