No Slacking off for DJ headed to Daisies

THE first time I became aware of the name “Janette Slack” (

was through a hi-tempo remix of Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off. The DJ laughs when I tell her this. “Oh,” she says, “you heard that thing? Oh, gosh. That was removed from Soundcloud so I’m glad you heard it.

“I love drum ‘n’ bass, trap and stuff like that. I always play a very edgy set and sometimes, I get girls coming up to me saying: ‘Do you have Shake it Off by Taylor Swift?’ I’d think, ‘oh gosh, I can’t play that!’ But as a performer, you want to make people happy.

“I thought about how I could make a good compromise of things. I looked into it and saw it was kind of like a drum ‘n’ bass and dubstep tempo and just gave it a go.

“So I was like: it’s not that bad! I just stuck her vocal on my track and thought, ‘this goes okay’. Even when I mute her vocal, it’s still good. Boys were going: ‘This is a good compromise for me and my girlfriend’,” she laughs.

Born in Hong Kong, Slack made a name for herself in London before she moved back to her home country three years ago. While there, she has continued to produce original tracks, run her own record label, Slack Trax, and still churn out remixes. She’s constantly travelling to play gigs in swanky settings and if her Instagram posts are anything to go by, she always has a glam squad on deck.

above) pictured

So with her seemingly busy schedule, I ask what keeps her making remixes? Especially if people already know her brand. “I can accept that there are a lot of people who have never heard of me,” she explains.

“People find it easier to go: ‘I like this remix by so-and-so, what else have they got?’ It’s an easy way to try and draw some attention to my original work as well. It’s a good gateway to find other artists.”

Like Slack, some of those artists will be playing at Superbalist is Rocking the Daisies next month.

“I am really looking forward to my debut at Superbalist is Rocking the Daisies,” Slack says.

“It’s my first time coming to South Africa. I have so many of my London friends who moved back to South Africa years ago and they go to Daisies every year so I’ve been hearing so much about it. When they confirmed me, I was over the moon.”

Slack is especially excited to catch South Africa’s Mix n Blend at Daisies. “I’m a big fan of Mix n Blend and heard they’ll be playing at Daisies too,” she says. “We come from a similar breakbeat background. I play a mishmash of stuff now, though. I want to come to South Africa to educate myself more about artists based there.”

Catch Janette Slack on the Nu World Beat Club stage at Superbalist is Rocking the Daisies, October 6 to 9.