The NY electronic music scene has an underrepresented wealth of female creatives, artists, DJs, promoters etc that no one knows are doing dope shit. Meet A.Pop: Miami born NY residing who has been instrumental in creating parties like RINSED, she has been affecting the electronic music experience in the best possible way by transforming spaces through her art installations.
Tell us about A.Pop. Where did the name come from?
A.Pop has been a nickname of mine since high school. It comes from the scene in Big Daddy when Rob Schneider tries to sound out the word ‘hippopotamus’: A.pop.a.popononymous. Since absolutely no one knew how to pronounce my last name [Popescu] correctly.
What kinds of things do you create?
Since my time at Pratt I’ve always been very interested in creating spaces for people to experience. Conjuring emotions, tapping into nostalgia, and thus the individuals perception of the piece has always been a part of my work. For RINSED I’ve been able to try things out in a setting I think I was meant for, a crazy party. I’m able to create an entire event around the themes I’m thinking about and test it out for such a wide range audience. The reactions are always very interesting.
How did you become a part of RINSED?
The three of us met while working at MeanRed Productions back in 2010. The guys wanted to throw a party that was cheap, debaucherous, and fun. They threw one in the public assembly loft, then I came in and flexed my fresh out of art school muscles. From then on every party became conceptual and strange and usually very interactive. Once I actually made it rain with the click of a button near the DJ booth. Let’s just say the PA staff was not impressed.
What was your intro into the electronic music scene?
I grew up in Miami where freestyle and Miami base are instilled in you from, well, birth. In the late 90s/early 2000s we had the dope radio station Party 93.1 which played only really awesome dance music and would advert all the likeminded parties including my underage rave haven Club Exit. D&B, Jungle, and early Trance/Happy Hardcore were heavy there at the time and I loved every minute. Also, Ultra Music Festival was a much smaller event where neon/glowcandy/furryboots were few and far in between and those that did rock the gear were among the people that actually STARTED that shit. Respect. Haha.
What do you love about it?
I’ve only really been part of this scene for a few years now, but even in that time we can all agree there’s been such a huge shift. The closing of Submercer, the migration to Brooklyn with all the new mega clubs, the ever expanding warehouse and after hours scene. It’s definitely all focusing everyone’s attention more to dance music which is great, and it’s pretty nice that any night of the week you can pick and choose any vibe you’re feeling. Right now in New York I really love the smaller niches like Bossa Nova Civic Club where the appreciation and above all knowledge for dance music just thrives with such a sense of community. It’s amazing.
5 fave DJs:
Danny Krivit / DJ Harvey / MAW / Frankie Knuckles / Kai Alce
What’s next for Rinsed/A.Pop?
Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival is going to be huge. The space we’ve been given to work with is a dream space for me in terms of design. I’m really looking forward to transforming it. I’ve got a few things up my sleeve for my own artistic endeavors and always collaborating within the community of artists and producers. I think the future is looking bright for all of us die hards.
