Today we get the chance to hear from Andi Harriman, a kindred goth spirit, and fellow morning person. Andi is a DJ, producer, music journalist, and the boss of the party / label, SYNTHICIDE, which promotes live and DJ events all over NYC. She is also an author of a book on goth and post-punk sub-culture and an avid long time record collector.

In her free time, Andi's two addictions are record shopping and coffee. "I also love going to see schlocky / seedy 80s and 90s films at movie theaters, and immersing myself into anything 1980s-adjacent, such as concerts, lectures, or museum exhibitions. Luckily I live in NYC, so there's never a lack of things to do."

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

My obsession and complete dedication to specific types of music led me to where I am now. I had no idea how or what I was going to do, but I knew it had to be music related: as a girl from a small town in the Appalachian Mountains, it was all about dreaming big and being persistent. After I wrote my book, "Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace," on the goth and post-punk sub-culture, I thought I would primarily be a music journalist—until I began DJing.

DJing gave me a whole new dimension to my obsession—both digging and collecting records—and I became determined to learn how to beat match vinyl. So I practiced... a lot, for years. The fact there's not many women vinyl DJs motivated me to learn, and the dedication to the craft (the skill required, the money put into it for records) was proof to naysayers that I was serious. I also love the excitement a vinyl set brings—at any moment, everything could fall off the rails.

And finally, I started my party, SYNTHICIDE, because I felt there was a missing link between club genres and, as the party grew, I started the label to give a platform to friends and colleagues I thought deserved more chances in the spotlight.

What is a day in the life like?

The best and most chaotic part of my life is that there is no "day in the life." Generally, if I'm not traveling for a gig, I'll peruse Discogs with my coffee in the morning. I'll check emails and do promo for any DJ gigs or SYNTHICIDE events.

I'm (tragically) a morning person, so if I didn't have a gig the night before, I'll wake up early and work on a lot of different things, such as music production, going digging at my favorite record stores, putting together DJ sets, or arranging bookings for SYNTHICIDE. I'm also starting research for my upcoming 33 1/3 book, "The Cure's Disintegration."

In your opinion what has been your favorite / the coolest thing you've worked on?

I think the number of heroes I've DJ'ed alongside has been a super rewarding element (Daniel Miller was kind of the pinch me moment) but the coolest thing I've worked on was the 10 year anniversary of SYNTHICIDE this past January that spanned three days and three venues with four different events total. It was an opportunity to give love to NYC—and thank all the clubs, colleagues, dancers and artists who have made my party into what it is today.

It was also amazing to DJ a vinyl set at the Museum of Modern Art last summer, I still can't believe that one happened. As someone with an MFA and BFA in art, it was a collision of my two worlds. Watch it here.

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

The crazed sleep schedule is a difficult aspect on the day-to-day. But also dealing with misogyny has been a constant through the years as a DJ and promoter, as well as trusting people who don't have the best intentions or are just looking for a way to exploit your resources and kindness.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you’re doing?

...Don't let rejection get you down, just keep pushing to find other avenues. 

Persistence. There's no real handbook to anything I've pursued — music journalism, DJing, or producing events — I've just learned along the way. Don't let rejection get you down, just keep pushing to find other avenues.

I also believe in collaborating because it can bring a new energy that you didn't expect. Relationships are important. Also: it doesn't hurt to ask!

Are you a vinyl collector yourself? What drew you to it?

Insanely so. I've always been a collector of music since my early teens (remember imported CDs?) but moved to vinyl in my early 20s when I started buying cheap 1980s LPs. Soon after, I began to collecting every Depeche Mode, Cure, and New Order 12" I could get my hands on and it became an obsession. Before the vinyl resurgence in the 2010s, it was so cheap to buy rare goth and post-punk records—I got an original copy of "Unknown Pleasures" for something like $40—and my collection grew pretty fast. I'm not an audiophile, but I am a visual person and love the artwork / physicality of a record more than any other format of music.

When I began learning to DJ vinyl, I would order "mystery packs" of 12" dance records from a pretty well known DJ in NYC. I told him what genre I was going for (always late 80s, early 90s techno, new beat, hard dance) and he would dig at record stores and pull about 10 records. I would buy them altogether, sight unseen. It was a good way to learn the ins and outs of beat matching, but, because of the limitations, it also taught me that b-sides, remixes, and dubs are just as important. Honestly, I prefer a good dub remix over a club mix any day.

What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you’re excited or worried about? i.e. innovation, or trends you’re seeing.

I'm kind of joking but Discogs finally fixed their website and created "Wantlister"—now I can make filters to easily look through my want list. In all seriousness, I think it's great to see so many people buying vinyl at second-hand record shops; it seems there's a big interest in the medium, I just wish there were more women in the vinyl DJ game.

Who has been influential to you and your growth as a professional in this industry? 

Venues such as Bossa Nova Civic Club, Saint Vitus (RIP), and Brooklyn Bazaar (RIP) were all vital to my growth as a DJ and promoter. In terms of DJing, I look up to Helena Hauff a hell of a lot, she's been DJing vinyl for a really long time without compromise.

Anything else you’d like to add; if not tell us what you're listening to: 

My favorite genre at the moment might be turn-of-the-90s hip house, I'm collecting a lot of that lately.