What's hotter than seeing two pretty girls on the decks wearing their heels and bringing out banging, bumping-filled music?"
Hmm, DJ-wise? I'd say not much. Not much I can think of offhand, anyway. Then again, when DJ Heather Holiday asks me the question, I get a bit flummoxed. Not because she's a knockout (though there is that), but because I'm supposed to be the one doing the interview, not her.
But that's kind of the way Pumps Crew operates: It takes the tried-and-true ways we do things and gives 'em a whole new spin. Of course, them being two hot chicks in what's mostly a cold man's world means they kind of have to spin things differently. As does the fact that nowadays, DJs seem to be about a dime a dozen. These gals act as if they enjoy the challenge, though, and if the hangdog looks on the competition's faces is any indication, they're also enjoying more than some success.
Pumps Crew is Heather Holiday and the simply named Vida. As a duo, they claim the name is "heavily weighed on the feminine aspect (pumps/heels), but also has to do with the music [they] play, which is backed up by banging, heavy bass."
"It's [also] the context we want to portray with our music," Holiday further explains. "The name also comes from life, for example, the pumpin' heart."
The duo has been mad at it for two years, and in that time, they've decked halls as diverse as Lincoln Road's Art Center during Art Basel and Trophy Bar in New York City. Along the way, there have been stints at mainland mainstays such as PS14 and the now-defunct Circa 28, as well as other Big Bad Apple hot spots such as Happy Endings and Annex.
The pair says "it all started [with their] parties." Vida had a party in NYC called Pumps, and Heather started one here in the MIA, and both would back-and-forth between each other's action. Funnily enough, Vida is Miami Beach-born and Heather is from up in Queens, so each held forth on the other's home court. Nevertheless once the two "realized [they] had something good" going on, the rest came easily.
And wildly. Pumps Crew calls its amalgam "electro-booty funk." It roots in everything from Tina Turner to the Stones, and counts among its current selections the likes of Mehdi, Cobra Krames, Telephon, and Goldfrapp (whom Heather says she'll "always throw down"). Actually it was DJ Mehdi who first got Holiday on the tables, and he remains a pivotal influence to this day.
Separately the two continue to maintain singular positions — Vida in New York and Holiday right here at joints all over town. But as good as each girl is on her own, it's together when the heads really start spinning. And this Saturday, as part of a lineup that includes the inimitable Lady Kier, Pumps Crew will be at the News Lounge up close and in person. Don't miss it.
Pumps Crew's current top five:
1. "What Is Love," Deee-lite
2. "I Need You Tonight," Pumpkin Machine
3. "Shake It to the Ground," Blaqstarr
4. "I'm Telling You," Hercules & Love Affair
5. "Fuckinham Palace (Modeselektor Remix)," Alter Ego
