Claire Schlissel and Jen Mozenter are young, crazy, and want to rule the world. It helps that these two ladies, known to the dance music community as The Jane Doze, happen to be practically made of energy in case you haven’t been paying attention to their trajectory. Starting off as worker bees in the hustle and bustle of the music industry, the duo quickly found a calling as DJs and producers after discovering a shared love of EDM. Fast forward to 2015, they’ve crushed the remix game time and time again delivering high-octane, *wink-wink* edits that’ve consistently made them a major draw in both the dance music blogosphere and the club circuit.
Following their recent stream of quality singles, I took a moment to chat with the duo about their past, their future, the state of dance music, and whether 90’s Britney is better than 2000’s Britney.
First off, I would like to begin the interview by saying thank you for taking the time to speak with us and, also, I’m a huge fan of your work and have been since the start. So, congratulations on your success. Super happy to see that you two are getting your dues. My first question is this: who are the Jane Doze and, if you could create a custom emoji to describe yourself, what would it be?
We are a DJ/production duo from NYC. We do have an emoji! It’s this: }:) (ANTLERS UP).
There’s been multiple interviews detailing your past i.e. how you met at a show in New York and how you each left jobs in the music industry to pursue careers in dance music. I have yet to see an interview, however, where you were asked about what your 5 year old self would think if they knew this is where you’d be. What would 5 year old Claire and Jen say if they knew this was their future? Do you think they’d be stoked?Â
Claire: If you had asked me at age 5 where I’d be 20 years later, I probably would have said married with kids and working as a paleontologist. Suffice to say, I never saw this coming. It wasn’t until midway through college that I even considered music as a career path.
Jen: I started playing instruments at an early age, so I think even at 5 years old I would have told you that I wanted to do something that involved music.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/209695104″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
In 2011, you two started out making mash-ups and now you’re working on original productions. As far as your music taste goes, it’s pretty eclectic having stretched from trap to deep house and everything in between. Since you started, has your taste influenced the way you produce? Or would you say it’s the other way around? Because you seem to fall into a broad spectrum.Â
We started out in more of the hip-hop/pop space, but soon after we started DJing, our production style changed. We wanted to make things that we could play in our sets which were becoming increasingly more electronic. We started seeing what people react to at a live show and that heavily influenced how we approached production.Â
And you guys also seem to have discovered this signature, tongue-in-cheek self – awareness when it comes to your music. Is that a byproduct of having experienced the music industry as insiders?Â
Yes, we think so. Maybe we’re jaded because we spent so many years on the other side. It’s almost like we know too much – we’ve see labels manufacture bands. We know what takes place on the back end. We try not to take ourselves too seriously because even though this is our life, it’s fun.Â
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/119816356″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
When it comes to traveling to gigs, what do you find is the secret ingredient to making your life easier? Red Bull? Neck pillows? Harry Potter toothbrush?Â
Good question. Our biggest splurge is probably Ubers to the airport here in NYC instead of lugging suitcases on the subway. The best investment we ever made in travel was applying for Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check. It saves us so much time at airports and we don’t have to take our shoes off.Â
Sometimes when you’re heading from gig to gig, the only meals you get around to having are late night eats. What are the most memorable late night eats you’ve had in recent memory after a show?Â
Oh man. Every now and then we go hard in the room service game. Most recently we were in Anaheim for VidCon: we finished our set around midnight, and nothing was open, so we ordered almost everything the hotel had in their kitchen. When we’re in NYC, and need to eat after a gig, we always go to Bubby’s in Tribeca. Best 24 hour food in the city.
So, as a DJ myself, I’ve come to find that I’m constantly chasing some kind of  feeling during a set. When you two play a set, are you searching for something? And if so, what are you guys trying to chase? Find? Elicit?Â
The connection with a crowd: that moment early in a set when the audience sort of surrenders to you and decides they’re going to let you take them on a journey.Â
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/218762104″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
This question is going to be a little more political. You’ve said before that EDM can be “a boys club†which is a sentiment I think many of us agree with. I would also say, however, that EDM has also become a bit of a “white, heterosexual, middle class club†as it became more popularized in mainstream culture. Do you think it’s important to preserve the cultural roots of dance music and, if so, what’s your take on what we can do to preserve the history?Â
This is true. And absolutely. It’s sort of two-fold. One: Dance music needs greater diversity. A lot of this responsibility falls on the people who book festivals, who A&R records at dance labels, etc. Two: Part of preserving history is repurposing the old and making it new; what we love about a lot of tech and deep house are the references to the ‘Chicago House’ scene of the 80’s. More of this please!
Change of topic. These are going to be a series of rapid fire questions. Go with your gut instinct. First rapid fire question: fries or tots?Â
Both. Sorry, too close to call.
DJ set at MTV Spring Break or in Ibiza?Â
MTV Spring Break.
Halloween or Christmas?
Halloween.
90’s Britney or 2000’s Britney?
90’s Britney. HANDS DOWN. NOT EVEN A FAIR QUESTION.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/121229715″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Throwback hip-hop or throwback pop/rock?Â
Pop.
Being young in America can be tricky. I feel like it can be hard for some to take the leap of faith, like you guys did, because we’re raised in a culture that tells us to follow our dreams, but to also follow the formula of going to school, getting a job, etc. in order to live a happier life. What advice do you have for the kids out there who struggle to tackle the fear of failure in order to be who we want to be?Â
We always encourage people to pursue their dreams. We understand, often times, that is easier said than done, but if you have the resources, there is no reason not to go after what you’ve always wanted to do. What’s the worst that can happen? Better to try and fail than regret never trying.
Since you’ve been teasing glimpses of original work with the releases of “Give You Up†and “Lights Go Down,†does that mean we can expect an EP or full-length in the near future? And as far as that goes, do you have any artists or producers on a bucket list that you’d kill to work with?Â
We’ll probably continue releasing singles. There are a bunch of producers and artists we would love to work with: Robyn, Alison Wonderland, Anna Lunoe, Gorgon City to name a few.
So can we expect to see you in D.C. again soon? These jumbo pizza slices aren’t gonna eat themselves.Â
We love DC. Hope to get back soon.Â
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/213658012″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]