Anastasia aka Small Crab is a Dublin based producer/DJ and one of the founding members of Skin & Blister, a platform dedicated to nurturing and encouraging female-identifying, trans and non-binary creatives in the realm of music and the arts.
She’s graced us with a wicked percussive mix for the 26th instalment of Hue & Sat’s mix series!
First of all, can you tell us a little bit about the energy behind this mix? Any artists or tracks you would like to give a shout-out to in particular?
It's definitely a vibrant mix of heavier tracks and some ghettotech but more so it's what I want to hear on the dancefloor when we are back out again. I think we are all in the same boat dying to go out and dance, it’s been way too long at this point!
Big shout out to speed gonzales, big9 is such a killer track! Point Noise Behaviour by Lurka is another track that I can't stop listening to and of course Make that Bounce by Justin Jay.
Can you tell us a little bit about your role in Skin & Blister, and how it came to be?
Skin&Blister is a collective based here in Dublin that aims to empower and nurture female-identifying, trans and non-binary creatives in the realms of music and the arts. It's five of us running it together: Ema, Megan, Gina, Eva and myself.
We all take turns in sharing roles. One person might be in charge of recording a podcast, someone else will be reaching out to people to organize a live stream or an interview and whoever has time will be in charge of social media that day.
But when it comes to the graphic design side of things we let Gina and Eva run the show, they are really good at it!
Skin&Blister was initiated by EMA, who is an incredible DJ and Woozy Label Head based here in Dublin. Initially, Emma simply brought a few of her mates together that had a similar outlook on where things were at when it comes to diversity in the music and arts scene here in Dublin.
Who/what have you found yourself listening to in lock-down?
Lockdown for me has definitely been marked by listening to a lot of mixes on Soundcloud and it's been my favorite thing to do!
I feel like it made me discover so many new DJs and tracks that I have been loving and it's been such a great way of diversifying the days that were slowly merging into one.
“I would say that my sound is centered around percussion. Having been a drummer for many years it’s the rhythmic side of things that makes the most sense to me.”
You released your banging debut EP Nail Lacquer earlier this year on La Bonne Musique. Is there anything else in the works we can look forward to hearing in the not too distant future? And how would you describe your sound/where do you feel it is gravitating to?
There actually isn't anything in the pipeline at the moment! I am currently trying to focus on improving my music production skills, experimenting with different drum machines, and getting more comfortable in the sound that I want to be creating.
I guess I am trying to take some time to mature as a producer and become more confident in my music.
I would say that my sound is centered around percussion. Having been a drummer for many years it's the rhythmic side of things that makes the most sense to me. The songs are heading in the direction of heavier bass lines and faster BPMs.
Are there any artists or other collectives in the Dublin scene (other than S&B Club ofc) that everyone should know about?
Yes definitely! There are so many brilliant collectives around Dublin/Ireland. Gash Collective, Strawberries, and Club Comfort are just a few who have really shone a light on how inclusivity in music and arts should be and can be. Check them out!
How did the name “Small Crab” come about? :)
It's a funny story...Anyone close to me knows that I am secretly the biggest Mall Grab fan you can find out there. And since my star sign is cancer, my sister started calling me Small Crab (which rimes with Mall Grab) as a joke. Hahaha, now the secret is revealed!
Follow Small Crab and her future works here and Skin&Blister here!