08: Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson on Dweller and making actual change

Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson has had a monumental impact on the
last decade of dance music, first by disrupting a male-dominated
industry through the agency Discwoman, and then by creating a
new, dedicated zone for Black artists with Dweller, an annual
festival that takes place across various venues in New York each
February.


And all without ever lowering herself to the status of a DJ.


With the peak of Discwoman press hype now a distant pre-pandemic
memory, we thought it’d be a perfect time for a No Tags interview
with Frankie. We’re not really in this game to speak to amoebic
newcomers about their career hopes – you’ll find plenty of
that in what remains of the music press. Instead we wanted to
talk to Frankie as a seasoned veteran of rave, and as someone
who’s both seen and enacted immense change in the scene, even
helping overturn NYC's racist "cabaret law".


Ahead of next week’s Dweller festival, we talked to Frankie about
the need for Dweller and the unique family atmosphere at their
parties, as well as the underground films the platform has
curated for a season on The Criterion Channel. We also discuss
why Dweller recently cancelled a showcase of Black artists at
Berghain, the state of NYC nightlife, and how raving brought a
shy, scared teenager out of her shell.


Plus: her favourite films about white men in crisis. Enjoy!


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