TranZfusion's Welcome 2003 Special - Sister Bliss

Well boys and girls, before anyone of you can say 'ohhhmeegoditssashavanoakentong' the end of the year will be here; so colour yourselves overly excited and get ready to party. As a small gesture, to help awaken those party spirits, TranZfusion, over the next couple of weeks, will be bringing you interviews with some of the finest big names in DJing, all of whom will be performing at this years 'Welcome 2003.'

First up and following on from her brilliant set at last years Summerdayze, we have the sensational Sister Bliss, who gives TranZfusion the lowdown on her hectic schedule, being one part of Faithless and the horrors of DJing in zero gravity.

It's been a big year for Sister Bliss, bigger in fact than that rock on JLo's finger. 'This year has seen me complete a European tour with Faithless where we played all the main stages of the summer festivals, we have also released the Outrospective remix album titled 'Reperspective'. On a non Faithless note I have contributed a cover version of 'Dub Be Good to Me' with Dido for the One Love LP for Warchild and I have also done a lot of djing around Europe, as well as a South American DJ tour last week.'

Sister Bliss's induction into music began at age five, when she learnt to play the piano, violin, saxophone, and bass; today Sister Bliss is one of electronica's most respected artists. Her rise to djing fame began in 1987, playing the UK gay club circuit, which eventuated in a crossing over into the UK's most notable clubs. Sister Bliss can't deny that the inclusiveness that comes with gay club culture may have helped her to overcome the issues that do arise with being a female DJ. The bottom line to her success though is as simple as 'I'm not a shit DJ. I can really play a great set wherever I go. I think maybe I've had to work harder than the average guy, I'm not sure, but all I can say is that I think I've been really, really lucky.'

Once the djing had moved into full swing Sister Bliss started to produce her own work; with the tracks 'Sister Sister' 'Life's A Bitch' and 'Deliver Me' enjoying notable success both on the danceflooor and the charts. Her partnership with Rollo also led to legendary remixes including Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' and Olive's 'You're Not Alone.'

Sister Bliss and Rollo of course formed Faithless who were shortly after joined by Jamie Catto and Maxi Jazz. Faithless were catapulted into stardom after the release of the album 'Reverence' which was an underground sensation, but it was that single 'God Is a DJ' that not only became one of the biggest club anthems of the decade but also launched Faithless into the mainstream, and as countless tours continue to be carried out and new albums released (Back to Mine and most recently Outrespective), Sister Bliss has somehow managed to pursue a fulfilling solo career. Surely though, trying to pursue a solo career when part of such a high profile group can't always be easy which leads me to ask Sister Bliss what the advantages and disadvantages are of belonging to Faithless when trying to do it on your own. 'The disadvantages are that when we're touring the djing has to take a back seat and the music making has to stop too, there's just not enough time on the road to get creative and I really miss that studio process. Advantages are that it helps my DJ career, that Faithless have sold records all over the world helps promoters in places where the band may not have been but still have a presence through the records.'

Going solo has lead to some rather interesting moments for Sister Bliss, in June 2001 she was to become the first DJ to play under zero gravity conditions. The event was to take place in a genuine Russian Ilyushin 76 jet at Moscow's Star City; the only space centre in the world to allow the public to experience zero gravity. For Sister Bliss though the pitching upward at a 45-degree angle and then flying downwards as the pilot applied just enough thrust to overcome air resistance so on Tags