Ana Matronic and Bright Light Bright Light interview each other – and it gets gloriously chaotic (EXCLUSIVE)

Bright Light Bright Light and Ana Matronic don’t just share a catalogue of collaborations – they share a dancefloor history built on queer nightlife, creative kinship and the kind of pop euphoria that only comes from years in community with each other.

As new remixes of ‘Cold Sweat, Hot Boys’ arrive today (13 February), Rod Thomas is also stepping into a celebratory new era with the forthcoming Duets EP, released March 6, and the UK tour Not Like All the Other Boys, which begins March 12.

Rather than a traditional interview, the longtime friends flip the format and quiz each other directly, swapping stories about legendary parties, creative insecurity, cult cinema and the songs that soundtrack their lives on and off the dancefloor. The result is a conversation that feels less like press and more like peeking into an ongoing text thread – funny, nostalgic and deeply rooted in queer culture.

Below, Ana grills Rod, Rod grills Ana, and together they map out the joy, chaos and catharsis that keep them returning to each other time and time again.

Rod interviews Ana

Rod: You’ve played so many legendary dancefloors – what makes the perfect party for you, or what sticks out in your mind the most long after the party is over?

It’s never about location but about sound quality and synergy with the crowd that makes a perfect party. When you’re playing music that sounds good that people love and that love is being reflected back at you, that’s the feeling that keeps me going and keeps me coming back for more.

‘Cold Sweat, Hot Boys’ was written after one of your DJ sets. Of all the people you’ve seen DJ over the years, which DJ set would you write a song about because it was that good?

Well I have written a song about a party – the intro to Let’s Have a Kiki was directly inspired by the party Spank thrown by Sean B and Will Automagic of Carrie Nation. It was pouring rain and I couldn’t get a cab so I took the train in full drag to show up just as the cops had shut the party down. I managed to blag my way in by telling them that I’m part of the crew putting on the party (not a lie), and I’m there to help break down the lighting (not entirely untrue, my husband Seth was doing the lights), and the sooner they let me in the sooner I can shut it all down (also not untrue). The cop let me through and the party went on – at a volume the neighbors wouldn’t complain about.

What is it about queer dancefloors – everything from Homobloc to your Fire Island parties ‘Queerdo’ – that makes them feel like home in a way nothing else quite does?

Puts on Aunt Ida voice: “Because queers are just better!” Just kidding (but also not?). It’s many things: the history, the community, the fabulousness, the sense of fulfillment and freedom, the top-shelf shape-throwing. Queer dance floors are spaces for community, creativity, transformation and catharsis, and nobody needs it more or puts more meaning into it. I love being part of that lineage, and reminding folks they’re part of it too.

I love collaborations. We’ve done many together, and you’ve done some incredible collaborations over the years: what’s the most rewarding thing about collaborations or creative relationships for you?

Getting to hang with people you admire and to get inside their process. Every collaboration is a chance to know yourself creatively a bit better, to have yourself reflected back in others, and add to your own process.

We share music we love with each other ALL the time, but for anyone reading who doesn’t see our text chain or vinyl exchanges, can you pick three songs that you love hearing on a dancefloor that you’d love to share with them?

Keep Pushin On by Boris Dluglosch ft Inaya Daye, This Corrosion by Sisters of Mercy and You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else by The Jones Girls.

Ana interviews Rod

CS/HB was written after a night on the dance floor, tell me about the genesis of the song – did it come to you right away or was it a morning after kinda thing?

It was a mixture of the two – as I was walking home, the hook of “cold sweat hot boys!” was in my head but it was initially “cold sweat wet noise” for the party … the next day I was still so happy from the night I started playing with some drum samples and basslines trying to hold onto the energy of the night and I remembered that little hook I was thinking of walking home and it kind of wrote itself.

You’ve been Bright Light Bright Light for 15 years. What advice would you give that version of yourself that is just starting out?

Oh my God … that having industry buzz and having labels want to sign you is the polar opposite of what is important. I started out as Bright Light Bright Light in London when almost all my electronic pop making friends got signed for 6 figure deals and I’d go out with them feeling like the runt of the gang. I knew so many people working at labels and none of them saw me as a contender so I felt so worthless for a long time. I wish I’d been able to shake off that feeling and (no pun intended) enjoy youth a bit more. So maybe: be yourself and enjoy those who come along for the ride.

Cinema is a huge touchstone for you – it’s in the name after all. You’ve composed songs to film montages (hello, Mannequin), if you could do a soundtrack what would be your dream project? What genre? Who would direct?

I did get to do the score for a documentary film – ‘All Man: The International Male Story’ – which was an amazing experience, and challenge. But for a film vs documentary film … Ideally it would be a Mario Bava or David Lynch but seeing as that’s not possible … it would be a horror film but one that has humour / camp like ‘Ready Or Not’ or ‘Knife+Heart’. I’d love to score Harry Lighton’s next film. I was on a jury at Iris Prize when he had a short film in 2016 – his work is amazing. I f***ing loved the M3GAN films and scores, so I’m interested in what Gerard Johnstone does next.

It can be difficult in these times to find joy and euphoria – a subject your music touches a lot. How do you cultivate joy these days? How has that changed from when you first started going out?

Well I spend a lot of my time with my cat! I used to go out almost every night and these days my sources of joy are a lot more intentional – dinner or drinks with great friends and great music like with you, or parties / events in the city that care about who’s there – performing and attending. Or even on the flipside something utterly stupid and FUN. And I LOVE a daytime party. I love that I get to create community every Saturday at my Romy & Michele tea dance at Club Cumming. I find that immensely rewarding.

OK, dish about music. What’s one song that you love that nobody else seems to like? And what’s a song that you dislike that everybody else seems to love?

Ha! OK … it’s objectively trash but ‘Streets To Blame’ by Keith Emerson from the film ‘Murderock’ gives me immense joy even though it’s NOT good. And my least favourite song in the entire world is ‘Come On Eileen’. I’ve left cafes mid drink when it’s come on. It fills me with such rage. I can’t be in the same space as it.

Not Like All The Other Boys tickets are available from www.brightlightx2.com/live.