Pure DJs - Mrs Wood
Born in Doncaster, bred in Barnsley and moved to London in 1981.
1982 Ran Soft Cell’s fan club.
82/87 Worked at Some Bizarre Records with the artists: Marc Almond and Soft Cell, Diamanda Galas, Test Department, Psychic TV, Coil, Cabaret Voltaire, Einsturzende Neubauten, Foetus and others.
1984 Worked as Tour Manager for Test Department on their first US tour.
1987 Worked for The Blast first label with the artists: Butthole Surfers, Sonic Youth, Steve Albini, Big Black and others (doing their press, promotions and the general running of the label).
1989 Worked at Adrian Sherwood's label on “On-U-Sound”.
89/91 Worked at Rhythm King Records who had the artists S-Express, Bomb the Bass Beatmasters and Outer Rhythm, R&S, Warp etc.
1990 Start of DJ career.
1990 Played at FF (6 year residency)
1991 Started to be resident at Garage (Fridays at Heaven)
1992 Played at Skank in Aberdeen, a residency that lasted for many years……
1993 Compiled an album of her favourite tunes, called “Mrs Wood Teaches Techno” for React Music Ltd.
1994 Became a producer, producing the single: “The Awakening” / “Calamity Jane”.
1995 Produced the single “Whodunnit”.
1995 Produced the single “Joanna”.
1996 Produced the single “Heartbreak”- featuring Eve Gallagher.
1996 Produce the singles: “Shining Brightly” featuring Marc Almond on vocals and
"Bach One”, an album of modern interpretations of JS Bach's work for the EMI label.
1996 Produced the singles: “Ignition” and “Road Rage” as Madame Dubois.
1997 Compiled the album “Bitter and Twisted” with Blu Peter.
1997 Produced the record “Feel so good”.
1998 Produced the record “1234”.
1998 Produced the album “Woodwork”.
2000 Started a new project with trance DJ Dr Mu as Planets In Transit, released
first single "Kick 105"
2001 Saw the release of "Moon Trigger" the 2nd Planets In Transit single.
Jane is currently working in the studio on a collaboration with her
sometime partner Blu Peter. The project is called THE CLAP CLINIC,
and there are several releases planned for 2002
DISCOGRAPHY
SINGLES
1994 Awakening / Calamity Jane
1995 Whodunnit / Joanna
1996 Heartbreak
1996 Ignition
1996 Road Rage
1996 Shining Brightly
1996 Bach One
1997 Feel So Good
1998 1234
2000 "Kick 105" by Planets In Transit
2001 "Moon Trigger" by Planets In Transit
ALBUMS
1998 Woodwork
COMPILATIONS
1993 Mrs Wood Teaches Techno
1996 Bitter & Twisted ( a double CD release with Blu Peter )
Mrs. Wood
Otherwise known as Jane Rolink, Mrs Wood has established herself as one of the most highly acclaimed DJs around. She has toured throughout the world presenting her unique blend of quality house and techno.
One of the things that sets Jane apart from the rest, is that she is one of the few DJs (definately the only female !) that has an extensive working knowledge of the industrial/avant guarde music scene.
“My first job was at Some Bizzare Records, and what a start that was! I met Stevo, the man who owns label, one night at a Depeche Mode gig in 1981. We hit it off instantly, then later Imet Marc Almond who asked me to run the Soft Cell fan club, which is how it all started.
I ran their fan club for a year and then moved to being Stevo’s right hand woman and doing just about anything at Some Bizzare. I didn't plan to work in this business, it was an accidental thing, and my life is full of accidents.”
Jane spent a few years in the offices of Some Bizzare records doing A+R, Press and Promotions, working with the best and most creative bands of the time - Einsturzende Neubauten, Diamanda Galas, Test Dept, Psychic TV, Coil, Cabaret Voltaire, The The, Foetus, and of course Marc Almond and Soft Cell. With all that musical breeding she
had better be good!!
She tour managed the first ever U.S. tour of Test Department, playing dates in most major cities. They had to arrive in the city the day before the show, so they could spend a day
touring the local scrapyards, collecting the ‘instruments’ to play that night. When the show
was over they were dumped and it was on to the next city - what a great life.
Jane then moved on to the Blast First Label (Butthole Surfers, Sonic Youth, Steve Albini, Big Black etc.) doing press, promotions and general running of the label, before taking a year out - even then she did a short stint with Adrian Sherwood (On-U-Sound). When she finally decided to come back to the music business full-time, Rhythm King Records offered her a job. On their label were S’Express, Bomb the Bass, Beatmasters and the infamous Outer Rhythm sub-label which had signed amongst others Leftfield and R&S and Warp labels. This was 1990 - this was the start of Jane’s interest in dance music - techno at its best!!
She admits to not being around, “in the acid house days” and when FF opened she, “had no interest in clubs…I was in a completely different scene, in fact I really disliked dance music which is very ironic”
“I just carried on playing every Sunday at ff and got to really enjoy it. Another friend managed to get me one night at Garage in Heaven, and I just moved my way up from there, playing a very new sound and as tough as the men were.”
“My residency at the FF was my favourite. I also love going up to Aberdeen. I’ve been to Skank every couple of months for years now, so it’s become a bit of a home from home.”
In 1993 React Music Ltd asked Jane to compile an album of her favourite tunes - “Mrs Wood Teaches Techno” was the result. The album, which was one of the very first DJ compilation albums, caused media mayhem and from that Jane went on to launch a recording career in her own right. Mrs Wood's first recording was the successful dance floor EP “The Awakening” / “Calamity Jane”, then came “Whodunnit” / “Joanna”, tracks which gained enormous club coverage and holding space in many DJ boxes from Boy George to Carl Cox. Other gems have emerged from the studio, but the highlight of her recording career came in 95 when “Joanna” made its way into the national charts at No.40.
After that she gained national chart success she release her new single ‘Heartbreak’, which
featured the fantastic Eve Gallagher. When asked about vocalists, Jane said "There are very few I like but… I really like Eve Gallagher’s voice, it has such a great quality, lovely and dramatic. It’s been a real challenge working with vocals, they were something I knew nothing about so I’ve learnt a lot from it.”
Following this came “Feel So Good” with four tracks to feed our imagination - described as
"an innovative combination of slammin’ house and breakbeat trance."
As her underground side started to call her back, she released “Ignition” and subsequently “Road Rage” under the name of Madame Dubois. These tracks were the absolute opposite of what Mrs Wood had been doing, Jane had found her very dark alter-ego and she loved it...
With a thirty five track compilation, called “Bitter & Twisted”, Mrs Wood and Blu Peter came out with one of React’ s best collaborations. This sold all over the world, and is quoted as being one of the best ever React compilations!
Confident enough to make her own album, Mrs Wood, fuelled by the freedom that React gave her, produced “Woodwork”, with Kevin White. 13 tracks which draw on her diverse musical talents. The album is Jane’s biggest and most adventurous foray a into uncharted musical territory, probably the reason why it maintains a kind of freshness and vitality that all the very best Techno shares.
Mrs. Wood has now made her mark internationally, Djing across Europe as well as touring in South Africa, Hong Kong, Canada, America, Brazil, Singapore, Japan, Mexico and Australia.
“If I have any ambitions they’re spiritual rather than material. To be happy in oneself is a constant struggle, as it is for all of us.”
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