Heidi Mortenson

Heidi Mortenson is a musician, performer and producer, who makes electronic music and performs as a onewomanband. She is one of very few female music producers in this world and is known to do all her music by herself: songwriting, recording, producing and mixing. Heidi is also founder and label owner of the record label Wired Records.

Origin

Heidi was born in Scandinavia and as a teenager moved to Barcelona where she grew up independently and on her own. In 2004 she moved from Barcelona to Berlin where she lives now. She's known to fluently speak English, Spanish and Danish, and also speaks some German. In various InterViews the interviewer has noticed her way of sometimes talking in mixed languages.

Career

Musician / Performer

After playing her first concert Heidi was selected Resident Artist 2002-03 at the annual experimental LEM Festival in Gràcia, Barcelona. At a friend's request Heidi had applied to the festival which besides the invited international artists, selects 12 new talents who are given the opportunity to play. Hereafter she went on a European tour with visual artist SOLU, with whom she later performed the Opening Act of Transmediale Festival 2004 in Berlin. In Berlin Heidi started a series of events called Wired Nights which were held at different venues. It was meant as a playground for her and her music friends, a place to improvise and try out new ideas. The performances were often described as fun and chaotic and unpredictable theatre pieces of entertaining quality and guest surprises. The Wired Nights turned into the record label Wired Records which was founded by Heidi in 2005 when she was to release her debut album with money she had received from a fund.
Heidi has toured Canada and the US east and west coast with her two full length album releases. The danish music magazine Musiktidsskriftet Geiger selected her album Don't Lonely Me as one of the 100 Best Albums of 2007.
Varios times Heidi and American musician and performer Kevin Blechdom have played and performed together in different countries. The two have also made radio shows together
In 2008 Heidi released 500 handpainted vinyl records which she etched and painted by herself. The handpainted EP Diamonds & Underwear is featured in Hilda Magazine
Heidi gained attention from her concert at the SPOT Festival 2008 which got splendid reviews by the press. The music magazine Gaffa credited her 5 stars, Musiktidsskriftet Geiger wrote "overall probably the best concert of this year's SPOT festival and musically absolutely the bravest", the UK Telegraph stated "if Madonna really wants to start pushing popular music into new areas she should forget working with established American production talents like Timbaland and give this mad Dane a call"
Mortenson is also working as a producer for other bands and can on rare occasions be seen playing with her bearded band The Uncontrollables.

Gender Bender

In the start of her career Heidi used her second name Mortenson and (reversed) Nosnetrom to mask her gender. Both on stage and in private life her person resists traditional gender definitions. In a filmed interview she says "I don't want to restrict myself to one gender territory, I want to move within both territories" "..and thereby free myself to work within unlimited frames". Heidi has often performed with painted on "five o'clock shave" or mustache and used to appear in a dirty white suit. She has a few times been mistaken for being a Drag King, but does not identify as such. "High heels and push-up bra are not comfy and both are inventions to please men's ideal picture of a sexy woman. I feel good in long underpants and a shirt, I'm not here to be popular by my degree of sexy appearance. I'm here to make music".

DJ

When not performing as a musician, Heidi Mortenson can sometimes be seen DJing at various venues. She has worked as a DJ from 1999 - 2003. In Barcelona she was a regular DJ at the electronic club Moog and at the Wednesday Electro Night at Cityhall. Heidi has also DJ'ed at techno clubs in Berlin such as Tresor and Ostgut.

Personal life

There are rumors that Heidi have had a romantic fling with Danish rockstar Anne Linnet who has been seen at one of Heidi's concerts where the two of them were talking. However this rumor has not been confirmed by neither one of them. Another Danish rockstar Nanna (Lüders) (who was popular in the 80's) has been seen at Heidi's concerts and the two of them are good friends. Heidi dated American musician and performer Kevin Blechdom from 2004 - 2006.

Discography

Albums / EPs

• "Diamonds & Underwear EP" Wired Records (2008)
• "Don't Lonely Me" Wired Records (2007)
• "Wired Stuff" Wired Records (2006)

Compilations

• "Kiss & Make Up" V/A, Tsunami Addiction (2008)
• "Ornli' syg gadefest for flere fristeder" V/A, No Label (2007)
• "7" vinyl picture disc" V/A, Crunks Not Dead (2007)
• "The Wired Ones" V/A, Wired Records (2006)
• "Women Take Back The Noise" V/A, Ubuibi Records (2006)
• "Shenanigans" V/A, La Mue Records (2004)
• "Time Stretch" V/A, Softly Records (2004)
• "LEM Festival 2002" V/A, GTS (2003)

External links

• Heidi Mortenson Official Website
• Heidi Mortenson MySpace Page
• Heidi Mortenson on Discogs
• Filmed interview on Flasher.com

da:Heidi Mortenson