Heidi Mortenson: "Every time I see her I get the tiger fever"

Danish-born, Berlin-based Heidi Mortenson produces some interesting sounds. Not all of her output is, for me, 100% successful, but when it works it really works. This is playful, cacophonous electroclash, which was dubbed by one promoter as "tomboytronica". Mortenson is androgynous, flirting with trans imagery and lyrics which fall outside of the sexual mainstream. She released her second album Don't Lonely Me in July this year (you can listen to a one minute sample of each song at Juno), after setting up Wired Records in 2005 and using it to release her debut Wired Stuff, which she wrote, played, mixed and produced singlehanded.

In addition to this, Mortenson works as a producer for other bands and is one quarter of "bearded band" The Uncontrollables.

Mortenson grew up listening to the clangings and clankings of her father working in the garage, and was impressed by the metallic rhythms. Her mother played the organ. Moving from her native Denmark to Barcelona as a teenager, she began her musical career as a flyer girl at the first electronica bar there. She used the money to buy dj equipment. By 2004 she had moved to Berlin, finding a home in the booming electronica scene there.

I have read that she listens to Ani DiFranco, Cat Power and Nina Simone when at home, but her bleeps and blips are a long haul flight across the ocean from any of those sounds. My favourite track is Tiger, which has a sleepy sounding vocal and infectious repetition. You can listen to Tiger (and a few other songs) over at her MySpace page, and you can check her out further at her very own website.

Give Heidi Mortenson a whirl if you like: Peaches, Miss Kittin, Scream Club, Kevin Blechdom, Ellen Alien.

Video: Don't Lonely Me