DJ Edith Bowman on how the USB stick changed her life, her lovely old iMac and keeping in touch with her rock star husband
Are you a gadget fiend or a technophobe?
I love a gadget and I’ve got my dad to blame for that. When I was growing up, he always had the latest thing: cine-cameras, VHS players, enormous mobile phones. I’ve definitely inherited his gadget fiendness.
What was the first piece of techyou fell in love with?
A Macintosh 128k, with that little smiley face on the welcome screen. It really took me back watching the Steve Jobs biopic and going “I had one of them!” I thought it was the coolest thing ever. We had very basic computing lessons on a Mac at school, nothing like nowadays; my seven-year-old son Rudy is learning coding already. I’ve been an Apple addict ever since. I converted to PC for a year at uni and hated it. It felt so unfriendly.
How has technology changed your work as a DJ?
I used to lug a massive bag of CDs everywhere. Now it’s all on a USB stick. It’s game-changing, especially if you’re flying somewhere. It’s like, “Hello, hand luggage!” MP3s still give you the same functions and spontaneity as CDs or vinyl. Tech makes everything more flexible. I wrote a book last year [Edith Bowman’s Great British Music Festivals], which was terrifying. A decade ago, I’d have to have done it all sitting at my desk. Instead I was writing on planes, park benches, anywhere. I’ve got a great little iPad case with built-in Bluetooth keyboard, so I tapped away whenever I had a spare moment.
What’s your favourite gadget?
My husband [Tom Smith, frontman of indie rock band Editors] bought me this amazing compact Hasselblad camera.
What’s the most expensive?
Probably my big old iMac in my office at home. It’s like a generator, humming, and it’s got so much stuff on it. It’s such an inviting machine, I just love sitting at it.
Do you have flash gadgetry in your kitchen?
A few. We’ve got a neat Bluetooth speaker for streaming music while we cook. Plus spiralisers, juicers, all that healthy stuff.
I considered getting a boiling water tap — my friend Esther’s got one and I’ve always been slightly envious — but it freaks me out a bit safety-wise, so I make do with a kettle.
You and your husband both travel a lot. Do you rely on technology to keep in touch?
Tom’s just been away for a month touring and Facetime is a godsend. The other night, we had it on during the kids’ bathtime and it felt like he was in the room with us, when he was actually in a hotel in Slovenia.
We’re trying to convince Tom to be on Facetime during a gig, so the kids can watch and dance around the living room, but he says he’d find it too distracting (laughs).
What’s your all-time favourite computer game?
I mainly play classics like Scrabble but I’ve made the fatal mistake of buying Rudy a games console for Christmas, so that’s gradually changing.
What’s your most-used emoji?
Thumbs-up and big cheesy grin. That’s become my go-to photo pose too. I’m a human emoji (laughs).
What gadget would you like to see invented?I’d love to fly, so a jetpack. Or a robot PA to help sort my life out.
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