It’s not easy to describe the sounds of Tokimonsta. An initial impression could you leave in a world as “melodic and sentimental” as the artist herself is cute (see above picture). And even though the 24-year-old Tokimonsta’s catalog is somewhat brief, that initial impression could leave you locked into the wrong idea. Within seconds, this Los Angeles-based, self-proclaimed “jack-of-all-genres” can pull a rough, rugged and hip-hop heavy dose of remixed beats out of her bag and no, she won’t hesitate to use ‘em. “I love listening to varied genres,” says Tokimonsta, “so I wanted something with guitars. I wanted something with soul. I wanted lots of hip-hop in it mixed with that electronic, sonic value. As you create, you realize that the years and years of listening to music expel themselves into whatever music your making.” Kicking things off on Monday afternoon, this is the sort of eclectic thrill that Tokimonsta brought to yet another unique weekend performance on the Red Bull Music Academy stage. ChinaShop caught up with the 2010 Red Bull Music Academy attendee to grab up all the details on how this young deejay came to hone her craft and gain some notoriety with some help from Flying Lotus, the adversity she faced early on in the LA hip-hop community and the broad musical tastes that help keep the audience always guessing.  We had a chance to catch up with Tokimonsta at this year’s Movement Festival and this is what she had to say:

The amount of adorable promo photos of you floating around the web have seemed to keep most from actually digging into how you first became a deejay.

Tokimonsta: First of all, me starting to make music came from my love for music in general. I started off listening to rock and grunge. I eventually grew into a lot of underground and mainstream hip-hop. I have a short attention span, so I’m always seeking out something new — a lot of house, a lot of drum and bass, a lot of jungle. I always wanted to make my own music, but I didn’t really have the tools to get started. My first year of college, a friend of mine suggested that I should try making beats. I kept rolling with it, constantly expanding and buying more hardware and falling in love with it … but I never thought people would want to listen to it! It was purely a hobby … like knitting a sweater for yourself or knitting a sweater for your cat (laughs). All of that would eventually lead up to me competing in beat battles around Los Angeles and losing. I felt really bitter about it because I thought they hated on me because I was a young, Asian girl. Eventually I realized it wasn’t just me — you have to earn your way into it and earn your respect.

When did you realize that your “hobby” had grown into something that could actually pay the bills and keep the lights on in your apartment?

Tokimonsta: I actually used to work in business entertainment and advertising. Due to the poor economy, I was getting constantly laid off. This was right around the time Flying Lotus introduced my music to Mary Ann Hobbs at the BBC. She really pushed my music to her audience … expanding it to a whole new set of people. I eventually said ‘fuck it’ and decided to do it full time. I’ve got the credentials to go back to my old jobs, but I just don’t see that happening. I’ve got lots of friends who hate their jobs but remain there because they can buy their happiness. That just doesn’t work for me.

I’m sure you get asked a lot about the “challenges” being a girl in a male-dominated field, so let’s flip the script — what are the major advantages of being a girl in a male-dominated field?

Tokimonsta: One thing that’s good is that I can get away with sentimental music. In the scene in LA, we are all derivative of hip-hop. We use electronic music, but we’ve got that hip-hop mentality where guys can’t make soft shit — they have to make bangers. For me, I can get away with making things that are a bit more soulful without having to be completely obscure. But at the same time, I don’t want to be pigeonholed. Even though I have these songs that are more melodic and sentimental, I’ll always throw out one that totally bashes it away. If you look around, I’ve got certain songs that are completely angry, loud and obscure. It’s all about balance.

Words by by Ryan Patrick Hooper with photos by Dustin Downing