In 2018 I joined Party Noire, an events collective centering Black women, femmes, and queer folks in Chicago, after returning home from university. I'll sum up my college sob story by saying college was very lonely and boring for me. I was so excited to return to the city as an adult me; a me more confident and sure of myself than I was when I was growing up here. Since working with the collective, I've learned some important lessons, gained opportunities, and most importantly, some amazing friends! I feel so grateful to learn from and have the collective—Nick, Rae, Karlie + D'Frantz—in my orbit! Here's my set from our summer szn opener. Come party with us in celebration of all the hard work it's taken to make it to eight years!
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Remember when I predicted more Afrobeats artists would collaborate with African American ones this year? Well, it's already happening. And quite swiftly at that. This is bittersweet for me. A bit hot and cold, if you will. Hot: Black unity! Y'all know I am here for people of the African Diaspora collaborating and creating entirely new sounds. Something special always happens when elements of our music blend. It's the main way we begin to rebuild the bridges that have disconnected us (*cough*...
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When I first began deejaying, I was far too concerned with securing gigs. Naturally, I wanted to finally start sharing the music I was mixing in my bedroom in public. Thanks to a collective I work with called Party Noire I as able to begin deejaying at events and quickly learned the importance of balancing the music that speaks to my soul with the music the masses want to hear. DJ Lesson #1: Read the crowd. There is no crowd when you're deejaying alone, and if you're mixing with a friend,...