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I DJ'd a Party at a Streetwear Store? 😅
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Unless you've been living under a rock I'm sure you've seen an outpour of DJ sets on your TikTok, Instagram Reels feed and YouTube homepages at coffee shops, in living rooms, and every other place that is NOT a club. It, one, speaks to most people's frustrations with nightclubs + club culture: overpriced drinks, expensive sections, and everyone feeling a little bit too cool to move on the dancefloor. Secondly, I think, it's a #recessionindicator that forces event producers like myself to not only consider how we can make sure we're keeping DANCE at the forefront of our parties, but also find unique ways to spice up our events. Now, I love a good DJ set on YouTube—it's literally how I keep my momentum going on the stairmaster at the gym once a week, but truthfully I never cared for the DJ set-at-random-place digital hype. Alot of the videos I've seen on social media seem to spotlight mediocre blends or STEMS edits that I don't feel paint the full picture of the journey of a musical set from start to finish. The sets I like to watch showcase the DJs but also organic moments of attendees having a good time, not just high shock value moments for likes and clicks. For that reason, I was skeptical when I realized I was booked for a gig at a streetwear shop, Pillars Chicago. When I was booked, I was told it was for a private event called One Hour Vibes—an intimate kickback experience where DJs play one genre for the hour. My assignment was Amapiano. I had no idea it was at a streetwear store y'all—I do not wear streetwear! I'm not hip to it, whatsoever. It wasn't until I walked up to the address and saw the team rearranging and prepping the store that I understood it to be a Boiler Room-style event. I mostly wondered if people would dance. Would they stand around and stare at the camera to get their fits off? Or would they genuinely immerse themselves in the music? Thankfully it was a great crowd; a nice mix of socializing and dancing to the Amapiano hits we know and love, plus sounds that were a bit unfamiliar to the crowd. I had a surprisingly fantastic time and am looking forward to another opportunity playing a DJ set in an unconventional space! What I realized is I bring the party wherever I go, so bring the non-nightclubs on! I'm up for the challenge! On June 7 I'm BACK at Never Have I Ever nightclub though, for another dyasphonic.dance party! Shoutout to Mobeethicc for stepping in for DJ Zuni last party—Zuni will be back for June, along with one of my favorite sound artists Finding Ijeoma! Get your tickets now before prices go up at the door! I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. Was this sent to you by a friend? Make sure to subscribe and read past newsletters.
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Thoughts with Mild Sauce
Subscribe to my newsletter for my musings on Black Diasporic linkages in sounds & cultures.
When I first started DJing I had no idea how much joy it'd bring me and how helpful it'd be for me in expressing myself. The realest ish I ever heard was when Jay-Z rapped, "I can't see it coming down my eyes, so I gotta make the song cry,".. A WORD! But even more than that, the greatest gift of this creative career has been the community of women and femme sound selectas and event producers I've gained! It may shock you, but even in 2025, people are surprised to see me and other women DJs...
I don't think I have the words to fully explain how amazing the first edition of dyaṣphönic.dance was earlier this month! You'd think after organizing events for years I'd be less anxious, but no. It was my first solo event and my nerves were all over the place, but all was MORE than well! I really want to thank our DJs Bonita Appleblunt and Cobra B, our event sponsor Bayab Gin (those drinks were amazing and y'all knew it by the way you bought them OUT!), and lastly all of you who came and...
Happy *actual* New Year to you and yours! Spring has sprung, and I'm sure, like myself, you've been navigating a lot through these multitudes of mercury retrogrades, venusian reverses (or whatever their called), etc. etc. that the planets have us down here suffering through. I admittedly had been having one of the roughest times of my life last month (hello eclipsing saturn's return), which made it incredibly difficult and complicated to share something I've been long been dreaming up and...