DJ girlcrush

As a raver, I’d say my inception was a 100 gecs show in Zone 1 in 2019. Umru opened along with Alice Longyu Gao, and after lockdown, I started diving into the hyperpop scene with parties like sksksks following those names into a very particular micro scene where my burgeoning queerness and lifelong nerdiness felt at home.

At the same time I was heading back to concerts and coordinating group outings to Mister Sunday. Queer parties like Caotica showed me how much absolute joy could come in the form of dropping a pop anthem at the right moment. Bound was the party that finally made techno click for me.

In 2022 Dweller connected me with groundbreaking artists like Juliana Huxtable and countless others, teaching me about the Black roots of dance music. By the time 2024 hit I was just bursting with inspiration and finally took the leap with SE DJ school classes to learn with a former partner.

With so many different inspirations I find my sets reflect that diversity, moving through different influences by being a bit of a chameleon depending on the setting, while also bringing bits of those quirky tastes to each set.

REST. Juggling DJing with a full time day job, event hosting, chronic pain management, and relationships of all kinds isn’t always easy and making space to recharge always gets me to a better creative space.

What gets in the way? I’m also so inspired by dance floors and love catching sets! I constantly want to be in 3 places at once but I’m continuing to have to remind myself that I won’t be able to pull anything worthwhile together if I’m exhausted.

When people ask me why I started to DJ, I sometimes talk about how I believe this scene is a cultural renaissance amidst an increasingly terrifying world. Some of the most impactful art movements have happened like this–a counterculture in times of increasing authoritarianism.

Art has the power to move people to care more, to do more, and to act in ways that better the world. When I read Raving by Mackenzie Wark I felt like she put so much of what I was feeling into words about the particular moment we are in in Brooklyn dance music.

I believe dancefloors are a place for building community to go do more off the dancefloor. There’s a reason Mamdani campaigned in nightclubs, these spaces hold power. I continue to be energized by supporting groups and spaces that prioritize the collective over the individual.

I love that this question uses the word “safer”! There’s no such thing as a completely safe space, and harm reduction is an active practice that only works if it goes beyond a statement of intention (“this is a safe space” actually often feels like a red flag to me).

It’s great to see door policies, it’s even better when there’s someone to turn to when something is going wrong who is equipped to help. But the best spaces are the ones where we’re all taking responsibility for watching out for each other and playing a role in keeping the kind of norms and safety we want to see.

As a neurodivergent person, I have a bit of a hard time sitting still with my thoughts. On the dance floor I’m able to show up, put my phone away, and lock in. The right dance floor is an opportunity to drop in, be introspective, and let emotions move through you in a way that, for me, can be hard to do anywhere else. On a different dance floor, I’m able to connect with friends and meet new people and often have these conversations with others.

I remember a particular moment at Movement this spring where I was processing something solo and then had an amazing deep conversation with a new friend about it and none of that would happen without these beautiful communal spaces and all the people who work so hard to make it happen.

In my opinion the most transformative thing about a good queer and/or FLINTA* party is the ability to dance amongst so many beautiful people embodying their fullest and weirdest (complimentary) selves. When we center queer & FLINTA* artists, we also invite those queer & FLITNA* dancers. Self-discovery comes from the space to experiment and play.

I aspire to create spaces where people are able to bring the fullest expressions of themselves, especially in their creative journey, sometimes even before they have the words for it.