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Meixi Xu

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Meixi Xu

about

Meixi Xu is based between New York and New Haven, drawn to hypnotic techno, trance, hard groove, bounce, and industrial sounds, with influences from the underground scenes and architectural landscapes of New York and Europe. Currently studying architecture at Yale, she started DJing for fun last year, and her architectural background has naturally shaped the way she approaches music: building tension through rhythm, repetition, texture, and raw energy. Within four months of first stepping behind the decks, she was invited to play at HÖR Berlin, marking an unexpected start to her journey as a DJ. She is interested in bringing music beyond the traditional nightlife setting, creating unexpected spaces and daytime moments where people can drop in, move, pause, and connect.

spotlight

  1. When did you start DJing/producing? What sounds or scenes shaped your taste early on? What keeps you coming back to sound as a medium?

    I used to live in NYC, where there was always music happening and I felt really connected to the scene, but after moving to New Haven for Yale, I couldn’t find that same community, so in June 2025 I randomly bought my first Pioneer XDJ without knowing anything about DJing and just started figuring it out. I’ve always loved exploring different kinds of music, from opera, classical, early jazz, and big-band orchestras to hypnotic techno, hard groove, hard bounce, schranz, and probably a lot more depending on my mood. For me, sound is also a way to stay super focused when I’m working on architecture, but I love it most because music can instantly bring people together and create a connection.

  2. How has your sound changed over time — and what shaped those shifts?

    My sound has changed in a way that’s pretty similar to how I approach architecture—mostly intuitive, and honestly hard to describe or define. One thing that has stayed consistent is that I want the sound to feel relentless and keep people moving, but over time I’ve become less interested in predictable drops or giving people exactly what they expect. Sometimes I’ll throw in something unexpected or shift the energy just to keep people from “reading” the sound too quickly, and I like when people have to guess what might happen next while still getting lost in the flow of the moment. I think that tension between unpredictability and movement is what I’m most interested in now.

  3. When you’re not playing, where do you go to get inspired? Who’s been exciting you lately?

    When I’m not playing, I like going to different spaces and paying attention to how they curate sound, even just the random playlists they have playing in the background. I feel like good music curation can completely change how you experience a space, which is why lately I’ve been going to Silence Please just to sit there and listen. I’m also pretty hard to define when it comes to music. I like so many different things and don’t really like sorting music into genres. I also love going to festivals, I went to Awakenings Amsterdam this summer completely blew my mind. Recently I’ve been really inspired by 240KM/H and BCCO, and seeing artists like Adrian Mills, Cloudy, Fumi, and Future.666 play in person has been pretty life-changing and I’d love to see more artists from these labels live.

  4. Where do you see electronic music helping people move through something?

    For me, when I’m playing or when someone else is playing a really good set, it’s just pure happiness. Honestly, I especially love when someone else is playing because I can actually dance and enjoy the moment without worrying about the set hahaha. It puts me into this almost meditative flow where I can completely empty my brain, just feel the sound, and let myself be in the moment. I think that’s where electronic music can really help people move through something, and it gives you a space to let go for a while and just exist in the sound.

  5. What does “a safer dancefloor” actually mean to you (before, during, after the night)?

    To me, a safer dancefloor used to be something that was naturally protected by the culture and the rules around it, but I think that’s becoming harder now. With certain hard-to-get-into venues becoming more popular, there’s a growing culture of people learning the “codes” like what to wear, how to act, which DJs to know and those things used to help create a certain boundary, but they don’t necessarily mean the same thing anymore. During the night, I really value personal space, and no phones in the dancefloor.I like being able to dance in one spot with some social distance, step away for a few minutes, and come back to the same space, rather than having people constantly pushing forward or trying to get the spot in front of the DJ deck. After the night, I usually stay sober and go home alone, so for me it’s honestly just a good cardio session with really good music and a peaceful way to end the night.