DJing is no ordinary hobby; it’s a career that’s sweeping the nation. As a predominantly male industry, breaking into the scene as a woman comes with obstacles you couldn’t imagine. We sat down with four NYC-local female DJs to learn their journeys, experiences, and hardships that come with being a female DJ in NYC.
What inspired you to start DJing?
Nala Leah Torres: My mom was my biggest inspiration for getting into DJing. She really wanted to get into that growing up here in New York in the 70s. So, I really do credit her with a lot of my musical taste.
TIGR LILY: My dad’s been a DJ my whole life. We are festival goers ourselves, so just being around the music and around that scene has been a huge part of who I am.
ZDJ: My dad and uncles are DJs. My uncle’s like a professional DJ. Shout out to Uncle Said. I’ve always loved music. When I was younger, I would listen to mashups on SoundCloud and stuff like that. And that sort of opened the gateway to UK electronic music. That’s a lot of what I listened to. So yeah, just being inspired by that and just going out and listening to other DJs play was so exciting for me. And so, I was like, “Oh, I kind of want to do that.”
JEZKA: I was classically trained as a competitive pianist for 12 years. And then I decided to quit when I ended up doing, you know, college. I ended up being an English major, but I still really love music. And so, for me, I’m thinking, why would I want to pay to go to the club when I can just get paid to be at the club?
How would you describe your sound?
Nala Leah Torres: I mean, I would definitely say it’s very dance-oriented. I don’t want to see anyone sitting down during any set, not just my own. But I definitely love to integrate a lot of Afrobeat, a lot of Latino mixes in there, as well as pay homage to some of the older genres of music and intertwine them. I feel like it’s very reflective of the New York culture, musically, so if I can combine all those facets of it, that’d be great.
TIGR LILY: My first time ever playing out or in front of people was my birthday. I had a Cunt Safari themed birthday party, and I made this outfit for it. I had the tiger makeup on, and so Tigr Lily was born at the Cunt Safari. And then after that, I kind of started picking up momentum. The evolution from Cunt Safari has been more into house, disco, techno, but I really embodied King Julian from Madagascar, and I thought, “What [mu- sic] would the lemurs from Madagascar shake their ass to?”
ZDJ: That’s a really hard question. So, I would say I like to pull from
a lot of my influences. So obviously, when I was younger, listening to SoundCloud remixes, UK electronic music, heavy bass lines, love that. But also digging into Acid House and those kinds of things, like Detroit and Chicago House, are big for me. I didn’t know what it was when I was younger, but that sort of shaped my sound. So, I love a groovy bass line, a lot of punchiness, all that. Big beats.
JEZKA: I love fast songs, and I also love minor cues. I don’t really like a lot of really happy-sounding things, and so for me, that usually trans- lates into techno, and also, I do love trap. I feel like both of those things are kind of like classical music, but in a pop, more modern setting.
What does being a female DJ feel like in the New York DJ space?
Nala Leah Torres: I feel like every female DJ that I have worked with has always been one, so lovely, obviously, but they’re really focused on finding their own sound. And I think that because having more spaces that promote female DJs, and just community in that sense, it does promote more of a creative building mindset, I feel like it’s more “let’s come together and make art” instead of “this is who I am.” I feel like you’re always learning and you’re always growing. So, to always have a growth mentality is really important. And that’s something I’m always establishing in the female community, especially in the music business.
TIGR LILY: So far, it definitely feels good, but also a little bit intimidating sometimes, I will say. Some of my gigs are mostly guys, and there is some pressure sometimes to be an expert, but... I really enjoy it. But I’d say, too, it is a very male-saturated industry, but that’s just life. So, it feels good. It feels normal. But also, just be like, “okay, I’m going to go out there and do this.”
ZDJ: I don’t really think of it as being different from a male DJ. I’m just a DJ, period. But I do think it does come with a lot of caveats, as being a woman in any space does. Just getting a lot of comments from other male DJs or just men in general, sort of like diminishing what you’re doing as a woman. But I mean, I always offer them to put on the headphones and step behind the decks, and they never do.
JEZKA: I’m lucky enough to know a few female DJs, and so that’s really great. I do think there’s a lot more female DJs than there were, like three years ago. I noticed that, this coming new year, there’s been a lot more people who are like “oh, I own a deck at home too!” It’s becoming the new toothbrush: we all have one at home!
Where do you like to dance?
Nala Leah Torres: Oh, you can definitely find me at Carousel here in Brooklyn, for sure. And if not Car- ousel, House of Yes.
TIGR LILY: Good question. I was at House of Yes last night... I love Basement. I love Knockdown Cen- ter, Nowadays, Elsewhere, H0L0. All the good spots.
ZDJ: If you’re a house-y, techno-y person, go to Brooklyn. I love Manhattan, that’s where I’m from, but Brooklyn is just where the most space is. I like to go to Knockdown Center, especially in the winter. They have a really big venue, so there’s a lot of space to dance and move, and then in the summer, they open it up, and they call it the ruins, where you can party outside during the day; dancing vibes in the sun in the summer, it’s great.
JEZKA: I love Bushwick for the crowd. I feel like people are more communal there. I live in the Lower East Side, and so the clubs that I play at there are more like the influencer-y type, get a cute picture, and then go home vibe. And so, for me, if I want to dance, then I want to go to Bushwick. If I want to take my cute little pic, then I’ll go to Manhattan.
