DJ Miss Mixx-Raver Magazine
DJ MISS MIXX
RAVER MAGAZINE JANUARY 2016 INTERVIEW FEATURE www.ravermagazine.com
DJ Miss Mixx, tell us how you got your start in DJ-ing?? How did it all come to light for you to get into it and progressed to where it is today?? I have been completely enamored with music my entire life. Throughout primary and high school I was in band, show choir, and dance. "What do you want to be when you grow up?", was always an easy question for me to answer. The exact profession has changed over the years but the field has remained the same...music. I was in college working as a bartender in clubs and events. I always was fascinated by the DJs (the good and bad) The good ones could make an entire room fly out of their chairs, hold their loved ones close, bring old friends together and create new ones. I knew I had to go for it. December 2010 at an employee Christmas party for the club I worked at, I expressed my interest in learning to DJ. One of our DJs showed me the ropes a bit. I spent the next few months researching, buying equipment, practicing and I never looked back.
Where did “Miss Mixx” come from and what inspired the name? A few months after I got my equipment,I was working an event as a mixologist creating custom cocktails. I was observing the DJ. While our jobs were very different, our objectives for the evening were the same...help people to loosen up and have fun. I was providing the booze, and the DJ was providing the tunes. Then it hit me, Miss Mixx. Whether it be mixing drinks or music since I started DJing, I knew how to do both.
As a female DJ do you feel there is not enough in the forefront and mainstream female DJ’s? If you look at music festivals there are really not many if at all female DJ headliners, do you think there is a gender gap in that? It would be nice to see more female DJs on the forefront. I do think there is a “Female DJ” stereotype that is hard to break away from and gain respect as a real DJ and not just a Model/DJ who dances around while pressing buttons. I believe that being confident in your talent and refusing to be portrayed as the ditzy female DJ stereotype just to get a following, allows talent to prevail. I have passed up gigs because I refuse to portray that stereotype. I am confident in my identity and won’t compromise it. I see a gender gap. I think that is partly because men are more likely to pursue being a DJ. More ladies need to know that if you want something and are willing to put in the work and effort, you can have it. I have had quite a few females ask me to help them get into DJ’ing and not one of them has ever followed through. How do you know that you can’t do something if you never try?
Your favorite style(s) of EDM and why? I love Electro House, Glitch Hop, Trip-Hop, Progressive House, Dubstep, and so on. I don’t sleep on any genres, so I have a very diverse taste. Being an open format DJ allows me to mix between genres and I love it.
What artist(s) or DJ’s are your biggest influence and inspiration? I absolutely love turntablism. I would say that my biggest inspiration comes from Brillz, Craze, A-Trak, Shortee, Qbert. I am a huge fan of all of the Twonk Team mixes. The inspiration that I get from a good DJ set or an unconventional remix is overwhelming! I love Flume, Hermitude, Pretty Lights, Odesza. I love W&W, Chuckie, Party Favor and Wolfgang Gartner (He was actually a part of my husband proposing to me!) I’ve got too many favorites to name them all.
Weirdest moment in DJ-ing?? I was DJ’ing a corporate event where I was collaborating with a cellist. We were told “This is not a dancing group, we really just want some cool ambient music. Well, it turned into an absolute S#!+ show. Everyone was dancing and having a blast. They cellist was going right along with every song I played. All of a sudden this guy busts out these two psychedelic colored baton flags and starts dancing crazy to “Michael Jackson-P.Y.T”. Of course I had to start recording. I actually have video footage of a cellist playing along to P.Y.T and a grown man dancing with his fancy flags!
Best moment(s) DJ-ing thus far? I have had some pretty major events. I was a part of the Xbox One tour and live on the NFL Network with NFL’s hottest stars the week of Superbowl 49. DJ’ing with the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders as my dancers and an NFL superstar as my hypeman was amazing. However, I would have to say my favorite moment has been DJ’ing on the last day of a huge convention for Women in Technology. I had over 3000 women I was playing for. The energy of that group was beyond words. Goosebumps the entire time!
Your opinion on EDM….too over saturated? Too mainstream? Is it going to burst at some point? It seems that everything now is turning into EDM or has a huge EDM influence, even country! I think that with EDM being so mainstream and sub genres having sub genres, creativity will begin to diminish. Do I think it will burst? No. The festival scene and true EDM fans will keep it alive.
Any projects in the works? New mixes? Possible production? I am focusing on my turntablism right now and finally getting the chance to sit down with some unfinished remixes and original tracks! Be on the lookout for some new music this year!
