Pushing Culture | GRLGOD
Photo: Eva Gibeau
Photo: Eva Gibeau
What genre(s) of music inspires you mostly and why?
I get inspired by a lot of different kinds of music but my greatest inspirations are House and Funk. House is sentimental to me when I was a kid, my dad was always playing something (house, trip-hop, techno). He was heavily into 80s and 90s electronic music and always made me mixes to listen to. And I just love Funk music with my whole heart. To me, both genres have a groove you can get lost in and use improvisation which I love so much.
If you could have dinner with any musician dead or alive who would it be and why? What topics/questions would you lead in the conversation?
Photo: Eva Gibeau
That’s tough! I think the Gorillaz. They’re incredible. They feature other artists across a broad spectrum of genres and they use their music to bring attention to political issues. I think it’s interesting that for a long time they concealed their true identities behind cartoon characters, and I’d like to ask why they made that choice and how it’s informed their development. I love that everything they do is very artistic—from the characters to the semi-fictional world they create. And most of all their music is just on point. You can’t really pin it to one specific genre.
Why do you think music is important and what role do you play or hope to play in this importance?
Music is everything. It’s culture, it’s deeply emotional and spiritual and it can embody so much. I believe music is a powerful tool for telling stories. As a DJ and musician I hope to play the role of sharing these stories—I want to use my platform to pay homage to the artists and histories that built this, and introduce the public to emerging artists who continue to push it forward. I want the music to provide fuel for healing, feeling, and celebrating ourselves and each other.
What didn’t Oakhella ask you that we should have? Please share.
How I started DJing!
About four or five years ago I released a mix of 70s/80s soul and funk called “Pillow Talk”. I had zero experience DJing but tried to put the songs together best I could and put the mix online. Shortly after a friend heard my mix and contacted me and asked me if I wanted to DJ soul music at the Ruby Room one night. I was super nervous but of course said yes — I wanted to try something new. I immediately fell in love with it and decided it was something I wanted to do for real, sharing my favorite music with everyone. And I’ve been privileged enough to do it ever since.