M&A #25: DJ Eli

DJ Eli has flourished on the Cambridge circuit since her DJ debut in the back room at OOX last year. After learning the trade there, she quickly got to shaking things up at Playtime, becoming a resident and warming up for In Flames at the Portland Arms last term. While styles in these two settings differ greatly, she's shown ability to get people moving to both funk and soul jams and stomping techno. Here, she presents us with a funky disco odyssey. Her track selection includes some of the finest tunes of the old-school-era, as well contemporary names keeping the feeling flowing. This is one to bop to, to sing along to, to boogie down to.



How did you record the mix?

The mix was recorded on a DDJ-400 that I share with my friend. I find tracks that catch my attention, download them onto a software called Rekordbox and then just start experimenting. I only started DJing in September and without any equipment to practice on, so it’s great to finally be able to mess about on the decks whenever I want. I think for a lot of people it’s really tricky to get into DJing because of the investment in the decks and headphones; when you have to muster up a lot of confidence to put yourself out there anyway, the financial aspect is another thing that makes it that bit harder to get started. 

What were you trying to do with it?

When I mix, essentially the goal is always to mix lots of stuff that I would love to dance to. If I listen to something and my head doesn’t involuntarily bob, it’s probably not going to end up in my Rekordbox. I’m a big fan of funk and disco, as this mix probably suggests. It’s quite different from the music I tend to play at Playtime, which generally has a higher BPM because it’s more techno, so it was fun to take the tempo down a notch because you would move completely differently.

The mix has quite a few tracks that famous samples have been taken from. Was this intentional? Do you ever find music this way or does your taste just naturally send you in the direction of these tracks?

That was not intentional! But when I look for this kind of music the bassline and the catchiness is essential. I haven’t often found the original music from samples, but sometimes the opposite happens which can be jarring. For instance, when Drake brought out Hotline Bling all I could think about was Why Can’t We Live Together by Timmy Thomas. I try not to just play famous songs though -  I always like to hear sets that introduce me to new music, so mixing in some recognisable tracks with less well known music is good fun.

All the tracks you use are very vocal, since they’re all disco-y. Is this something your taste leans towards more generally? How do you look at mixing vocal tracks? Do you think about avoiding clashes? Or do you find it doesn’t make much difference?

I would definitely not say my taste generally leans towards very vocal tracks, but it completely depends on the individual mix or set. When you’re mixing disco or funk tracks, it’s very hard to avoid vocal-heavy songs, but when I play more Afro-funk, Latin funk or types of techno it becomes much more about the instrumentation and less about the vocals. You’re right that it can be difficult to mix tracks that are almost exclusively vocal, because fade-ins and outs could sound awful. I did find that very frustrating to get around at first. What I’ve found is that making use of loops is life-saving, because you can pick one or two bars that are instrumental and stay there whilst you bring in a different track. They also add a fun note to the transition and build up anticipation for the next track.

How do you find new music? Do you categorise the new stuff you add to your collection? Genre, mood, energy?

I don’t tend to categorise my music in Rekordbox, apart from by playlists for separate mixes and sets I’m planning. It would probably be a good idea though! On my Spotify everything is categorised every which way and there are far too many playlists, so maybe it's only a matter of time before my Rekordbox starts looking the same. Spotify is really good for finding new music, I find, especially through the Radio function or by trawling through random playlists that come up when I search for one song. Otherwise what I tend to do is spend hours on Youtube letting the algorithm introduce me to wacky tracks, which has always worked in the past and through which I’ve found great, niche stuff.

How have you come to DJing? When did you start, how did you get to the point of playing out?

My friend and I had been discussing getting into DJing for a while last year, so I reached out to the DJ who runs a student night I used to rep for in my first year at Cambridge. I asked them for advice about how to get started and what equipment and software were necessary, but in the end they ended up offering me a set at their next club night. I was over the moon, but I’m very grateful that I was playing in the side room, because I had literally never seen a deck before and my entire knowledge of the concept of DJing was through Youtube tutorials and the Rekordbox manual. That night, another DJ also let me watch their set to get to grips with the essential buttons and switches on a deck, which was very kind and very very helpful. The next week, I saw that Playtime was looking for DJs for their next event and messaged them - that ended up being my second gig and was really fun. Since then I’ve met really nice people along the way who have given me opportunities to play at various venues and for different student club nights. For the whole of last term I was playing without my own deck to practice on, so the practice was at the club, doing my set. I was really lucky also that a friend of mine and fellow Playtime DJ let me record a mix on her equipment and borrow it to play at a smaller venue. I would say that it has definitely gotten easier and less stressful, even though every night I’ve played has been a little scary and a little exhilarating, in varying ratios. Playtime has honestly been brilliant for making me feel supported as a DJ, especially as a woman. Recently I was told that female DJs just didn’t exist, which was apparently nothing to do with a sexist framework - an experience that made me ever more grateful to Playtime for giving women a space to play and debunking the idea that DJing is an exclusively male skill.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?

Suttin Like Dat by Kurupt FM - it’s from a TV mockumentary called People Just Do Nothing, about a pirate garage radio station.

What’s the last song you listened to?

Sweet Va Breeze by DRAM. 

Who is your favourite producer/performer at the moment?

I’m really loving 7 Samurai remixes at the moment. 

What is your go to tune to bring a party up/banger?

Any Michael Jackson tune.

What was the best party you’ve played?

The second Playtime night I played, which was raising money for Free Periods.

What’s coming up for you in the future?

Grandma Groove next week!

Eliane’s Tracklist:

Forget Me Nots (12” Version) - Patrice Rushen

Get Down Saturday Night - Oliver Cheatham

Juicy Fruit - Mtume

Got a Love for You (Hurley’s House Mix) - Jomanda

Just Got Paid - Johnny Kemp

Ragysh - Todd Terje

Fantastic Voyage - Shalamar

Jungle Boogie (Club Remix) - Kool and the Gang

Zorro - My Mine

Back to Life - Soul II SOul

Aint No Stopping Us Now - McFadden And Whitehead

Just Us - Two Tons O’ Fun

Only You - Steve Monite

Voodoo Ray - A Guy Called Gerald

More Bounce to the Ounce - Zapp & Roger

Your Love is the One - Lakeside

Keep on Walkin’ - CeCe Peniston