Ever since (before) the ‘pandemic’, I have not DJ’ed much. I took a break in 2019 and it was the longest break of my 20+ year career, over 2 and a half years of DJing in San Diego. I took this time to focus on my professional career and personal life. In 2023, I started playing out again.
When I noticed that my birthday was going to be on a Wednesday, I got nostalgic and (Tom) notified the DK residents that I would be into DJing again at Dance Klassique to celebrate.
House Music Wednesdays
I have been going to this weekly event since before it was called Dance Klassique. Bar Dynamite Wednesdays used to be my stomping ground when Duane was a resident. It was these nights that really got me into playing deep house. At the time, I was promoting a multi-genre event residency of my own, Vinyl Elements.
This Wednesday night House Music event in San Diego has been through a lot of changes and residents in the past 20 years, and I have been a special guest DJ several times. I was excited to celebrate another lap around the sun where I feel at home, playing house music.
My Birthday Party That Wasn’t A Birthday Party
Because this event is weekly, my gig got one week of promotions online only, with no mention of my birthday. (I really don’t want people asking me about my age, so I was OK with that. Also I don’t drink alcohol anymore and really don’t want people offering me drinks.) Reality sunk in when, at my gig, none of the residents wished me a “Happy Birthday” on my actual birthday. I didn’t know how much it would bother me until literally every time I see Dance Klassique promote a DJ’s birthday party. I didn’t care about celebrating my birthday or having a party, yet I still would have accepted a simple recognition from a friend. I was left feeling like the girl that didn’t want a birthday party, and was sad she didn’t get one. doh! I didn’t mean to do that, and I definitely didn’t want to make this blog post…
I’m here wondering, am I really writing in a blog post about how these guys didn’t remember it was my birthday? It’s deeper than that…
What I really realized this post is about is how I spent 20 years hanging out in a local music industry around the same people and never really became friends with them. For decades, because I saw familiar faces frequently at events, I felt like I had friends everywhere I went, like I was part of a community. When I quit social media AND quit drinking alcohol, my life changed in so many ways. I’m not connected with my peers in a way that I was for so long. Now I’m re-inventing what it means to be me.
Moving On
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m going to do next with music. DJing is a very personal and emotional experience for me. I have always put my feelings into my DJ sets. Lately, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the overall music industry in general, and how we can make better connections, to truly support the community as a whole. I think I’ll go put this energy into original music production or a DJ mix, because blog posts like these, may or may not be a good idea. But music is always a good idea. xo
Thanks for reading this new series of blog posts I’m exploring. I want to voice my feelings and opinions about what I have experienced being a DJ in San Diego, California since 2001. Over 20 years later, I have a lot of stories I’ve never told. I don’t know who this is for or want I’m going to post next. Stay tuned for more!
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