Janelle “The Mixtress”
Tsujiuchi
Interview by Francis Tanneur
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So, Janelle, how
are you? Wow! Thanks for asking. Aside from regular allergies, I’m doing great! |
| Where are you currently living? I am currently living in Daly City, which is right next door to San Francisco, with my 2 ½ year old son “Bubba” and my long term boyfriend, Richard. Does your
2-½ year -old son Bubba listen to music? |
| How would you react if your son (when he is a teenager) tells you
that he wants to become a professional DJ? I would totally allow it. As a teenager, he would definitely, first and far most, have good grades in school. DJing takes a lot of energy and mental time and if his grades slipped from lack of studies, I would not allow it. Also he has to keep in mind that DJing is expensive and would have to earn it on a monetary level (working, doing chores around the house, savings, etc. I would assist as much as I can, if it is well deserved. |
How and why did you choose the DJing career?
I can’t
say that I “chose” DJing as a career. It came about just unexpectedly. When I
picked up the skill, I couldn’t stop. I look back and can’t believe where I am
today. It’s amazing and I have a lot to be thankful for.
When did you start spinning music?
1994.
Could you
tell us which club gave you the opportunity to do your first set?
My
first club was Planet X in San Jose. I had a Friday radio show and that club was one of
our sponsored clubs so the owner had me out there a few times.
How did you learn to spin music?
I
learned from just being around DJs growing up. But one day, my best friend Mikey Alejo,
who I met through work, was a DJ. I knew how the equipment worked, so that was not a huge
challenge. I picked up the skill when I physically picked up two records and said “ok
lemme try”. After that, I couldn’t stop. I didn’t have equipment, so I
would go over to his house and practice all day and night. I think it annoyed him, but he’s
my best friend so we can laugh about it now.
What types of music do you play during your sets?
I play
all kinds of music. My sets depend on the promoter (their following), age group of
audience, and the type of event. Mainly I spin mainstream Hip Hop and R&B, a little
House and Dance vocals, some old school tracks if its an older crowd. I also spin for Wild
94.9 FM and regular rotation on the weekends during the mix show. Although some of the
music is programmed, I still have an opportunity to pick other tracks the throw in the
mix.
How do you prepare your sets/parties?
I
usually am in my mix room before that party and go through my records because sometimes I
have to add to the set, or take out UN needed records for that evening or event.
Where do you spin music most of the time?
Along
with spinning on the radio mix show, I also manage an all-female DJ Crew (www.divasofstyle.com) where we are mobile crew and
do schools, weddings and other types of events. The clubs I spin at include The Forum in
Sunnyvale, Club NV (SF), CA, The Sound Factory (SF), The Jungle (Sunnyvale), The Rouge
(SF), Space 550 (SF), Club Lamia (SF) and that’s all I can think of for now.
| In which other areas do you DJ the most? San Francisco. Any particular reasons that you don’t mix in other US
regions? |
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What is the funniest moment that you got during a set/party?
What happened?
Funny…
hmmmm. I can’t really think of anything “funny”, but can think of
embarrassing! One time I was mixing at this club, and my job that evening was to open up
the club and spin the more up-tempo beats until 11 p.m. During my set, I used a Dance song
on a record, which also was a compilation that included accapellas and other Hip-Hop
tracks. This record must have been dusty or had a scratch because during the Dance song,
everyone was into the record, and suddenly out of no where, the needle loudly skidded all
the way into the middle of a Hip Hop song and the crowd started staring. It was so hard to
recover from that because I only had Dance records that night so with 3 transitions, I was
able to get back to the Dance music tempo.
What is the exact meaning of your DJ’s name “The Mixtress”?
I originally wanted just “Mixtress” without “The”. To me Mixtress
means “female mixer”. My DJ name was either going to be DJ “Something”
or Mixtress “Something” and one of my friends who I used to DJ with said
sarcastically said one day “ooooh, there’s the one and only Mixtress”. And
that stuck. The word “The” came later. I loved the name so much I went ahead and
registered the name with the Secretary of State for ownership.
Who was your main musical influence?
My
brother Garrett “DJ Deus” I can say was one of my influences. I hung out with
him all the time to all his parties, and of course I lived with him so it was in my face
all the time. Because I was out there at dances and other types of parties which involved
a DJ, I always stared and thought “WOW”. That’s so dope”. I also dated
DJs growing up (no names, please). When I actually stared DJing with my friend Mikey that’s
all we did. Work at the office, go record shopping, go practice. We DJed at a lot of
parties together too.
By the way, where do you buy your records? Any retail stores to recommend,
especially to the Freestylers?
If you
are a DJ trying to find rare Freestyle tracks on vinyl, I wish you luck. It is very hard
today to find good condition Freestyle records, especially those that are dated back to
1986. My first recommendation would be Ebay. I wouldn’t know where today to find
Freestyle on vinyl. Also check a lot of the Freestyle webrings/forums. There are tons of
DJs willing to sell their old Freestyle records for the right cost.
As far as where I shop for my other records, I usually go to Straight Hits Vinyl Shop in Fremont, or Ultrasounz in San Bruno. I also look on Ebay for rare tracks that I cannot find locally.
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Since 1997, you have released a “must have” series of mixed
CDs “Fierce
Freestyle Classics” on UBL Recordings and a few months ago a new CD “WILDstyle
Freestyle vol.1”. Why did you start these mixed CDs? When I started mixing on Wild 94.9, my show was Freestyle genre based. The show was an instant hit and lasted for about 18 months. The producer from UBL approached me and asked if I was interested in putting a mix CD together. Let’s just say my reaction was “Can I get a hell yeah!!”. The CD was a success. Over 13,000 units were sold. After that, the opportunity to put out the other 2 volumes was almost inevitable. I took 2 years off of the Freestyle classics. I focused on other things, doing different things, mixing different places, and becoming a parent. In November of last year, Victor of Mastermixx Entertainment approached me to see if I wanted to do a Freestyle mix. Different producer, different record label, different type of songs. If I wasn’t making sales, I wouldn’t be putting out the CDs. How did you convince the labels to produce your
series of CDs? How did you make the selection? Are you free to select every track you want? |
You’re spinning different kinds of music,
why did you choose Freestyle music for your mixed CDs? What does Freestyle music represent in your career and in your personal life? |
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You’re spinning different kinds of music, why did you
choose Freestyle music for your mixed CDs?
I think
it makes sense right now to do it. On the other hand I will probably be working on a Dance
or Hip-Hop mix just to represent myself more. I don’t really spin Freestyle music
where I work, but its something that I’ve just continued in the last 4 years and have
had no problems.
What does Freestyle music represent in your career and in your personal life?
Personally,
I just love the music. I grew up listening to it. Today it’s hard to really say that
Freestyle is still around. I think that it more developed into a dance vocal type of
genre.
During a set what kind of a person are you? Do you remain calm
or are you under stress?
I am
the funniest person. I am really focused. Too much at times where people say hi to me or
request a song and I sort of don’t hear them. I am nervous, especially when it’s
a new venue or promoter who doesn’t know what my sound is.
What is your
favorite genre of Freestyle (Latin Hip-Hop, Electro, New School, Progressive Freestyle,
etc.)? Why?
My
favorite genre of Freestyle is the Latin Hip-Hop, mostly the hits from 1986-1990. My
favorite artists include India, Sweet Sensation, Corina, Sassa, Nocera, Cover Girls,
Safire, Noel, Expose just to name a few.
Why is the Bay Area so popular and involved in Freestyle music?
I think
we’re the most devoted and diverse. Most of the Freestyle tracks out have different
types of mixes for different ears.
What are the radio stations that play Freestyle music in
California, and especially in the Bay Area?
I haven’t
really heard of the main stations that play Freestyle, but Wild 94.9 plays Freestyle
sometimes and I personally haven’t heard, but Delicious D from San Jose has a
Freestyle radio show as well. Freestyle right now in the Bay is really on a break in my
opinion. Producers are baking new things and putting out newer and more diverse artists
and mixes.
Who are the most popular DJs specialized in
Freestyle music in your area?
I don’t
know.
Do you know other women who spin Freestyle music?
No.
Why are women so rare in this profession? Do you think that the DJ’s world
(whatever the genre) is, in the end, extremely male chauvinistic?
No. I
think you can clearly say that it is male-dominated. But chauvinist, no… Women are
coming up in DJing all over the world. From my personal experience, I had a hard time
proving to myself and others that me just being a girl shouldn’t make a difference. I
think when you are a female DJ, and put out kick ass sets make the package 10 times
better, but keep in mind that I feel us females have to work 20 times harder.
But don’t you think
that it’s also an evolution of the mentalities, or simply the fact that men don’t
have the choice anymore and they have to give more often their chance to a female DJ? As
you certainly notice, there are much more well known female DJs in the world than there
were five years ago.
Of
course, I can totally agree with that. I can agree with you that at times men do not have
a choice. I have worked other DJs who are male and I can tell that sometimes they might be
intimidated because of the fact I am a girl. I also think the fact that we are female does
make a difference… Personally for me being a female DJ, I feel that I am more closely
looked at, people checking if I make any errors, people checking if you are a snob, stuff
like that. I don’t want to be classified as being “pretty good for a girl”,
but more like “damn she is pretty good”. But its part of being a female DJ and I
don’t mind at all. I’ve been doing this for almost 7 years and I feel I have
proven to others that girls can kick ass too.
When you began your DJ career did you have some difficulties to impose yourself ?
OF
COURSE! I would get looked at funny walking into a club and people had this look on their
face like “yeah, as if!» But I always walk in with pride, study the crowd and the
flows try to put out solid blends and the hits.
Now that you are more
famous in the business, do you have “bad feelings” against the clubs or the
promoters that voluntarily ignored you at the beginning ?
Bad
feelings, never. Its part of growing up and learning. Sometimes you have to prove yourself
before given the opportunity. I would never want to be hired just because of my gender. I
still work with some of those clubs and promoters who I met from the start of my career.
Its all business and never should be taken personally (for the most part).
In your opinion, which artists and producers represent the
best your area?
All
artists. I would buy their music even if I didn’t really like it. That’s my form
of support for local music. I want the same in return. It’s similar to buying a 49er
Jersey even if you don’t understand or watch football. Circulate the love!
What is your personal
definition of Freestyle music?
The
Disco of the 90’s.
What is your “all time favorite” Freestyle song? Why?
Oh my
gosh...This is hard, but if I absolutely had to pick it would be India, “Right from
the Start”. I love her. She is so awesome. The song is actually really appreciated
because it was so hard for me to find the 12” single. When I finally did find it I
literally hugged it all the way home.
What is your “all time favorite” Freestyle artist? Why?
This is
also hard, but I love Sweet Sensation. I love a lot of their songs and just even the fact
that they sing songs in both Spanish too. (I know a lot of other artists do the same, but
that’s the first thing that I thought of).
What is your “all time favorite” Freestyle remixer/DJ? Why?
CARLOS
BERRIOS!!!! In very short words. Legend. Classic. Genius. Creator. He created the sound of
Freestyle. (Carlos you are the bomb!)
Why have you never remixed any artists yet? Is it a personal
choice?
I will
soon. I’ve really been focusing on my DJing. Remixing/Producing is a totally
different area. An opportunity has come up and I’m gonna take it, so I’ll keep
you updated on that. (It’s a secret, and not really official yet)
What do you think of the Freestyle scene and market?
There
really is not a huge scene in Freestyle. I think there are devoted fans of what was once
classified as “true Freestyle”, but you gotta give it up to us who are devoted
and supportive of the genre. I also think Freestyle is more “graduating” to
other classifications since the instruments are so different now. And there’s nothing
wrong with that.
Why has Freestyle music become an underground music? How did it lose its fame?
I think
because there are other types of music the general public looks forward to hearing. A lot
of the influences in my opinion are television, radio and just basic word of mouth. It’s
hard to really break or cross over a Freestyle song today.
What would
you change in the Freestyle industry today?
Better
vocals.
Any advice to anyone who wants to start a DJ career?
You
either do it or you don’t. There is no in between.
Be prepared to work hard.
What are you goals in the music business?
To
become a better DJ, test out other aspects of the industry (running a nightclub, working
on remixes or producing) just keep having fun.
Do you have any particular message to give to the Freestyle
community, and to your fans?
Its up
to the fans and the Freestyle community, as well as producers and artists to really keep
the community together. Personally I’m always gonna be here and remember how
Freestyle has touched my life as an individual. For the fans that support me and my music
in what I do, I can’t say more than thanks so much and I love you all. I wouldn’t
be doing certain things in this field if there wasn’t an audience to hear it. Thank
you and god bless.
What are your favorite hobbies in life?
Really
aside from mixing, I like to relax. Stay home, leave the house messy, play with my son. I
have a daytime job which is very tiring and also in school.
Anything else you want to talk about?
Just to
say thanks for the opportunity to really express my opinions and answer questions to those
who might have been wondering.
Thank you very much Janelle. Keep spinnin’ Freestyle
music…
All the best for the future.
THE END