Jadzia Decks - The Interview
“Began DJing as a result of the pandemic for a creative outlet. I love mixing all styles of house. Afro house, Bass house, Tech house, Jackin disco funk house, Organic & deep house, electronic, dance and trance. Here to have fun & dance with y’all!”
Give Jadzia Decks a follow at twitch.tv/jadzia_decks
Jadzia Decks – NovaBeatz, HypeCrew
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1. What’s your real name and DJ Name?
My real name is Kat. My DJ name is based off a Star Trek Deep Space Nine character called Jadzia Dax. My DJ name is Jadzia_Decks for a sorty derdy play on words homage to this character and indication of my DJ trade skill.
2. How did you get into DJing?
I got into djing as a result of the pandemic in 2020. Firstly I found twitch and was inspired by DJs there such as SofiTukker, ItsDJBooters and IamVinyl. My husband used to DJ at Raves in the 90’s so taught me some basics & I initially learned at home during lockdown using traktor software and a small allen & health controller. However, I’ve always been inspired by & had a passion for music.
3. What inspired you to become a DJ?
I’ve always felt that what DJ’s do is magic and wanted to be part of something that is so positive& uplifting as music mixing is. So I started with learning house music and have since ventured into mixing breaks, indie dance, pop/dance among other genres. I grew up playing the guitar and have prided myself with being having an eclectic music taste. In other words, music is my passion.
4. What do you enjoy most about DJing?
I have not yet to experience the thrill of a live gig since I started during the pandemic. All my performances have been on twitch and what I enjoy most about DJing is the sense of community and belonging to a group of people who have like minded interests and passion such as music. I’ve found this on twitch. I also enjoy introducing my viewers to new music that they never new they would love to listen to. For example, I’m one of the few twitch djs to mix electro swing and many of my viewers & fellow DJs enjoy these sets. I’ve inspired 3 djs so far to learn electro swing and were starting to look at organizing raid trains on twitch dedicated to this genre.
5. How would you describe your music style and what makes it unique?
I do not stick to just one genre in my sets for the most part. There are evens where the requirement is to play a certain type but when you listen to my sets you will hear a variety of bass, tech, afro, funky, melodic, & classic house, disco, mainstage, EDM, dance/pop, breaks, techno, bass/club, electronic genres. I prefer to stick to high energy tracks and I don’t play an entire song from start to finish. I like to do a lot of long transitions to overlay tracks & I love vocals in my track selection.
6. What has been your favorite gig or event to play at so far?
My favorite events to play on twitch are any type of fundraising events. I love to give back and will use any tips, bits & subs I’ve earned during said sets to donate to the cause at hand.
7. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Definitely musicians from Mali and Cuba, SofiTukker, Arty, Ninjula, classic rock bands, Brit pop bands, female musicians of all backgrounds, and classic house dj’s like Frankie Knuckles, Felix Da Housecat, Larry Heard.
8. Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or releases you have coming up?
I will be organizing a classic rock raid train on twitch to occur in April of this year.
9. How do you stay up to date with new music and trends in the industry?
I network with other dj’s online, I belong to several DJ crews& teams where we discuss new music, I get updates from beatport and tidal of upcoming artists and new releases.
10. What advice do you have for aspiring DJs?
Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Take the risk to put yourself out there but do your research too on what kind of set up you want based on your performance goals. Listen to your heart when it comes to deciding what music you want to mix. Take the time you need to take to practice and feel confident in performing in front of other people however let the nervousness and anxiety you may feel harness your energy in your sets.
11. How do you think the role of a DJ has changed over the years?
I think that nowadays everyone who is a DJ is encouraged to also produce and I have zero skill or experience in music production. I’d love to eventually get there but since I am such a novice DJ I want to maximize my skills with djing first and foremost and focus on producing later. I am not sure how much more it has changed over the years since I am so new to the industry however I can imagine that DJ’s, like all trades, must adapt over time to the trends and technology advancements that naturally happen. One thing that sticks out is the increased need of an online presence to DJ either by live streaming but also by self promotion on social media and having mixes available for fans to listen to on various platforms.
12. How long have you been streaming on Twitch?
I have been streaming twitch since June of 2021. So about 1.5 years now.
13. Who are your favorite Streamers and why?
IamVinyl-visual effects & his progressive house melting mixes on his Sunday shows called Chvrch.
ItsDJBooters- He is a very talented and open format dj who does two amazing shows thru the week, EDM Monday’s & Throwback Thursdays
IdeaDJ’s- I enjoy them because they are long time veteran old school Arizona 90s rave DJ’s now streaming on twitch
FrankAmodo-local Hawaiian DJ spinning house vibes & a lover of koi fish!
LeeBuxton-He has all the hottest new house tracks
LaVonda Rocks-Never a dull moment in her streams mixing high energy house and always sporting a fun costume or wig. She also does walking sets when weather permits! it’s a blast.
DJMaculate-He creates fun video edits to go in sync with his funky fun mixes.
NateReflect-Philly based drum n bass DJ always playing the most hottest & recent releases.
14. Did covid and recent lock-downs influence you to start streaming on Twitch?
Yes! If it had not been for covid I’d probably never have become a dj. I found my passion of DJing later on in life as a result of the lockdowns & discovering twitch.
15. Anything else you want to add? Good time to shamelessly promote yourself.
I pride myself in my community on twitch. It is a symbiotic relationship sort of like the Trill in Jadzia Dax, the character my dj handle is inspired by. Without my viewers, my community I would be playing to a brick wall. I also love animals and when you come to my self you will find yourself greeted by my 6 loveable koi fish while enjoying a positive and uplifting high energy set!