ZapTown

Each month ZapTown highlights DJs from around Indiana to bring you not only exclusive mixes to showcase each DJ’s unique talent and identity, but to provide you with a proper resource and guide on each individual DJ. This month, we celebrate the work of DJ Deanne.

Link: www.djdeanne.com

Listen to an exclusive ZapTown Mixdown by DJ Deanne (58:17)

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How did you get started doing DJ work and what motivated you to learn the craft? What influenced you to get into the type of style and sound you currently DJ? How did that transcend into your life and become a part of who you are?

I have two Bachelors degrees in Finance and Sports Medicine under my belt. My short career in the banking/finance industry was long enough for me to know that’s not where I wanted to be.  I came out, got divorced and moved to Florida back in ’96. I started going to clubs and hearing music and seeing all kinds of things that I had never heard or seen in my life. Remixes, to anything, were like crack to me. This was in the days of Napster and Audiogalaxy and my 56K modem and I would download endlessly. I had built a pretty healthy library while in Florida and I couldn’t get enough new music. I started going to school again and transferred to IU to pursue a degree in Sports Med. When I moved to Indiana I had all this music and made friends with guys who were successful DJs in the city. They introduced me to DJ’ing as an outlet and a more hands-on, personally creative way to listen to my and their music. I bought my first vinyl in 2000 and started practicing at a small little gay bar in Bloomington where I was bartending. I got my first set of turntables as a gift and bought the rest of the equipment that I would need to get started. I found that I had a talent and it kind of turned into an obsession. I started DJ’ing the Monday night drag shows and couldn’t wait for the queens to be finished so that I had the last hour or two to really play. I made a few key connections and was able to play a Pride Festival Tea Dance at Talbott Street. The only people that were there were my 30 friends or so. But what I felt in that big room with the lights, the big sound, the shirtless dancing boys and the fear and exhilaration of playing was enough to seal the deal for me. I had to make a decision between grad school and the chance to maybe play again sometime in the future. I didn’t choose grad school. I just kept practicing and practicing. The residency came and my life as a DJ really began. My sound was influenced at first by what was being played in the gay clubs in the late 90′s – alot of anthems, big remixed vocal tracks with dramatic breaks, and a hard circuit sound that was perfect for the party kids. I still love a little drama, a good vocal and I’m a sucker for a break and a build. But, over the years my taste has evolved. I love the energy of the gay/circuit sound but I prefer music with more variety and depth, fewer screaming divas, and a more sophisticated sound that reaches out to and beyond the gay scene.

How has this city influenced you and your work?

Indianapolis is an interesting and challenging city to spin for and I, myself, wear two fairly different hats.  On the one hand, my initial and continued success has come from playing to a mostly gay audience that likes primarily commercial, vocally driven tracks. Over the past two years, however, I have been more involved with the local EDM scene outside of the gay clubs where there is a greater appreciation for a more underground sound that I have always found myself more connected to.  The challenge for me is to blur the lines between the scenes and appeal to the audience in a way that keeps the dance floor moving, opens ears and minds to new sounds, satisfies the artist in me and, more importantly, the music lover on the dance floor. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. That’s hard to take at times because I want every party to be off the hook, but I haven’t stopped trying to do what I do how I do it. This city pushes me harder to be unique, a dance floor sociologist, and a stronger, more confident artist.

You have been trying to create a more international presence with your work. How are you making that happen?

I have been focusing on that. I tell you it takes a lot of patience and hard work and sometimes the right connection to break out. I was recently picked up by Give Me a Beat Productions, Inc. out of Miami and I am looking forward to more opportunities to come with that relationship. I have begun producing my own work and working on remixes and I’m excited about seeing how my individual sound will develop. But always, my main focus is to continue to put forth  all my energy and my best work every time I hit the stage, produce one of my shows or record a new promo. I’m my best advertisement.

What trial and errors did you encounter while developing your style? How did you know that this is the sound that was right for you?

Hell, every time you play it’s trial and error. Some tracks work and some don’t. A track can drive the floor crazy one night and send them straight to the bar on another. It’s a thinking girl’s craft when you play live and the errors can really mess with your head if you let them.  Knowing your audience, your music and when to drop each track is key. That’s the dance floor sociology I referred to earlier.  The thing that has been most instrumental (at least early in my career) in the development of my sound and my confidence in it are my weekly mixshows. I have been recording a 2-hour show in my home studio every week for the past 6 or 7 years to an audience of one. When you construct a set and you don’t have the pressure of killing a dance floor it eliminates a lot of pressure. Listening to the playback, you can hear technical errors and evaluate the strength of the set. I’m my own worst critic and it’s helped me to fine-tune elements of my performances, to be a better technician and to tell a better story.  I have also used the opportunity to break in new music and develop my own unique sound that really speaks to how I feel in that moment. I don’t like to sound like anyone else, never have and never will. That philosophy has been well received and I have created a national fan-base as a result. I have just translated the production freedom and the formula of that show to sets from 1-8 hours long, for gay or straight audiences, in big rooms or smoky dive bars from here to Miami. Fortunately, it’s worked so far.

Why become a DJ? What gives you the most satisfaction when DJ’ing?

When I started DJ’ing, I didn’t really think that it would really click like it has and that this is what I would be doing. Though I have always loved music, I didn’t use to dream about this as a kid or anything like that.

Remember, I was a late bloomer to the club scene so all of it was so foreign to me until my late 20′s. I entered the game kind of late after I had lived a little bit of a party lifestyle, so I can’t say I got into it to live the rock star life. I just realized it’s really what makes me happy and being successful at this has turned into my dream. I thrive off the interaction, connection and communication with the audience. My job, if you can call it that sometimes, is to play great music that people dance to, to help them forget about all the other crap that’s going on in their life for a few hours and just have fun. That, in and of itself, is very satisfying to me and why I do it. I love sweaty bodies, smiling faces, hands in the air and screams of joy. Let’s face it, like any other DJ, I kind of like the attention, too. But the art and skill of the job, to me, lies in accomplishing all those things by weaving the the perfect connective thread throughout a set – it’s construction, the story. And when I see people get that – appreciate that -  whether it’s a look in their eye, a nod toward the booth, a different groove in their dance step or a direct word from them to me, that’s what really turns me on.

What are your guilty pleasures?

In life…pasta, mushy love stories and Grand Marnier. Musically… Grease 2 (sickening, I know) or any other ridiculous movie musical from the ’80s and ’90s, private unreleased promo tracks, lasers and percussion.

You have performed with a live drummer/percussionist on stage before. How did that work out for you and what did it bring to the stage not only with your impression but the crowd reaction? Are there other unique things you have tried in the past, and any specific plans in the future you might be experimenting with?

Every two or three months Joe Melton joins me on stage at Talbott Street. We have an amazing time together. We never coordinate the set. It’s totally spontaneous and off the cuff. I never plan a set anyway, but he has absolutely no idea what’s coming next. We have built a relationship where he trusts me and the direction that I’m going to take him. In that I love percussion, it’s fun playing a set that is supported and complemented by a live percussionist. Having him there gives me the freedom to go a little harder throughout the entire set than I normally would, too. The audience gets so hyped about having something different there that the energy is off the charts. I can basically play whatever I want and it works. I love it! I have also coordinated production routines with the female impersonators (hot spots), dance groups, live vocalists and performance artists. I’d love to bring in a complete drum line and have them just tear up the stage with a marching band arrangement to a hot tribal house track! I like to keep the crowd entertained and any opportunity to mix it up a bit is fun for everyone.

One thing I think is great about the DJ scene is that there are an outstanding visual presence of exceptional women creating amazing things, as well as men. Growing up in the punk and hardcore scene for me, gender was apparently male dominated. Do you feel that gender and this underlying freedom is important to you, or is it really not something that is as apparent as say the punk scene was? How do you see the role of gender with electronic music in the future and its need of unity for the future of the genre?

Personally, I hate concentrating on the gender aspect of what I do. But, it’s often unavoidable. This industry is male dominated and there is no denying that and, to be honest, it’s more prevalent in the gay scene than any. Many women in that particular scene find themselves fighting the tendency of promoters to lean toward the buff, shirtless, hot, male DJ with questionable or, notably, unoriginal and cookie-cutter talent over exceptional female DJs who have put in so many years of hard work trying to deliver great music. These days it seems anyone with a gym membership, a laptop and a clever marketing strategy can go from go-go dancer or porn star to DJ overnight. It becomes incredibly frustrating to try and get attention when you’re up against something you can’t compete with. The same is true in the straight scene. There is a definite male predominance, but there are also many successful and talented female DJs and the scene seems to be a little more open to women walking through the door. However, there is also an increasing trend in female celebrity and model DJs. They’re hot, they’re barely dressed and they’re hard for a serious jock to listen to. But, they’re getting booked. Is that really helping to create unity or not? It’s hard to say. I have my strong opinions on “DJs” getting gigs for their shtick and not their talent, whether they be male, female or extra-terrestrial. At least in our local EDM scene so many of the promoters are willing to feature DJs that cross all divides, whether they are white or black, gay or straight or male or female. It really is about offering great music to the city. I’m a DJ who is also a girl. I’m not selling sex, I’m just trying to peddle my beats.

Tell me about what you are doing now and some of the important highlights for you that happened in the last year?

You know I have my monthly party, Ascension, at Talbott Street on the first Saturday and the party is still going strong after 5 years. My monthly open deck project, The Side Room at Talbott Street, is getting good reviews and uncovering some fresh talent in the city. That goes down on the last Friday of every month. I still have my weekly mixshows on PartyRadioUSA.net and GayInternetRadioLive.com. I have been really busy in the past 6-9 months playing a lot of the local parties that are coming up, like Jackola’s High Five and Fwd:Indy, Taylor Norris’ Get Down at the Red Room,  and Muzique Boutique’s Keeping It Deep to name a few. Playing some of the big shows in the city with Paul Van Dyk, Donald Glaude and Collette were fun. Getting representation was a big deal and that has resulted in more gigs already. I just got back from Miami and I’m going again in May. It’s going to be a busy summer with lots of things going on around Pride and hopefully a new monthly event will be beginning, as well.

What are your plans for 2010 and what do you want to accomplish in the future as a DJ?

I have a little business venture in the conceptual stage right now that I look to have up and running later in the year. I, obviously, want to play outside of Indy more. That’s my main focus. Whatever I have to do to get out there and jam, I’m going to do. I want to produce, remix & create. You can’t be a DJ forever, but you can make music until you die.