For these five South Florida ladies, working the turntables comes easily. They know exactly how to keep the party going, flowing seamlessly from hip-hop to electronic to soca. The only thing they ask is that we never make a request.
We've picked out our five favorite local female selectors, many of whom are skilled producers as well, for you to keep up with — and get down to.
5. DJ Hercules
She-J Hercules is easily one of our favorite DJs, killing it with her Ultimate Midday Mix on 99 Jamz every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She proved her self-proclaimed title of the “Queen of the Streets" by breaking numerous records on the radio while mixing in crowd favorites. Her DJing career started at 15 years old at small family functions on her virtual DJ program, and from there, she moved to the turntables at Florida Atlantic Universty Owl Radio. Her favorite music to spin is hip-hop and soca, reflecting her Caribbean and South American descent, so be prepared for a quick whine session during her mix.
4. Nala
Many people accuse Nala of “not actually DJing” or “faking it,” but trust us, we’ve seen her in action. She was born in Los Angeles but went to college at FIU, where she picked up DJing about a year and a half ago. “I've always been really into seeking out new music and sharing it with people. I was the type of person to make mixtapes for close friends and they would always end up contacting me every few months for a new mixtape. It was just a matter of time before sharing new music with everyone turned into DJing. Once I started, I couldn't stop,” she says.
Nala practiced hard to learn the formulas and structures of how music is made. Since
3. Sel6
Sel6 is not your average DJ. She doesn’t quickly spin Future and Young Thug bangers she knows everyone will like, but mixes in every genre for the perfect night. “I try to tie in all different genres and blend shit together that you wouldn’t expect to be blended,” she says. With being original on her mind, she picked up mixing, DJing, and producing in a year. “Nothing specific really inspired me to become a DJ. I’ve just always had a spiritual connection with music and wanted to find my way in the industry somehow,” she says. Sel6 quickly turned her hobby of manipulating sounds into a DJ career, and you can catch the Broward Country native spinning at Wet Bar Miami, Lou La Vie, and
2. DJ Yazmine
Being sexualized as a female and not getting taken seriously behind the booth does not stop
Yazmine has grown her fan base through mixes online and gigs at Norma Now’s weekly party, SUNDAZE, at Sidebar and
1.
Miami Beach native
In her years of DJing,