Despite her surprising aspiration to hawk bling, Baby Anne promises she'll still keep at her night job, one that's spanned nearly 15 years and produced a host of singles and a half-dozen mix albums. The easy-on-the-eyes turntablist otherwise known as Marianne Broadaway is renowned for her patented Miami bass-meets-high-energy breaks sound. Her journey began in '91, when she was a devotee of Orlando heroes Icey and Kimball Collins. "When I started out, it was at a point where I began to grow with the scene," she says. "But there wasn't a big venue for guest DJs." Luckily, Icey took her under his wing, and within two years, Baby Anne bought her first pair of Technics, moved from a guest to a headliner, and never looked back.
Having witnessed the rise and fall of Orlando's club scene, the "Bass Queen" knows it's seen better days. "The dance scene peaked a few years ago, but with CD burning, hip-hop nights, and the anti-rave laws, everything seemed to take a lot out of [it]." Fortunately, the Florida scene in general has stabilized, thanks to a new crop of DJs including her friend and charge Lasher.
With the recently released, two-CD Assault & Battery, Anne's breaks battle Lasher's pounding electro-industrial, creating an invigorating, chest-thumping hybrid. And now that she's helped pave the way for female DJs, Baby Anne can pass the baton to Lasher. "Anyone I think that has a good heart and talent, I get behind," she says. "Now that I'm a veteran, I can help people out a little bit. It's really hard to have your own style, so I felt like she deserved whatever I could do to help her. I know my time will come to an end."
Before that happens, Baby Anne returns to South Florida, and now that she's digging Dutch trance stars like Armin Van Buuren, expect a few interesting variations. "I'm a little more open to prettier stuff, so I've kind of filtered it into my set."
Baby Anne and DJ Icey play at 10 p.m. Saturday, January 28, at Voodoo Lounge, 111 SW Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $15. Call 954-522-0733.