Check out these awesome ladies for yourself! They will each be playing a set at the BUST Craftacular on Saturday, May 7th; located at the Superchief Gallery.
At every party, there is one key factor that determines whether it is good or bad: the music. And this all falls on the shoulders of the DJ; a person who has to the read the room, create the mood and keep the party-goers entertained while still focusing on their equipment whether it is queuing up the perfect set of songs from their laptop or grabbing the next vinyl record that will really turn the night into one you’ll remember. There are two incredible ladies who have these not-so-simple skills down-packed: LA native DJs Aubrey Henderson and Victoria Rawlins.
What makes Aubrey’s sound special:
Aubrey Henderson, a self promoted “open format DJ”, brings her wide variety of music like “soul, rock, indie, and the slightest tinge of disco along with an array of dance,” to every party because she believes she “brings more than just good music.” Henderson understands the energy and focuses on the feeling of hearing music from “that nostalgic song that forces you to sing in public” to “the moment when you realize you’re dancing like you’re at home while your roommates are gone.” Henderson embodies fun and wants the fun to stay with you long after the party is over and she is successful. When you catch Henderson behind her two turntables and a mixer, let’s hope “you’re wearing comfortable shoes” because you are in for a night of dancing!
Pictured above, Aubrey Henderson. Opening photo, Victoria Rawlins
What makes Victoria’s sound special:
From her parents being professional musicians to sneaking records to her room from her sister’s diverse collection; Victoria Rawlins was immersed in music. She began her own collections of vinyl records after her sister moved out, leaving “behind a bunch of her LP’s and that became the beginning of [Victoria’s] own collection”. She didn’t start DJ’ing until she offered to play records in between band sets at her frequent hang out, Three Clubs, a Hollywood dive bar.
“I never thought of it as DJ’ing until people started dancing to the records I was putting on — that’s when I knew it was something that I enjoyed doing”
The rest was history! Rawlins has been DJ’ing for about ten years and what makes her unique is not only her skills of creating a lively atmosphere but the fact that she only spins vinyl. Playing only vinyl records goes beyond quality, vinyl records bring a sense of nostalgia and comfort to Rawlins.
“…My records represent something that is special to me and more visceral than just the music pressed into their grooves. When I flip through my collection, it’s like going through a box of photographs— each album cover brings me back to a memory of the first or last time I heard it. As a DJ, I’ve never really learned to spin with any format other than my records and that’s okay with me. The records I play tell my story. Each piece of wax is something that I’ve invested in and cared for. These records live with me in my home and it feels great to be able to share these parts of my life with the world.”
When Rawlins DJs, you know she’ll make that night, atmosphere and ambiance “tactile and tangible and ephemeral”.
As more music is written and produced, we are lucky to have two people who know how to curate all of it into a night of endless fun.
