DJs

Brenda has been Dj’ing since 2003 and is a house DJ at the Century Ballroom in Seattle. She started DJ’ing blues at local house parties, and regularly Dj’s at Burn Blue and Blues Underground. She did DJ Blues Night while in Herrang and most recently spun at Vancouver’s new venue Blues in the City.

While still enjoying jazz blues, she is working hard to expand her blues collection to include other genres.

target audience : folks who enjoy a wide variety of styles, from Billie Holiday to Stevie Wonder. Brenda likes to make people happy :)

Carolyn likes to be made to want to dance. She has dabbled in many different dances (Blues, Tango, Swing, Charleston, West Coast, Soul, Belly Dancing, African, & hopes to add many more!), she loves & appreciates all of their qualities. One of her biggest efforts in DJing is variety, trying to play a little sump’in sump’in for everyone’s likes, from nitty-gritty to fun ’n frivolous. She is still developing as a DJ and currently trying to expand her blues library. Some of her favorites would be Sidney Bechet & C.W. Stoneking.

Moving into the Seattle blues scene 6 years ago after years of dancing Lindy, Damon found another dance that satisfied a different part of his soul. Pretty soon he became interested in DJing and has been doing so at parties for about 5 years now. When he heard about the Burn Blue DJ mentorship program, he was stoked to have the opportunity to better his skills and he signed up as soon as he could. Having graduated from the program, he now continually seeks to expand his range and collection from a base of solid, guitar-driven Chicago Blues and funk/soul/R&B-esque alt-blues.

Dan likes blues music. Dan plays blues music. Dan hopes you like dancing to his blues music.

David is a long-time Seattle blues DJ. While he’s not as active in the blues scene as he once was, he was instrumental in establishing the community. Many of Seattle’s dancers got their first lessons from him.

When we can coax him out of the house, David draws from the thousands of LPs that comprise his record collection and digs deep to bring highly danceable music from all eras with plenty, plenty soul.

From fast harmonica to sexy soul, Emily tries to play new tunes each time she spins a set. She loves to feel the energy of the room and keep the dance floor moving. She experiments with new vibes, while keeping the old favorites in the mix as well. She started to DJ blues after moving to Seattle 4 years ago. Some of her favorites include Sonny Boy Williamson II and Janiva Magness.

When Emily DJs at weekend events, she posts her set-lists at www.djemilysmith.blogspot.com

Though seldom DJing his own parties, Jeremy has DJ’d many parties and a couple exchanges across the country. Blues is his first love when it comes to spinning, and with his copious traveling, he has many different styles and aesthetics to pull from.

Expect some “ass” blues when he’s on the tables.

Joachim’s been has been hosting dance parties for the better part of the last decades. What started out as DJing for impromptu parties led to mixing it up as local/national/international venues. He does lean on alt-bluesy styles of music. However the primary goal is to go with music that when you’re sitting there listening to it, you feel the need to get up and dance.

Bringing many years of experience to the table, Jo Ann is an event organizer, DJ, and dance instructor, who is passionate about dancing and the music that inspires it. She currently resides in Seattle, but began her DJ career in Hawaii in 2003. She recently found her affinity with slower, sexier tunes when she started to blues dance regularly. Jo Ann loves to mix classic blues songs with a few modern selections to keep it interesting.

Some of her national DJ credits include the Hawaii Lindy Balboa Exchange, Camp Jitterbug, Northwest Balboa Fest, All Balboa Weekend, Seattle Bal Fest and Lindy Focus. She also DJs locally at the Century Ballroom, Sonny Newman’s and Back Alley Blues.

Always ready to bring a good time, John is a great example of a DJ who is ready to take you on a journey. While leading you from one musical genre to the next, thru the peaks and valleys of tempos, he often embeds his sets with secret messages. But only those who dare to ask him “what was that last song?” enough times may discover the secrets. To learn more about him check out his new site www.FluidandFormless.com

Karissa started blues dancing one steamy night in Seattle kitchen and knew the blues was for her! Within a year of being a blues dancer, Karissa knew she wanted to get more involved and started playing music for blues parties. She now DJs regularly at every blues venue in Seattle. She has also DJed several national blues events and weekly blues nights in the US. Karissa coordinates the Burn Blue DJ Training program and also trains new DJs.

This music makes her weep, rejoice, praise, and melt all at the same time. With any luck, her sets will do the same to you…

elly is a Washington native, and started dancing in Seattle and Tacoma way-back-when, but she honed her DJing skills in New York City amidst the growing blues dancing scene there. She became a regular DJ for JookJoint Shimmy Blues, and became known for her eclectic mix of hard-hitting electric blues, sultry slow drag, and African music, and her affinity for mixing classic recordings with not-quite-blues. During her stay in New York, she came back to Seattle on occasion and was a guest DJ at Burn Blue. She was also a late night DJ for the first ever BABBLE Exchange in NYC, and had the honor of being a late night blues DJ for Frankie 95. Kelly digs the late night.

Kevin Buster is a local Jazz, Blues, and Swing musician and dancer. Kevin has spun blues at the Herrang Dance Camp, Threw. He DJ’d at the first blues party in Zurich Switzerland, was a DJ and musician for some of the first blues party’s back in 1998-2004 when Janet’s blues house was the blues party of choice. He has seen blues trends rise and fall and has always stuck to his guns on DJing blues rooted in the older tradition of the generation, while using his 15 years of Dance teaching and professional music to meet the crowd.

Lessa started D.J.-ing at house parties way back when, and was really excited when the burn blue team thought she could be groomed as a “real D.J.” ;-) She lives and loves in the down-tempo and more contemporary blues styles, but tries to know what balance is between old and new, fast and slow, groovy and just downright kick-your-ass. Her one true goal in D.J.-life is to make it categorically impossible for you to sit still while she is on the boards.

Michael Darigol likes good music. And it’s that appreciation of music that makes him a favorite DJ of blues dancers and lindy hoppers alike.
Michael, commonly known as Dargoff in the dance world, has been dancing and DJing since 2002.
What makes his blues DJing stand out is the flow and the diversity in his sets. If you have a pulse and Dargoff is in the booth, then you can’t help but get up and dance.

In 2008 when Miles started teaching blues dance, his students often gave high praise for the songs he chose for his class playlists and clamored to have him DJ at the various blues venues. As a blues teacher, he has a deep understanding of how dancers respond to various styles of blues. As an active member of the blues community since 2003, he has a good sense of what people want to hear. Now in 2010 he is now ready to fulfill this student request and DJ for the public. Let the music begin!

In 2009 Nicole stepped into the world of blues and had no idea what to expect. Always having a passion for music she found a heart for the blues. After finding her new love she decided to take action and learn what it meant to be a DJ. Now 3 years later, Nicole has been a DJ at house parties, Blues Underground as well as Back Alley Blues. She enjoys watching the floor, feeling the vibe of the room and playing songs that fit the mood. She hopes you will enjoy her music!

Come join Orville on one of his moving excursions through music. Explore the highs and lows, fasts and slows and all the emotions in-between that can be found interpreting sound. “Close your eyes look deep in your soul, step outside your self and let your mind go.” -Tom Araya

Solomon is well known as a musician, playing piano and leading bands at swing dance events throughout North America and worldwide in such bands as the Glenn Miller Orchestra and his own bands, Back Pocket, the Solomon Douglas Swingtet, and Corner Pocket.