The shesaid.so mix series aims to spotlight the diverse artists within our community. We’re committed to championing underrepresented voices from around the world, focusing on female, non-binary, trans and queer individuals. Our monthly mix series allows our contributing selectors to showcase their unique backgrounds and inspirations by creating exclusive, 30-minute live recorded soundscapes.
The shesaid.so Mix series continues this month with Ms. Mada, the Filipino-born, Miami-raised DJ virtuoso whose residency at Miami’s vaunted Club Space has made her an internationally sought-after selector.
Ms. Mada’s taste blends the Latin American influence of her childhood neighborhood, R&B/hip-hop classics heard on the radio, and local electronic music genres such as Miami Bass and Miami Freestyle - a combination that invokes a diverse map of the DJ’s vibrant Miami upbringing, This dynamic, home-sprung sound has led to performances at American festivals such as Ultra Music Festival, EDC, III Points (where she played a Boiler Room set), Splash House, Hard Summer, and Time Warp, as well as international festivals such as EXIT (Serbia), BPM (Mexico), and BAUM (Columbia).
Ms. Mada has solidified her place in the soundscape of Miami, opening and closing for many of today’s biggest names in electronic music. We caught up with the DJ ahead of her debut at the club night series The Warehouse Project in Manchester, UK.
Tell us the story of how you fell in love with music.
I can say that my earliest memory of actually falling in love with music was listening to Aaliyah - “Are You That Somebody”. I became obsessed with this song. Wanting to learn the lyrics so I could sing along whenever it spontaneously came on the radio. I wasn’t able to buy the single either because I didn’t know how or where to look, so I had to sit by my stereo with my empty cassette tape and hit record when I heard the intro coming on. This was right around the time I started to become more interested in listening to Hip-Hop and R&B right before I was exposed to dance music.
How has your community, background or upbringing influenced your sound?
I grew up as a Filipina in a predominantly Latin community, so I was exposed to all sorts of Latin American music— salsa, merengue, bachata, vallenato, cumbia, etc. Then there was everything else on the radio with Miami bass, freestyle, and the usual Hip-hop/R&B radio hits of the time being played in between. I always tell this story of how the turning point for me diving headfirst into electronic music was when my neighbor handed me a George Acosta CD when I was about 10 years old. However, I also think growing up in Miami was so enriching that without me even realizing at the time, the music of my adolescence would lay my foundation and eventually pave my way towards electronic music.
Who or where do you draw inspiration from?
I don’t have a particular source, but I will say that my DJ contemporaries turned friends inspire me a lot. Most of my friends are artists in their own right and we all share different tastes, but the way I can just nerd out with them about music is one of my favorite things.
Is there a theme to your mix? What can listeners expect to hear?
There’s no real theme to my mix except for the very last two tracks. I had to include some Miami staples. You’ll hear tracks by Austin Ato, Sweely, Moglis, MADVILLA, Planet Soul, and a classic that I consider as one of the soundtracks of my youth. (:
What are you currently working on, and what are you looking forward to in 2022?
Currently, I’m trying to get around to mastering my own tracks for release. I’ve been traveling on and off almost every week since July, but I’m not complaining. I’m really fortunate. As of right now, I’m really excited to check this one off my bucket list. My debut at Warehouse Project in Manchester for Music ON on November 18.