shesaid.so Mix 040: Juliet Mendoza

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 Juliet Mendoza, the Los Angeles-based underground house purveyor who has been making waves in the LA dance music scene since the 90s with her melodic, soulful sounds. 

 Juliet Mendoza has firm roots in house music culture, both locally and internationally. She’s the founder and resident DJ of Jill’s House, a recurring LA party that acts as a platform for womxn identified DJs to share their sound with the house community in LA; has shared the decks with the likes of Peggy Gou, Doc Martin, Marques Wyatt, and Riva Star; won the Unsung Hero award at Defector Records; and has toured the world, from LA, to Paris, to Amsterdam, to Mexico City. 

This August, Mendoza made her debut at Defected Croatia, the annual house music festival on the shores of the Adriatic. Stay tuned for more music from the producer later this year. 

shesaid.so: Tell us the story of how you fell in love with music.

I have been around music my whole life.  Different styles of music and dance.  Watching people dance made me love music. It must have been that conversation at the age of five.  

shesaid.so: How has your community, background or upbringing influenced your sound?

I think all three, my background, upbringing and community have all given me the ear that picks up drum beats that call the heart, vocals for the soul and basslines that take you away. You name it. An Afro Latin girl that grew up in the melting pot that LA is. 

shesaid.so: Who or where do you draw inspiration from?

My mentors, friends and life experiences give me the inspiration to write, dig and play music.

shesaid.so: Is there a theme to your mix? What can listeners expect to hear?

Dance like no one is watching. A mix to move your mind, body and soul.  

shesaid.so: What are you currently working on, and what are you looking forward to in 2022?

This year has opened so many doors, and I am excited to announce my debut for Defected Croatia August 2022. I also have some tracks coming out this year and next year that I am super excited about. 

Juliet Mendoza Tracklist

 Patrice Scott - Come Inside

John Beltran - Resol

Specter, Byron the Aquarius Remix - Cold Sweat

Stefan Ringer - Body Language 

Andrum- Underwater

Mike Agent X Clark - Deep in da Heat

The Wamdue Project - In the back of your Mind

Follow Juliet on Instagram: @juliet__mendoza

shesaid.so Mix Series 036: QRTR

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 Brooklyn-based producer QRTR. QRTR is one of electronic music’s most promising up-and-coming artists, making waves with her cinematic brand of house music where she fuses air-tight dance hooks with dreamy downtempo textures. This style has garnered praise from publications like Pitchfork, DJ Mag, BBC Radio 6’s Tom Ravenscroft, The Wire Magazine, Paste Magazine, XLR&R, and more.
The buzzing selector has showcased her hypnotic live sets on the same stages as Tokimonsta, Daedelus, Booka Shade, and Tiga. Fans can expect to hear more of QRTR’s unique sound at her upcoming Coachella debut on the DoLab Stage.

Tell us the story of how you fell in love with music.

I’ve loved music my whole life, but it wasn’t until I experienced my first music festival (Bonnaroo in 2014) that I realized I wanted to create my own music project. Attending that festival is one of my fondest memories, and I hope to be part of someone else’s musical journey the same way the artists I saw that weekend are very much part of mine.

How has your community, background or upbringing influenced your sound?

I’ve been lucky enough to be part of Brooklyn nightlife for a decade now, and its eclectic nature definitely gave me the freedom and confidence to make the kind of music I make now.

Who or where do you draw inspiration from?

I’m inspired by so many things — books about space and dystopian tech futures, films about interdimensional ruptures unraveling reality, gardening. I like to pull inspiration from other mediums, but I’m also inspired by many music artists such as Bicep, Caribou, Octo Octa, Jamie xx, Kelly Lee Owens, Four Tet, Jacques Greene, TOKiMONSTA, and so many more!!!

Is there a theme to your mix? What can listeners expect to hear?

I just played a handful of tunes I’ve had on repeat lately, plus a couple new tracks of mine.

What are you currently working on, and what are you looking forward to in 2022?

I’m working on new music and building out a new live set. At the moment, I’m gearing up for my very first Coachella. :)

QRTR on Instagram, or her website.

shesaid.so Mix Series 035: PENNYWILD

The shesaid.so mix series aims to spotlight the diverse artists within our community. We are committed to championing underrepresented voices from around the world, focusing on female, non-binary, trans and queer individuals. Our monthly mix series allows our contributors to showcase their unique backgrounds and inspirations by creating exclusive, 30-minute live recorded soundscapes.

The shesaid.so Mix series continues this month with the multi-faceted PENNYWILD. The LA-based artist is a modern day renaissance woman. In addition to becoming a staple of the LA underground nightlife scene as a DJ and producer, she’s performed at festivals such as Coachella, SXSW, and HARD Summer, choreographed music videos for Zedd and RL Grime, and toured internationally with the Broadway musical West Side Story. The creative polymath imbues her productions and DJ sets with a sense of movement.

Now, in her mix, which showcases many of the artist’s original tracks, PENNYWILD presents a set of euphoric motion and fluidity — bridging the gap between her multiple defining art forms.

In 2022, PENNYWILD is releasing three new singles and a new EP, further entrenching her profile into the contemporary dance music canon.

Tell us the story of how you fell in love with music.

Growing up a “theatre” kid and competitive dancer, music was always in the fabric of my identity. Dance was my first love, but music was an integral part of that expression. Without music, I’d have no context to create. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties, though, that I fell in love with electronic music. Seeing Grimes at my first ever music festival — I clearly was a late bloomer with concerts — was transformative. I saw her on stage and knew I needed to be there, doing the same thing. That performance changed my life forever.

How has your community, background or upbringing influenced your sound?

I’ve always been fascinated by the connection between music and movement, and have been working tirelessly to bridge the gap between the art forms. House was always a style of dance that has heavily influenced my style. Growing up dancing in the brilliant Ephrat Asherie’s street styles dance company back in New York City.

Naturally, being a house dancer, I was exposed to a lot of house music. It’s no wonder I’ve gravitated towards that 4 on the floor sonic texture — it’s already in my body. Additionally, my theatre background plays a huge part in the types of vocals I gravitate towards — narrative, spoken expressions that propel a plot line forward.

Who or where do you draw inspiration from?

I draw a lot of inspiration from the big dogs — Childish Gambino, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Robyn, and more. In dance music, I’m really into Matvei, Dan Kye, Azealia Banks, Chris Lorenzo, amongst so so many others. I am a sponge for inspiration.

Is there a theme to your mix? What can listeners expect to hear?

I took this opportunity to showcase a fair amount of my own work in this mix. You’ll hear tracks like “GET READY” and “SIDE STREETS” (off sophomore EP “NIGHT PEOPLE”), “Do It To Music” (off debut EP “MIDI In Motion”), an unreleased bootleg, etc. It’s taken me a long time to have enough of a catalog to feature multiple original tracks in a mix, and that’s something I’m really excited about. Pivoting careers at 22 years old and starting from ground zero with music production was an extremely humbling, challenging, and at times slow-moving experience, but I am happy to be working on my 3rd EP — I feel like I finally KIND OF know what I’m doing now (kind of, being the key word) ;)

What are you currently working on, and what are you looking forward to in 2022?

I have three unreleased singles that I’m really excited about, as well as an unreleased EP. You’ll be hearing a lot more from me in 2022, and I cannot wait to drop some stuff I’ve been sitting on for so long, as well as some accompanying movement-based visuals.

PENNYWILD Socials

https://www.pennywildmusic.com

https://www.instagram.com/pennywildmusic/

https://twitter.com/PennyWildMusic

https://www.facebook.com/PennyWildMusic/

https://soundcloud.com/pennywild

shesaid.so Mix Series 034: LP Giobbi

The shesaid.so mix series aims to spotlight the diverse artists within our community. We are committed to championing underrepresented voices from around the world, focusing on female, non-binary, trans and queer individuals. Our monthly mix series allows our contributors to showcase their unique backgrounds and inspirations by creating exclusive, 30-minute live recorded soundscapes.

At the end of this month, Leah Chisolm, better known as LP Giobbi, kicks off a tour of North America. A musical experience which will deliver electrifying house nights, supported by FEMME HOUSE workshops at every stop. She’ll be joined by UK talent Bklava as they visit Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia amongst others. Ahead of this, LP Giobbi (Austin, TX) delivers this month’s SSSO mix. We caught up with the artist to find out the inspiration behind her mix and what’s influenced her sound.

Tell us the story of how you fell in love with music.

I was raised by music lovers and music appreciators, so it was just always around me in abundance. I begged my parents for piano lessons when I was in 2nd grade and they found me the most amazing teacher/human/creator ever! I studied with her all the way until I graduated high school and left home. She cultivated creativity and joy of music beyond anything else!

How has your community, background or upbringing influenced your sound?

I was raised by Deadheads so jam bands were what I grew up on. Psychedelic house music is my favorite and very much influenced my upbringing. I sampled a Grateful Dead guitar loop 2 minutes into the mix ;-)

Who or where do you draw inspiration from?

Anything that is fun or joyful I draw inspiration from!

Is there a theme to your mix? What can listeners expect to hear?

I built the mix around The Weeknd’s “Take My Breath” breakdown where it drops into that synthy Daft Punk style arp. The second I heard it I knew I wanted to loop it and throw it into a mix so I picked tracks in the same key that would vibe with that particular part and then flowed from there. This mix is a bit headier. Stuff I would play at the after after after.

What are you currently working on, and what are you looking forward to in 2022?

About to head out on our first ever Femme House (my non profit that teaches women and gender expansive folks how to produce music) Tour! Doing free in person workshops in each city during the day, teaching Intro to Ableton, and then all female / gender expansive lineups at night! And I’ll be releasing a longer body of work this year and playing more shows than I ever have. Super excited to play in Ibiza, Croatia and Brazil all for the first time this year!

Femme House Tour Info

LP Giobbi Website

LP Giobbi Instagram

LP Giobbi Facebook

shesaid.so Mix Series 033: Tina Edwards

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.

We are so excited to relaunch the shesaid.so Mix series with our friend Tina Edwards.

The mixing style of British DJ Tina Edwards is a bricolage of musical influences. Growing up in London with a strong musical education, Edwards has always appreciated a diverse range of genres and sounds. In her DJ sets she brings together contemporary and uncovered gems, large-scale jazz, funk, disco, a spectrum of house music, and even left-field pop. As a result of this expert crate-digging and impeccable mixing intuition, Edwards has been featured on Boiler Room, shared line-ups with the likes of Giles Peterson and Charlie Dirk, and procured a 5-year-running residency at Worldwide FM. Across these platforms Edwards continues to champion UK Jazz, the fulcrum of her musical identity and a style defined by a bridging of jazz and club culture.

Tell us the story of how you fell in love with music.

My parents were always supportive of my curiosity for music. I owe a lot to them. They took me to guitar and piano lessons and didn’t hold me back when I wanted to leave one instrument in order to try another. My mum once said to me that of all the things she could have passed on to me, a love of music is the one that’s most important to her. One of the most precious memories from my childhood is jumping on the sofa with my mum as we sang at the top of our lungs to Tiffany’s “I think we’re alone now”.

How has your community, background or upbringing influenced your sound?

I was lucky to grow up in a multicultural school in London. I took up tabla lessons when I was 7, and my school offered every child steel pan lessons after school. I think those opportunities left me with a curiosity and comfort with rhythm. When my family and I moved to the Isle Of Wight, I took up singing and began to find my musical identity, and it’s been constantly evolving since. DJing and a love of records came much, much later — in my adult life. After my A levels I went to music college doing vocals and drums (often at the same time). But it was sharing other people’s music that’s always gotten me most excited.

From where or whom do you draw inspiration?

My inspirations change from day to day. Right now, I’m inspired by the DJs that I most love listening to; Folamour and Hunee. There’s an element of boogie and groove and they’re never restricted by genre. I’m really feeling Dave Lee at the moment, too. Jazz is huge for me, especially for the impulsive energy of a Jazz dancefloor. My mixes come together through that lens. Away from DJing, I take inspiration from Bjork, drag culture and the people around me.

Is there a theme to your mix? What can listeners expect to hear?

The kind of music I find it impossible to stay still to when playing out.

What are you currently working on, and what are you looking forward to in 2022?

My Four Corners takeover at Brixton in Jamm, with Rebecca Vasmant, Tim Garcia, Mama Jo and Rosy Ross. A collection of DJs that I can’t wait to make a party with on 5th Feb! I’m hoping to play in Germany — I had a tour scheduled for January 2022 but unfortunately, venues are closed whilst they battle with COVID. For now, I’m getting my kicks from playing out as much as I can. I’m still a baby DJ (I’ve been playing for four years) so I’m excited to make my debut in more club spaces and festivals this year.

Follow Tina Edwards on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook