MAIELI FOR BORNTORAGE VOL. 3
We are proud to present you with the third installment of our mix series by way of our LA sister, MAIELI! I couldn’t be more excited to include homegirl on our roster of dope female DJs, and when her mix landed in the inbox late night, I saw fireworks. Instead of turning in for the evening, her mix conjured the turn up inside of me. I powered through the mix with so many “Oh no she didn’t” outbursts- like did she really go from 90s nostalgia to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and back to ASHANTI?? Not to mention a tracklist repping Fade to Mind, that new Princess Nokia track that has me j.u.m.p.i.n., and that clutch Beyonce with a twist. Maieli’s aesthetic in this mix is a fusion of global and contemporary sounds that’ll knock you into a hypnosis- the perfect way to forget, or get in the mood, for V day and beyond.
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We asked her a few questions to get the scoop on the lady behind the turntables:
M: The transition to producing was definitely a natural one but more because of my background in piano. I had this keyboard in high school that you could record loops on and I would make weird techno beats with it. Knowing chords and scales in piano is incredibly useful when producing. I still like to integrate my guitar into my tracks though, I usually add at least one layer of guitar to my electronic beats, I think it adds more life to it.
I think I always knew I wanted to DJ, when I was 11 I would make all these mixtapes, mainly hip hop/rap and house, just recording different tracks from the radio unto my tape deck (that I wish I still had!).
B: Tell us about what you’re doing in this mixtape?
M: I wanted this mix to be a little more eclectic and fun than some of my other mixes. Sometimes I get too locked into perfection so for this I wanted it to be more relaxed but still me. I also wanted to showcase poc artists that I think are killing the game right now.
B: How do you describe your DJ style or what music you’re drawn to?
M: After one of my first live gigs ever I had a girl come up to me and say “I can tell you play for the ladies, thank you,” I thought that was cute and it always stuck with me. It’s not something I consciously try to do . I do think my style has a feminine quality, but I can still hang with the boys, you know? I’m just doing me a hundred percent of the time, never trying to be anything other than what comes naturally to me.
I’m drawn to all types of music! Seriously, from cumbia to metal, I think it’s kind of an exciting time in music because there’s a lot of fusion and integration between different genres, which is such a great thing in my opinion. What I usually spin though is a mix of house, rnb, hip hop, and whatever else sounds good to me at the moment and for live shows I definitely keep it groovy because people want to dance!
B: What does Browntourage make you think of?
M: Browntourage makes me think of an artistic gang of diverse and talented people, supporting each other, like an extended family in a sense but I know its so much more, it’s a movement, so thank you for doing what you do!
photo by Daniel Sanchez