Fairfax, Virginia’s DJ Deedub is quickly becoming one of Washington, D.C.’s most versatile DJs. Best known as the resident DJ for D.C.’s premier women’s party “Glitther ” at Zeba Bar, Deedub has also made people dance in just about every corner of the District and Northern Virginia. A trained musician, having studied piano and music theory, Deedub has an intricate knowledge of music as well as how to rock a party. Check her two-part mix for Electric Llama’s Melt series: Part 1 and Part 2.

Deedub discusses the origins of the Glitther parties, how she learned her craft, and how being a trained musician has contributed to her success.

::

Q: Tell me more about the Glitther party.

DEEDUB: Glitther started more than a year ago actually. It actually started as a fundraiser and a lot of people came out, and so one of my friends approached me and was like “hey, you want to DJ” and I said of course! This is actually my first big gig. Glitther is a woman’s queer party, and is one of the most popular parties in DC for women. Everyone has fun. I play Top 40, EDM, Hip-hop, and as you can see tonight, it was crazy! It’s usually how it is.

“Glitther is a woman’s queer party, and is one of the most popular parties in DC for women”

Q: What prompted to create this party?

DEEDUB: I think there weren’t that many queer parties in DC. It happened every fourth Friday, Glitther happens, and people show up so we have a really good time.

Q: How did you learn some of the soft-skills – learning how to read a crowd? Did you just learn it how you went along?

DEEDUB: I learned [as I] came along. It’s all about experience, the more you play in a club, the more experience you’ll get and the better you’ll be, most likely. Nine out of ten times you’ll definitely get better after each gig, and learn from your mistakes. You feed off the crowd, so if the crowd isn’t feeling what you’re playing, then you take another approach the next time.

Q: When was the first time you decided that you’re going to ahead and DJ a party and decide the direction of the night?

DEEDUB: As a DJ, you have to have the confidence to lead the people, because no one else is playing music but you. You have to do your thing and be confident. I guess at first, I did feel like a fraud in that – am I really a DJ? I’m just mixing these songs pretty simply – I did simple transitions. When I was first starting out and it wasn’t nearly as good compared to what I can do now. But at the end of the day, you have to say to yourself, “I have a lot of music and I think I have this talent and I’m going to put all of this together” and people are going to listen and hopefully they’ll like it.

Q: Do you remember how your first set, or party was like?

DEEDUB: My first set was in college when I had to a high school dance. So the high school dance was optional, and it was hosted at my college (William & Mary). It was a Model UN for high school, and so all the high schoolers come to the college and they have this Model UN committee in the daytime. At the night time they put a party on for [them], and maybe three people ended up showing. So all of my friends from college came and joined the party and made me feel good about myself. But at the same time, I got some actual experience. It was pretty nerve-wracking, but I had my friends there.

<iframe width=”100%” height=”450″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”no” src=”https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/195066606&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true”></iframe>

Q: Did you have a musical background to give you confidence?

DEEDUB: I played piano since I was five, so that helped a lot. Piano is an awesome instrument to start out with because it basically has the range of a lot of instruments combined together. The trumpet has a certain rage, the bass has a certain range, the piano basically has all of that. Playing piano was definitely the foundation for my music background. From there I studied music for fun in college, like music theory and other classes. I have an extensive musical background.

Q: What type of feedback did you get from these Glitther parties? Did you have to do a lot of legwork?

DEEDUB: This party tonight was one of the most packed ones we had – and that just says something about the promoters and people who put on the event, because they spread the word, and I also spread the word. It’s about everyone and the collective effort and the staff here at Zeba. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party. To start out with, there was not a bad crowd, it was actually a decent size, and we just grew from there. It’s been really consistent, and it’s been growing consistently.

Q: Do you think your musical training has clashes with or caused any reservations about playing Top 40

DEEDUB: When it comes to Top 40, I have mixed feelings about it, but generally I loved Top 40, but I think that’s why I haven’t grown tired of hearing it again and again. If you don’t like the music, you just have to appreciate the artist and the business plan behind the artist. Top 40, the songs are there for a reason, and they are on the charts for a reason: it’s because a lot of people like them. My musical background has never clashes with that, it helps me understand the music more. You can take a simple song and you could break it down and there are a lot of elements to it, that you wouldn’t think there would be. There are a lot of subtleties to Top 40 stuff that people wouldn’t certainly recognize.

“My musical background has never clashes with that, it helps me understand the music more”

Q: I was talking to your brother and he was saying that you’re showing him how to DJ a little bit. How is that process going? Now you’re teaching someone what you learned how to do over the years.

DEEDUB: It’s interesting because it actually tests me and my knowledge and what I’ve learned. I learned basically on my own and through YouTube videos. It’s a lot of fun, passing your knowledge on to somebody else. You actually learn from them too, and you learn what they like in music and how they see the different beats and different transitions. You can always bounce ideas of somebody else, even when you’re teaching someone you’re learning at the same time.

Q: Where will you be in five days, five months and five years?

DEEDUB: In five days, I’ll probably be working. I have the weekend off, so I’ll probably be listening to other DJs play. Five months from now, I’ll hopefully have my album out by then, that I’m producing – an original mix. I’ll be promoting that, maybe touring, doing some videos. I’m really excited about what will happen in the next five months. In five years, I couldn’t tell you, but if this album goes successfully as good as I hope it will, then maybe I’ll be touring worldwide.

::

Thanks Deedub for the interview!  Be sure to visit her website and head over to her Facebook page to see where she’s playing next!