SONOS CLUB : GABRIELLA
GABRIELLA has spent the past 10 years building a solid reputation as an accomplished, genre-spanning selector. Known for her underground sound, she has shared lineups with the likes of Sammy Virji, Coki, Madam X, Mike Skinner, Jamz Supernova, Wookie, Anz and more. Her mixes aired on high profile UK stations like BBC 1Xtra and Rinse FM, and international stations such as SCR Radio (South Korea and Dublab (Los Angeles) showcase her passion for radio, further proven by her monthly slot on Subtle Radio in London. GABRIELLA maintains a serious contributor to the UK electronic music scene.
INTERVIEW
How do you craft a sound that feels personal while still connecting with a wider audience?
GABRIELLA: I like that being a DJ or general music enthusiast enables you to connect with a wider audience through showcasing your personal sound. If you play what you like, you find others who like it too. The thrill of it for me is playing a dub or brand new release that’s pretty underground and hearing others react. There will also always be a few edits of rnb tracks in my sets, which makes it more accessible for a broader selection of tastes.
Are there any unexpected influences that have shaped your music selection or style?
GABRIELLA: I would say my dad has been a big influence in the way I search for and appreciate different styles of music. My dad taught me how to use iTunes to build playlists and burn CDs at the age of 6 or 7, and because he has always been a fan of independent, up and coming artists I wasn’t exposed to much mainstream music. When I branched out from the artists my dad showed me, I also found smaller indie artists when digging through iTunes (and Limewire - eeek). Of course I did get influenced by my friends and the charts as I got older, but I always retained an interest in finding niche, undiscovered music and that’s stayed with me.
How do you keep your sets fresh and unpredictable?
GABRIELLA: I’m lucky enough to be sent tracks by a whole range of talented producers that I’ve been connected with for several years. I started DJing when the online communities were a massive part of being an electronic music DJ, with Facebook groups like 140bpm and Lengoland introducing me to sick producers at the start of their career who I’ve kept in touch with. That keeps it fresh, but you of course always have to do your own digging on top as the sound is evolving all the time. In terms of unpredictability I play very genre-fluid sets so there will always be curve balls thrown in, or I mess around with speed like playing slower tracks at a faster bpm so people wouldn’t naturally expect it to appear at that point.
What’s a recent musical discovery that has excited or influenced you?
GABRIELLA: I went to Seoul earlier this year, and the scene there is SO sick, and still very early. I went to a jungle night and no one was on their phone in the club, everyone absolutely going for it in the crowd, and all focused around community with stations like SCR having a space to chill out and meet people in as well as hosting the DJ sets. I came back super energised, and have made an effort to keep up with the music coming out of there.
The life of a DJ can be demanding. How do you maintain balance and take care of your mental health?
GABRIELLA: This is an extra hard question for me because I also work full time in Music Publishing alongside DJing, including a lot of travel, so although I’m super grateful my day job is also something I’m passionate about, balancing it all is hard. I’ve been taking it more slow the past couple of years and only doing sets that really align with my sound and brand, and putting more focus into my show on Subtle Radio which is easier for me to fit in as it doesn’t finish at 3am! Luckily for me DJing is what helps my mental health, so the two go hand in hand so long as I’m not over committing myself.
When you’re feeling stuck creatively, what helps you regain your flow and inspiration?
GABRIELLA: Simply getting out there. Going to an event, doing a studio session or going to pirate studios with someone, just engaging with music and reminding myself why I started! I also don’t force myself if I’m going through a slower phase, as I don’t think you can push creativity like that.
How do you think electronic music culture is evolving in terms of inclusivity and diversity?
GABRIELLA: The scene has come leaps and bounds from when I started out. The only women I knew of in the scene when I started 10 years ago were Barely Legal and Flava D. I launched one of the first female focused club nights in Sheffield, and gave a lot of women their first booking. Fast forward to now, most of my favourite DJs are women and my social media is full of them which I loveee to see!! There’s still a lot of work to do in terms of equal pay and position on the lineup, but it’s important to acknowledge the work that has been achieved so far. In terms of race, there’s still a long way to go, particularly as most genres originated in black music, yet the lineups don’t reflect this. There are a lot of collectives pushing more diversity like Daytimers and Eastern Margins, but the bigger nights and festivals need to adopt the same practices.
What do you think DJs can do to push the scene forward in a more meaningful way?
GABRIELLA: For the scene to progress meaningfully, it desperately needs to get back to its roots which are in connection and escapism. Everyone says it so I sound like a broken record, but the industry has become about massive sell out venues to capture viral moments for social media, and this doesn’t align with electronic music making a meaningful impact on people’s lives. DJs can help this by ensuring they support smaller venues, and also attend other people’s events - you can’t want to be part of a scene you don’t contribute to through attending and buying tickets yourself. There is also a gap between the exposure that DJs get vs the actual creators of the music - the artists, producers and songwriters. DJs should be crediting their tracks at any opportunity to help close this.
If you could curate your dream lineup for a festival or event, who would be on it?
GABRIELLA: Seeing as this is my dream, I would obviously headline with one of my favourite MCs on set - Flowan or Riko Dan.
I’d have Jamie XX b2b Mura Masa as they’re 2 of my GOAT favourites to see live as they play such a variety of styles and genres, and I don’t think they’ve gone b2b before.
Next up would be Bambii who I still haven’t seen live but am obsessed with everything she puts out from tracks to mixes to content.
I’d top it off with some of my connections in the scene who are super talented and criminally underrated - SCAPA, Ash C, Charisma and Aura with MCs like JosoSick, Frankie Staywoke and London Lawz on their sets.
What’s a festival, venue, or country you dream of performing in, and why?
GABRIELLA: RIOOOO! I’m dying to play there after going for carnival season last year, the blocos (street parties) start from 6 and 7am, plus there’s stages set up all over the city and DJs in all the venues, it was incredible. This one street party on my last night there was full of gay and trans people in black leather dancing to Deekapz, I wana do a set there!
Outside of music, is there a passion project or creative goal you’d love to explore?
GABRIELLA: I’m still playing around with producing my own music in my spare time. I mostly dip into it when I get an idea for a flip or edit of a track I’m really into, especially ones where I resonate with the lyrics but it’s not electronic, so I can make a club version. I have no solid plans to put anything out yet - I don’t believe you have to start releasing music to prove yourself as a DJ. But let’s see if I ever finish one of the 47 32 bar WIPs I’ve started!
SONOS CLUB is an initiative from Sounds of Craft Records, designed to highlight the eclectic electronic music scene through the perspectives of the BIPOC diaspora and marginalized communities, while being open to all.
