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Music has been a major influence in the life of one of the Pacific Northwest’s latest ingénues, DJ Mixxtress. With a family that includes an uncle who was a member of Seattle’s DVS crew (a legendary driving force in Seattle’s Hip-Hop Community), Mixxtress was surrounded by art and music throughout her formative years. 80’s pop, Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop and R & B were all a part of the diverse musical fabric of her childhood.
In her early teens, that same uncle who had influenced her with years of nurturing and a virtual library of mixtapes chronicling their shared love of music, passed away. Through this tragedy came the discovery that she wanted to DJ, when at her uncles wake she was surrounded by the coming together of a major portion of Seattle’s Hip Hop community. All in memoriam and appreciation of her uncle, B Boys and Girls, Graffiti Artists – and DJ Kamikaze, mesmerizing her with his turntablism behind the decks. After that, she requested a record player and inherited some of her uncle’s collection of prime vinyl, and her dreams took flight.
Throughout her late teens, Mixxtress spent countless hours listening to these records on a second hand record player. While her peers were playing video games or watching cartoons, she was pouring over countless hours of MTV or BET. In school, while the other teens were immersed in current Top 40, and while she appreciated that too, she religiously listened to Nasty Nas’s Sunday night radio show on KEXP – even when she had to make her own antenna out of tin foil to make sure she got reception!
By the age of 19, Mixxtress met DJ Tre, a DMC champion, and a master turntablist. A strong bond formed, and soon she was tagging along to his gigs and battles – and learning all along the way! By 2005, she had purchased her own set of Technics 1200’s and a Numark mixer and was off on her own, developing her own style, bringing together all of the influences from the course of her life. Before long, she was booking regular gigs at some of Seattle’s top nightclubs, and earning opening spots for such legends as Spinderella and DJ Shortee.
Mixxtress’s career continues to flourish. Her sets aim to please – including music across many genres and generations. She currently holds residency at Cellars, and plays regularly for Seattle’s Re:Launch-HitGirl! roster.
