Meet Odalys. The New York-based DJ is also producer, model, and creative director at FreshMilkLab, a multi-platform creative studio. But overall Odalys sees herself as a creative first.

The Rise

Odalys started her rise to fame at just 15 years old as a successful Model, known for combining high fashion with street style.

Coining the term #brokerich, the DJ expresses the reality of having a dope style despite not being able to spend obscene amounts of money on swag. The Harlemite’s modeling gigs were a result of her creative connections to her Tumblr mob that would meet up in Union Square, St. Marks and SoHo.

The Downtown creative scene later adopted her and jumpstarted her rise to the top.

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Felt it

A post shared by @ odalys_ny on Apr 12, 2019 at 2:32pm PDT

The Talent

Odalys realized while going to parties that her music taste could body all these wack deejays. So, she started spinning herself. After a year of spinning, Odalys has garnered head nods from Andre Powers and Soulection.

Also, on her clout resume – teaching Rihanna how to Dab and working with Lil Yachty and The Weeknd. Plus, opening for Steve Aoki at Marquee NY.

Odalys currently has a residency at Up&Down and deejays Mondays at 1Oak. 1Oak declared the swaggy DJ, “Queen of the Underground.” Additionally, Odalys has hosted Pass the Aux kicking off VFiles in 2018. She’s also on The 212 on Fuse.

The Wokeness

Odalys takes no bullshit and speaks her mind. She’s vegan and very conscious of how the political climate in the U.S. is one that is exceptional in mostly one way – it’s a scam. “The youth inspire everything,” she told GlobalSpin365 in an interview.

Furthermore, her understanding of woke culture places her in a position as a voice for young people that just want to do what they love, do the right thing, and survive. And she’s here to help give others a platform.

She tweeted at the top of 2019,

“Send me everything your music your art, creative videos I’m up to something guys finally going to have an opportunity this yr to really give ppl a platform to be heard.”

As Odalys ventures into her producing career, she’s already given us bangers. Melii’s “Copy (feat. Odalys)” is a dope way to start. And we can’t wait for what fire beats she’ll drop next.

 

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COPY HOW I MOVE SHE ON MY **** SHE ON MY JACK . COPY FT ME ON PHASES ON EVERY MUSIC PLATFORM GO COP THAT ! @melii 😍😍

A post shared by @ odalys_ny on Apr 2, 2019 at 11:51am PDT

There’s a truth in saying that opposites attract. NO BS sat down at Nancy Pantirer Studio with two New York-based producers KANDY and Luke Alexander to learn that differences in their career approaches did not actually put them at odds.

Luke Alexander, a skateboarder-turned-DJ/Producer, is a household name amongst New York clubgoers and has been making his mark on the music world with a range of support from Kaskade, Jauz, and Autograf to name a few.

He’s played some major shows such as Electric Adventure or Minus Zero, and for the latter event, he even suggested adding a full-on winter outfit to the rider. When asked how to prepare a great set he said he likes playing on the fly just like Laidback Luke does and be ready for anything.

Producer-turned-DJ KANDY, who started making music in his bedroom, turned the criticism from online trolls into a successful music career.

His multi-genre style, which includes dubstep, jungle terror and house and a sprinkle of his great personality gained him support from the biggest A-list DJs such as Diplo, Skrillex, and Marshmello. However, he also mentions that such support only translates to bookings down the line.

“That’s how I got my name out to start but I don’t think it automatically translates to bookings. It takes time and there’s so much more you need to be doing.”

Both producers shared the same advice for aspiring DJs who can’t afford the luxury of purchasing CDJs: get your hands on a pair at your local music store!

“That’s a hustle. A lot of DJs ask for that. I’m playing my first club show tonight, I don’t have CDJs, what do I do? And I say, we’ll don’t bring your controller cause nobody like when you bring it to the show and go to the Guitar Center and sit there from the minute it opens to the minute it closes. Everybody there is a music lover and knows that it takes a lot to make it and everyone wants to make it.”

From the Captain’s deck during a party cruise organized by New York-based Crust Nation, NO BS sat down with Robbie Rivera and DJ duo NXNY to get to know more about their workflow and creative processes and find out how it’s gotten them to where they are.

Robbie Rivera is the legendary founder of Juicy Music created in a partnership with Armada Music and owner of many number ones on Beatport as well as a great remix portfolio including work for U2, Lenny Kravitz, Deadmau5, Tiesto, Kaskade, New Order, Clean Bandit, Erasure, Basement Jaxx and David Guetta.

NXNY are signed to Juicy Music, and both are extremely talented acts that can amplify any party.

Duo members DJ No Doubt and Xavier Murillo talk about their transition from their graphic design backgrounds into music production, and how they weave the two together.

“We both listened to music in the office and then I asked him to make a mix. We started to put the mix together in No Doubt’s house, I picked up DJing little by little. We shared the mix with our nightlife clients who liked it and then offered us a first gig.”

Before going on stage, both the legend and NXNY share their juicy recipes for getting more gigs and developing large-scale success in the evolving electronic music scene, especially when there are so many DJs. Robbie Rivera says:

“When I started, I met this person from Atlantic Records who used to sign my records. He told me that when you leave the club and there’s a song stuck in your head, that’s the record you want to do. You want to produce the record that everyone is going to remember.”

Robbie also mentioned that if asked he would definitely be down to remix any hits from current hip-hop artists such as Cardi B. Check out the full NO BS interview above!

Although they hail from different eras and together hold a wide range of musical influences, both Eli Escobar and M. Vaughan eventually found their way into DJing and producing electronic music.

For this episode, NO BS: Exchange of Minds sat down with these two house heads to discuss their respective journeys into the genre, the labels that they operate and the music they create.

With over 20 years experience, Eli Escobar started viciously collecting records at just six years old. He soon began indulging in mid-80’s music, as he appreciated the innovation of new genres and use of technology in the emerging scene.

For a record collector, and having at one point owned 10,000 vinyls, DJing came naturally. When asked about his approach, Escobar said,

“I make a pretty huge effort to play all over the place, and not necessarily in one set, but on a nightly basis.” As a DJ that genre hops from house to techno, disco, afrobeat, hip-hop and reggae, Escobar tries to “make each night different from the last.”

M.Vaughan, the now Brooklyn-based producer/DJ, grew up playing guitar and songwriting for bands in high school. After learning he was a control freak, wanting to take liberties in writing and producing, Vaughan began making electronic music.

“A lot of the stuff I sample are from mellow jazz records I’ll listen to while cooking dinner, and think ‘that would be cool to re-contextualize into a bumping dance track.’”

Vaughan describes his DJ sets as “deep, soulful, almost melancholy, but very driving.”

The young artist currently runs a small label, Super Tuff Records, and has already made some headway by recruiting European artists. He hopes to join them soon and play a few dates across the pond.

NO BS sat down at Eden Fine Art Gallery with New York native DJ DALI and Drum and Bass DJ and bass music pioneer Reid Speed to talk about the women in music, the “Girls & Boys” party at Webster Hall and more.

DJ DALI, known for his presence in the underground culture and his weekly shows at Webster Hall for the Girls & Boys event. During his portion of the interview, DALI opened up about his thoughts on the expansion of EDM in the mainstream and shared some sage advice for any starting out DJs. He also filled us in on his experiences with fellow DJ colleagues he booked.

“We had Skrillex’s first show in New York City ever. He also played our last show ever. I knew he was going to get so big from the day I met him. That guy is a musical genius. The first conversation I’ve had with him was a two-hour conversation about drum and bass, which he was not making at the time.”

Reid Speed is a one of the most highly skilled drum and bass DJ’s and recognized as a trailblazer of the multi-genre bass music movement and spoke about her experiences of being one of the few female musicians in her genre and how the male-dominated scene has evolved over the span of her decades-long career.

She helped kick-start the careers of the likes of Dillon Francis, Must Die, Figure, Bare, Singularity, Cyberoptics, and many more.

“When I started I felt that being a woman was super helpful because there weren’t any, so the fact of being the only one at first, I was like the token female DJ. Then the fact of being really good–that was cool. Then I got a bunch of residencies and if I was a guy I don’t think I would have been afforded those opportunities just from being good.”

The DJs wrapped up the interview talking about drum and bass’s place in the world of electronic music, especially during the rise of EDM’s popularity on mainstream radio.