“Will the DJ be standing there? Is he going to be at that table? “, says one of the WHUT tech crew, pointing at the mini stage set up during the full rehearsal of WGDC (¿What’s Good DC?). I say, “yeah…and she’s sitting right next to you”.
I met Illa Jams, in August.
She was on stage at the 9:30 Club pumpin’ the crowd of hundreds with booty bumping induced rhythms. Her chill demeaner and smooth mixing, masked the fact that this was her first time spinning out in public. And equally impressive, that her public debut was the culmination of a week long rock camp for girls organized by Girls Rock DC!. After that day, I heard that Illa Jams was spinning around town. Still impressed by her music selection and mixing, she was the first person I had in mine when we decided to include DJs on ¿What’s Good DC?. I really wanted WGDC to challenge the myth of the teenage girl in tech. As is the case with most technology fields, often times when people think of the DJ, they automatically gender that profession as “male”. I definitely know that because I am always at the recieving end of surprise when people find out that I am a crate digging, all night club beat driving robot on the turntables and CD-J units.
With that in mind, and lots of practice with Illa Jams at the Palace…
We just finished taping the first two WGDC shows. Our next taping of WGDC is November 30th. And I’m sure alot of us will be asking “What’s Good, Illa Jams?”
