(aka Reza Rites, aka DJ Reza Wreckage, aka Venus Sings)
PROVIDENCE, RI - For those of you who were not present at the first two events to witness it personally, it is official: I am entering phase 2 of my Venus Sings adventure - live dj'ing gigs.
It started innocently enough: a request to dj for the wedding of two friends. Excited and flattered by the request, and safe and secure with my association, I accepted. Soon after, I accepted an invitation to perform/provide tunes for another friend, who was organizing a private and intimate affair for her inner circle. Okay okay, so I asked if I could provide the tunes in that case, but she says her request was on the tip of her tongue before I interjected.
Before long, however, I had accepted a request to do a house party, while within a 72-hour turn around, a different friend had wrangled me in to an event where I provided both creative services and technical ones. That is to say, I was not only in charge of delivering theme-, attendee-, and vibe-oriented tunes, but amplifying and advancing the pre-recorded instrumental tracks for a line-up of hip hop emcees and spoken word artists who performed on the same night!
Now, if the tone of this post seems at all foreboding or regretful, that is by mistake (or literary trickery). If anything, I am still in a state of (joy-leaning) shock! For me, this started as a hobby that was inexplicably bringing me vast pleasure and endless curiousity. I noticed that some of the people close to me were enjoying it too, but I never imagined that something causing me so much personal joy would become like an ivy vine - spreading upward and outward quickly, drawing in those in its path with the sole purpose of adding beauty. But it has.
It's not only that I'm receiving great feedback and compliments from others (like stories shared about dance parties had and kind words from charming callers on WRIU), but the ivy is growing on me. For example, I started VenusSings.com early on because I needed another space to do music besides on WRIU's Voices of Women; I began to strategize on how to get my own equipment for months prior to being hired for a "gig" because I wanted to mix at home; and I began to look differently at events, conferences, and even television shows thinking, "I wonder if I could dj for them."
Again, this all came out of a personal joy and lifelong hobby - creating and sharing music. Whether it was chorus in junior high school, band in high school, or mix tapes with friends, I've always dabbled in music - and loved it. So it may sound a little cliched, but I really must recommend that you truly make time for the things that make YOU happy, because happiness is like ivy; it does spread, grow, and draw in others.
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Reza Corinne Clifton is an online publisher, freelance writer, independent producer, and music DJ living in Providence, RI. She is a two-time recipient of the Rhode Island for Community and Justice Metcalf Diversity in the Media Award for work on her website, RezaRitesRi.com, and she has worked with National Public Radio, BlackEnterprise.com, She Shines Magazine and a number of other national and regional media organizations. She co-produces a show on WRIU, 90.3 FM (wriu.org) and she runs the website, VenusSings.com, which is devoted to women in music and her adventures as a dj. To contact her or book her for a gig, email rezaclif@gmail.com.
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