DJ Lindsey Talks About Her Life Behind The Tables

DJ

Turn it up! Turn it up! Turn it up, the crowd chants. It’s day two of the AFROPUNK NY fest and the enigmatic Grammy-winning singer Lauryn Hill is doing her best to contend with the crowd’s demands amidst the music from multiple stages at the festival in Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn.

Though Ms. Hill kept festivalgoers waiting more than 30 minutes before she began her set, the wait was quickly forgotten once she started jamming.
While she and her band were performing, issues with the sound kept the show from being as dynamic as it could be initially. Ironically before the end of All Falls Down, nearby, a female fan was carried out and all the mics went radio silent shortly after. Hill and her band continued to play their hearts out despite the lack of sound.

After her exit, Lenny Kravitz walked onstage slowly and quietly while the crowd roared. The rock star’s ballads I Belong to You, Again and Believe, mesmerized and hushed festivalgoers. Kravitz told the audience he was born and raised in Bed-Stuy but had never played in his hometown.

The 25-year long wait was worth it.

The air was buzzing when Kravitz shared “This has been a long time coming. I love seeing all of these beautiful afro faces.”
Those decked out in blazers and bowties or dolled up in kente and tulle all danced, sang along and chatted throughout the two-day celebration of music and the culture that surrounds it. Rock music, house, rap and more blazed throughout the park each day.

But a few days before the festival’s headliner, former model and disco queen Grace Jones made the crowd go crazy with her insanely-long and fascinating hula-hooping and singing with over-the-top head gear and nakedness, Killerboombox took a minute to chat with one of the DJ’s performing at the fest.

DJ Lindsey, aka Lindsey Caldwell, knows what crowds like and makes it her business to give them what they want. The soft-fro’d beauty is a mother, music aficionado and wife who has been DJing since the late 90s. Her skills around NY are well known. And when the purple loving pop icon Prince has a private party, Lindsey has been called upon DJ.

It’s hard to imagine the skilled DJ back in the day when she first started out. “I started by collecting records. I didn’t have turn tables at first. I used to practice with friends who had turntables,” Lindsey said.

At one of her earliest gigs Lindsey—who sings and did the vocals in her new track Jack—was opening and ending sets with electronic music. Mostly drum and bass. “It did not go well,” she said. The audience was dead pan. But she’s learned a lot about listening to the energy of a crowd and the importance of picking the right venue. Here, Lindsey talks about music, being militant and what can make a good DJ a great one.

What differentiates a good DJ from a great one?
The playing field has completely leveled. It’s about technical ability. If I’m at a party talking and the DJ is train wrecking, it throws off my whole train of thought. You don’t have to be much anymore. I have nothing against technology. So how lazy do you have to be to not even try. Have the ability. [You should know] How to sync and snap things into the grid and prepare a set. A great DJ knows more about music and appreciates older classics. You don’t necessarily have to play them. You can tell if they really appreciate music.

Four Color Zack, he’s an alien, he’s incredible. Red Bull is really doing interesting things. He’s manipulating songs. He’s not just playing back [music]. Great DJ’s make it a show. A real unique experience. There’s so many things I could check off. A-Trak continues to push boundaries. Even though he only plays electronic music, you can still hear the hip-hop sensibility. With DJ EZM you will hear scratching. It’s more than just one thing. It’s lots of things. The only thing that’s disappointing is someone who doesn’t know how to DJ.

What music is in heavy rotation for you right now?
That’s such a hard question for a DJ. I’m playing so many parties right now. When things fall apart, you have to adapt.

I started out doing drum and bass, but I’m black and grew up in black household listening to all kinds of music so it’s easier for me to switch it up. People kind of book me for a specific perspective. I have limitations. I grew up in Arizona so I grew up around a lot of white people. We listened to Blind Melon, Blue Traveler, Fiona Apple, Depeche Mode. We were all pretty militant holding on to our blackness. My interests are very varied. Anytime there’s a cross over between electronic and R&B I really appreciate it. I like Teedra Moses, Faith Evans and Kaytranada production. He’s a producer. He’s the producer of my life! He produced Girl the song by The Internet.

What’s the best part about making people move?
Just that. I think it’s a connection with people. Personally, I’ll go someplace with a regional radio station like California which has Kday (radio station). They play Dub, Dove Shack, tons of Snoop, and Warren G album cuts; Spice 1, E-40. So specific to Kday. So when you hear a song, like some random song Captain Save a Hoe, it brings back memories of when you heard it, you remember the words and what you were doing. I want to do that for people, one song after the other. That is the best. I love that feeling. That’s connecting with people. I’m not the most socially comfortable. I’m a DJ so I can hide in a booth. It can be devastating when they don’t feel you.

Does it hurt your feelings?

Yes, I think: how can you not feel this? You’re responsible for them to have a good time. When it’s good, it’s a great feeling.

Stay connected with DJ Lindsey at www.djlindsey.com

If you missed AFROPUNK NY, be sure to hit up AFROPUNK ATLANTA in October. There will be some of the same performers, along with a host of new ones including D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Saul Williams, Public Enemy and Santigold.

For the full lineup visit: http://afropunkfest.com/atlanta/line-up/

By Jacquinn Sinclair
Twitter: @Jwills1