Meet DJ Momo

2020 lockdown allowed for many people to find their inner creative callings and for Morgan this was DJing! There are so many amazing artists in New Zealand that have different spins on music and I thought it would be epic to share Morgans journey within the music industry and how her music talents have evolved over the past few years!

Head on over to @its_dj_momo_ and give her some love and support, you may even find yourself at one of her gigs!

Meet to DJ Momo...

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DJING FOR? HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?

I’ve been DJing for 2 & ½ years and started right at the beginning of the beloved

2020!

I decided to jump all in after thinking about it on and off for a year. I was inspired by

the atmosphere of the many gigs and festivals I went to and felt as though I had to

be involved in the process somehow. I loved finding new music and sharing it with

people and decided that mixing it together would be pretty awesome too!

I typically play anything from funky house, commercial house or tech house

depending on the venue.

While working in hospitality I met Marjorie who has been in the industry for over 10

years. She gave me lessons, let me borrow her equipment all through lockdown and

booked me for gigs, becoming one of my very good friends who I still go to for advice

when I need.

It’s a pretty cool network of people and I always enjoy meeting new DJ’s and seeing

what they have to share!

WHAT MUSIC DO YOU CREATE?

I actually haven’t created any music yet! But this is definitely something I would like

to achieve in the next year.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN SIX WORDS?

Positive, energetic, perfectionist, spontaneous and impatient!

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FROM?

I get my inspo from other DJ’s in New Zealand, there’s nothing better than supporting your

local talent!

Plus other Instagram videos of overseas artists, or festivals.

WHAT DOES YOUR WORKSPACE LOOK LIKE? WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL ITEMS?

I do most of my work at my house, usually either being on my laptop or trying out

mixes on my controller. These as well as usbs, an external hard drive, DJ software

such as Rekordbox or Serato, speakers and headphones would be your key gadgets

here.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

Usually I will spend most of my spare time searching for new music, creating playlists of

songs that I like or would play for the gig that week. Then finding the music on record

pools which are basically membership sights where DJ’s purchase music to play.

Once I have the tracks on Rekordbox I will put together a crate of music for the gig

that week and select some tracks that sound cool together!

Then I’ll play them out on the controller to see what works and what doesn’t.

However always be prepared, sometimes what you’ve planned doesn’t fit the vibe or

you have a different crowd to what you were expecting. It’s your job to figure out

what the crowd will dance to in the end while still playing music you enjoy too.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ASPIRING DJ'S?

You will learn the most playing out in venues. Practicing in your bedroom won’t get

you much further than that. There’s so much more to learn about crowd engagement

and the energy you create with your song selection. Going out and meeting other

people who do what you want to do is a great way to connect with other artists. And

that’s the best part!

Also if you’re nervous about performing in front of people that’s completely normal

and means that you actually give a damn! Depending on where I’m playing I still get

nervous, it can be stressful when something happens to the equipment or you’re

playing somewhere for the first time. So own your nerves, try to see them as being

excitement instead.

WHO OR WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CREATIVE INFLUENCES?

Other incredible female talent that I’ve met or seen perform along the way, Marjorie

Sinclair, Nic Tims, Chels, Revis, Kirsty Sutherland, Arii Jade, Dimpri, Sin Howard,

Sammie, Teto, Wattson, & Sub Sahara to name a few! I’m always inspired to see

other female DJ’s owning the stage.

DO YOU HAVE A DREAM THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO FULFIL?

I would love to be able to play at some Summer festivals this year! That would be

pretty epic.Making my own music and eventually going overseas to Europe would be on the

cards for the future too.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT WHAT YOU DO?

I guess with any art sometimes people love it and sometimes they don’t! I’m also

pretty critical of my own performance. Sometimes there will be nights that are

amazing, your mixing is going great, everyone is dancing. While other times you

might miss your cue point, you feel you could have played better, or even people

requesting whack songs!

Another thing when I was starting out and getting more gigs, was lockdowns putting

things on hold for a while when I wanted to keep moving forward! I was however very

grateful to have so much time to be able to practice and find music. The music scene

definitely took a hit from being stagnant for so long but it is incredible to see more

local talent get the recognition they deserve.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE CREATIVITY? AND HOW DO YOU PUT THIS TO PRACTICE IN YOUR WORK?

Creativity is an extension of you. You’re sharing a part of your self with others. It’s an

expression of what makes you unique. Every creative is different. Creativity is

something that you are constantly learning from, sometimes it happens quickly and

sometimes nothing feels like it’s working. It can be a process but it all feels worth it

when someone compliments your music taste, they say they had the best night

dancing or you’ve changed their mind about house music. It’s the connecting with

other people that just makes playing music the best.