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DJ Spotlight #6 - Olga


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Olga revealed her selection for this week's tune, and you can give it a listen right here!


1. How did you first discover West Coast Swing, and what drew you to become a West Coast Swing DJ?


Actually, My ex-boyfriend introduced me to WCS, he had a few friends who were dancing WCS back in 2012. It was summer, there was an open-air party in the local park in Kyiv, I saw how smoothly people were dancing, and I fell in love and started learning WCS immediately.

In 2017 we were organizing Kiwifest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Justin Petersen was Head DJ, and he needed some local DJs for Thursday pre-party. I wasn’t DJing that much, but I decided to volunteer, and I think that’s how my real DJ journey started. Surprisingly, he really liked my set and invited me to be on the team for the event. Since then, I have done a lot of DJ work, and even been a Head DJ myself for our Ukrainian events.


2. Give us a glimpse of your musical library! Which styles influence your taste the most?


Usually people say that I am sweet, smooth and seamless. Mostly, I am focused on finding good transitional songs that I can use when changing different genres. Sometimes I can go acoustic and lyrical, but I like a nice groovy vibe too.
The song must be making you dance, it must be kind of “tasty” and there should be some cool musicality parts for improvisation on the dancefloor.

So, it’s not the style that is important for me, but the mood and feelings the song creates for dancing.

3. Can you share a particularly memorable or interesting experience you've had as a West Coast Swing DJ, and how did you handle it?


I had quite a few of such moments. I remember I was working as an assistant head DJ for Baltic Swing 2019.

I was doing Strictly Prelims, Ibi was the MC, and actually I didn't know he could speak Spanish… I turned on some old Spanish song to get the crowd ready for the MC and prelims, and Ibi started singing to it and dancing, and all the crowd went a bit funny about it.
Ibi looked at the Dj booth to see who was DJing because he really liked and knew the song. And I felt like on the top of the world for choosing it.

4. What advice would you give to someone who's just starting out as a West Coast Swing DJ?


Listen to a lot of music, analyze, select and do your own collections. Do not be afraid to reach out to more experienced DJs and ask for advice. Also, always observe the crowd on the dancefloor, if it vanishes, it is definitely a sign to change something in your set and get people back to dance.

Try to feel the mood of the crowd, it is the best DJ can learn and do.

5. Outside of West Coast Swing DJing, what are some of your other interests or hobbies that help inspire your music selection or style?


I do lots of other dancing styles. I did Hip-Hop, Jazz-Funk, Heels dance, so maybe that's why I like groovy beats.
I try to listen to music everywhere I go: restaurants, malls, movies, other dance festivals.

I always ask friends and relatives, who do not dance WCS, to share their playlists and see if I can find some new “WCS songs”.

6. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our audience about yourself or your journey as a West Coast Swing DJ?


I feel that being a Dj is a very important thing. Actually events are dependent on these people, if you play a cool set, dancers are going to enjoy the party.

I always observe who the DJ is and if I like the set, I will let this person know about it.

So never underestimate DJs, before playing a cool set, there are lots of hours of listening, finding, choosing songs, so I hope DJ jobs will be appreciated more.

7. Lastly, share with us any upcoming events or projects that you're excited about!


Unfortunately, due to the war, I am a bit stuck in Kyiv and events are hard to plan.

I used to do 10-15 events per year, but now I can barely do one or two. I feel a bit isolated, so I am really thankful for such projects as Westie DJs Guild and a chance to speak about myself.

I will be at Autumn Swing Challenge this year, and it will be my first event as a DJ after 1.5 year break. I feel super excited about it.

Follow Olga on her Social Media accounts!






 
 
 

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