A Conversation with DC DJ Geena Marie
We sit down and chop it up with DC DJ Geena Marie to discuss her time as a DJ student at the WBL Academy and how it helped to morph her into the DJ she is today.
Article & Interview by Alexandra Mitchell
Since I’ve known Geena she has been tearing the city up. One, sometimes two parties in a night. We met (no surprise here) at a dancy-dancy, drinky-drink venue where I used to tend bar (the good ole days).
Always humble and a tad quiet, but always scintillating and emanating confidence, Geena standing at a whopping 5’2 would step up to the turntables and get the slumpest, drunkest happy hour patron up out of their sad seat and on to the dance floor.
Her career began in 2014 after connecting with DJ Nativesun on a short film project. After working a few events with him, she started booking gigs herself and her career took off. Geena was featured on mad fliers, if it was a poppin' party, 9 times out of 10, she was spinning. One of my greatest social highlights is when my partner and I were able to book her for our Sunday dance party we used to throw pre pandy.
Geena is a powerhouse, great personality, terrific ear, hip hop enthusiast, dope kick connoisseur and just straight up nice! So it was no surprise when I found out she was connected with WBL.
“This sound is dope, other people need to hear this, and I was like, let's go!”
During our call, we chopped it up about her time as an academy student and how it helped to morph her into the DJ she is today. Check it out.
Alex: Tell me about how you were introduced to Words Beats & Life.
Geena: I was introduced to WBL through Nick Da Wonda. I remember speaking to him and him telling me about WBL and how they offered DJ classes for free. This was really early into my DJ career, so I knew I had to take advantage.
Alex: Was that your first introduction to DJing, or did you know you were passionate about it prior too?
Geena: I stayed in LA for a few months in 2011 and hung out at Turntable Lab. The store was staffed by DJs and people who worked in music. I remember being told by one of the DJs who worked there that I should think about DJing. I brushed it off because I was out in LA to get a job in TV or film and at the time was just happy finding and listening to new music. My time in LA did introduce me to DJ culture and listening to DJ mixes and expanding my music taste.
What really set me on a path to DJing was after I did a short documentary on DJ Native Sun. After having to follow him around for a few months, I decided to really go after DJing and wanted to DJ live for people. It grew from there.
Alex: So, is it safe to assume you’re a DMV native? You would think I'd know that information…hehehe. Did you attend any other music programs growing up?
Geena: I was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. In elementary school, I took band. After that, I didn’t take any other music classes or programs but, music continued to interest me.
Alex: That's cool, so who was your DJ instructor at WBL? Did you feel like you were getting quality 1-on-1 time?
Geena: I was instructed by RBI while taking classes with WBL. The 1 on 1 time and small class sizes were so beneficial to my DJ education. There was never more than 2 or 3 other people in the class with me.
Alex: And did you make any life long friends there or…? What were some of the most valuable lessons you learned during your time as an academy student?
Geena: Yah, definitely, I still got some WBL homies. I would say the most valuable thing I picked up was learning vinyl. Being able to understand how to DJ with vinyl made DJing on other equipment easier.
“Always put your best foot forward, you literally never know who will be at your gig and who is hearing you play.”
Alex: Would you ever consider coming back to teach today's youth your passion for DJing?
Geena: Yep, I actually did teach some classes with WBL a few years ago. Most recently I taught some youth and did a few classes for the “Scratch Sip and Paint” events.
Alex: I know you as a DJ who performs live, and you effing kill it always, does that come with the event host giving you a direction or is it just your innate ability to read the crowd?
Geena: It depends on the gig. When I’m at bars and clubs, it’s about reading the crowd. When doing events, I do take direction from who is throwing the event or party. As a DJ, it’s important to recognize people are there to enjoy themselves. Hearing music that fits their taste will make the experience
Alex: So like, do you have a secret trick on how to read a crowd or ‘the vibe? Or do you just stick with what you vibe with most?
Geena: Ha! eh, I don’t know if it’s a secret trick, but I think understanding that I’m there to perform and not impose my personal taste is important. There are instances where I can play songs that people don’t know, but I have to find a balance or recognize that this party or event doesn’t call for that and let people enjoy popular songs. I really don’t take gigs where I’m put in a position to play music I don’t connect with, so that helps too.
Alex: Is there any genre of music that scares you? Like anything you absolutely refuse to mix? Or are you like HECK it, CHALLENGE!
Geena: Nah, I wouldn’t refuse to mix anything, but there are crowds that I just know I’m not going to understand. By that I mean knowing what songs are popular, which ones are big hits, what to play at peak times, etc. I think I feel the most out of the loop with crowds that are heavy into reggae and trap music. I could definitely go and enjoy myself, but DJing those crowds would probably be difficult for me.
Alex: What technique do you use to engage listeners? Was it something you learned at WBL or did you morph into your own style? Elaborate please.
Geena: I think being myself and taking time to play music I love is what has drawn people to me. I like a lot of music and listen to a lot, so my interest span from radio hits to indie music. The main thing I learned from WBL is technique and understanding the equipment. I also got taught a lot about hip-hop and DJ culture. It plays a role.
Alex: Who are your idols? Who’s sound did you first emulate or who made it clear for you that this is what you want to do?
Geena: J.Rocc was the first DJ that I really looked up to. I also was [and still am] a big fan of Jahsonic. I used to cop his “Taster’s Choice” CDs and listen to all his mixes. He has a lot of music knowledge and can play almost any genre and it reminded me of my music taste. When I came back home [from LA] and started hitting up Monday’s at Marvin, Jah was doing a lot of what I liked with J.Rocc but I actually got to experience it live. I mean, Jah’s party at Marvin ended up introducing me to a venue and people that I became close to.
Geena: Words Beats and Life is a great program and important to our city. There aren't very many organizations who provide such quality classes for the little guys FOR FREE!
GEENA’S
TOP TIPS
FOR ASPIRING
DJ'S
Geena shares words of wisdom from her years of experience as a young DJ.
EXPERIMENT
DJing is a long game. You’re not going to sound good your first year, or even your third year. It takes time to develop skill and music taste.
PATIENCE
Don’t be in a rush to be on big stages. Taking time to get good with transitions, song choice, and crowd reading will prepare you for larger crowds. If you rush into big stages and sound bad, you won’t be asked back and it can hurt your future opportunities.
CONNECT
Have fun and play the music you connect with. Try to be apart of the culture of the music you play and also step out and listen to DJs outside of your genre to get inspiration and ideas.
“Build community. Being a solo DJ can get you places, but it’s good to find someone or a group of people you connect with musically to make sh*t shake.”
