Falinda ‘DJ Mixturess’ doesn’t have to chase fame anymore
Falinda Tengku Khuzim, also known as DJ Mixturess, has been playing records for almost fifteen years. We talked to her about the game changers in the hip-hop and DJ scene, and getting closer to yourself.
Who was your big game changer?
The inspiration and motivation to become a DJ came from me for the most part. I saw DJs on TV, the internet just came on. A DJ who was my great example from the beginning is DJ AM, who has since passed away. He was who I ultimately wanted to be. In terms of music style, and how he played.
Still, the biggest game changer in my career, the one who really got me started, has been DJ Cutnice. He took me into the scene and inspired me. I met him for the first time at the Street Science Festival in Rotterdam. He was one of the DJs there. I then stepped on him and said: I think it’s cool how you play, and I’m also a DJ, I also play on vinyl (that was quite something new in the scene as a woman at the time). Then the connection was made. Then he saw me play at another festival, and he came to me to say that he did feel that click. From that moment on I could always turn to him for advice, connections and a lot of music talk.
What has changed in you over the years as a DJ?
When I think about how I feel about it now, I see that I have remained more and more myself in the last few years. I’ve come closer to myself. That’s been different. I’ve been more impressionable in the past. By people in the scene, by how other DJs did things.
People see the picture of a DJ with a certain allure and a certain lifestyle. I went after that too. But actually, because of that, I called a lot of struggles at me. I also wanted to chase that fame a little bit, and to get there I was going to do things that didn’t really suit me at all. As a result, the work itself suddenly became much more difficult. If you stay close to yourself, you also make more things that you are proud of. It pays a lot more to do what you love. Whether that’s for ten people audience or for ten thousand likes.
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Where can we follow you?
Instagram: Dj_mixturess