Shots, Green Tea, And Trance
Months ago I had plans. This was around the time I started this beautiful little ego project you’re reading now. Back then I had all sorts of ambitious ideas. I thought I’d interview the people who make our nightlife what it is. DJs, organizers, builders, hosts. The people who create the places where the rest of us spend our evenings, and where we become the people we are in here.
Of course, I had no idea what this blog would become. Somewhere along the way it turned into me sharing my increasingly disastrous nightlife with you. Apparently I trust you with that, so that’s the direction we collectively chose, and to be honest, I like it. Still, that original idea never completely disappeared, because back then I did reach out to DJ Fredy.
That made sense to me. My own journey into nightlife started in a place where yours might have as well: Warehouse 21. When I moved back to this place last year, it was almost impossible to avoid. Busy, welcoming, familiar, and somehow always alive. Among the DJs playing there, one name kept standing out for me.
Fredy’s sets were always packed. Not just with a nice crowd, but one that keeps you wiating outside for someone else to leave and the bouncers let you in. Even for Warehouse 21, that’s saying something. So I sent her a message.
And then… nothing. Well, not nothing. Just life, busy schedules, and the fact that DJs apparently spend more time behind decks than sitting down for an interview. By the time Fredy eventually replied and we met for drinks in the city, months had passed. I’d confidently ordered a round of shots just before she arrived. Fredy sat down, smiled, and asked for green tea. So that immediately established which one of us had their life together.
We got right into it. She had a set later that evening, and my phone kept lighting up with increasingly persuasive messages from the handsome distraction I’d left in my bed that morning. It was becoming clear I shouldn’t stay out for too long either.
Fredy has been DJing in Second Life since 2008. It started, as these things often do, because she simply loved music and wanted to share it. “I really realized how important DJing had become to me when I saw the impact my sets had on people in Second Life.”
That made total sense to me. Not because it sounds good, but because it’s the only answer that makes someone keep doing this for almost twenty years. Nobody willingly spends that many evenings staring at us dancing if they don’t genuinely enjoy it. Well… unless they’re avoiding doing the dishes.
I mentioned that when I speak to people about her, they usually think of trance. “Trance has been a part of my life for a long time. It’s a style that really moves me, both through its melodies and the emotions it evokes, creating a true sonic journey.”
Now, I know trance isn’t everyone’s thing. I’ve stood on enough dancefloors to discover that some people apparently enjoy music that sounds like somebody dropped a washing machine down the stairs. But hearing Fredy talk about trance, it became obvious she doesn’t think in genres. She thinks in feelings. “Trance remains an important foundation for me, but over the years I’ve discovered other styles and influences that have allowed me to broaden my musical horizons and bring more diversity to my sets.” I nodded, because that’s probably why, to me, her sets don’t feel like somebody just hit Shuffle on a playlist. They actually go somewhere. Which, considering how often I don’t know where I’m going on a given night, is refreshing.
Fredy does sets in a lot of clubs, but she doesn’t walk into every single one with the same plan. “Every venue has its own energy, and I try to stay true to that atmosphere while maintaining my musical identity.” I happened to take another shot just as she said the words “musical identity.” It went down well. It feels a bit like how we spend hours putting together outfits, tweaking our eyebrows and pretending we’re definitely not wearing the same boots as last weekend. DJs are doing exactly the same thing, except with music.
“I focus more on connecting with the audience and on the emotions I can share with them. In both cases, the goal remains the same: to take people on a journey through music.” I think I got one of life’s big questions answered here, this explains why I occasionally look at the clock and discover it’s somehow three hours later.
Of course I had to bring up Warehouse 21, probably where most of us first ran into Fredy. I asked her how it feels when the place fills up to the point where people are left standing outside. Apparently, even after all these years, that never gets old. “Seeing the venue fill up like this is always a real pleasure and a great source of satisfaction, but above all, I feel a deep sense of gratitude toward the people who come to listen to my sets and share this moment with me. DJing in front of a packed house inevitably changes the energy. It brings a special intensity, but I try to stay focused on the music and maintain the same authenticity in my sets, no matter how many people are there.”
We stayed on the subject of Warehouse 21 for a while. Fredy ordered another tea while a very cute bartender replaced my empty shot glasses with a fresh round of full ones. Maybe heading home immediately after the interview wasn’t the brilliant idea I’d convinced myself it was. As he walked away, I asked her which nights still make her smile when she thinks back on them. “It’s especially the moments when the atmosphere was particularly electric and the connection with the audience was total that I remember most. Those moments stay with me forever.” I found that to be a very good answer as it sounded like the night I just had; I should really head home…. but not before we spoke about preparing sets, something Fredy barely does. “I don’t really prepare my sets in advance. I rely heavily on instinct, letting myself be guided by the moment and the atmosphere of the occasion.”
See… this is where we differ. I also rely heavily on instinct. Unfortunately, mine usually ends with me in the back of a car, between dirty dumpsters, or in a toilet stall. Fredy’s instinct fills dancefloors. Life really isn’t fair I thought, as she continued: “For me, a great crowd is one that lives the music, reacts to it, shares positive energy, and lets themselves be carried away by the set. It’s not necessarily about the size of the crowd, but rather about the connection. Even behind the decks, you can sense the reactions and the atmosphere, and that greatly influences how I build my set on the fly. It’s a real exchange between me and the crowd” she said as she put her tea down. It made me realize that even if you think nobody notices you on the dancefloor… apparently somebody does.
We laughed about that, and then Fredy admitted that even after all these years, she still gets nervous before a big event. “It’s good pressure. It helps me stay focused and give my best once I’m behind the decks.” I found that strangely comforting. The people who make it look effortless almost never think it is.
Away from the DJ booth, Fredy describes herself as someone who simply enjoys music and appreciates peaceful moments and that surprised me a little. Not because I expected her to wrestle bears in her spare time, but because there’s something wonderfully ordinary about that answer. The person filling an entire club on a Sunday evening is apparently perfectly happy sitting somewhere quietly with a cup of tea thinking about what she likes best about DJing; “What still excites me about DJing today is, above all, the sense of sharing and the emotions. Being able to take people on a journey through music, create an atmosphere, and feel that connection with the audience… that’s something that remains just as powerful for me as ever.”
Before we finished our drinks, I asked one last question. What do you hope people remember after one of your sets? She smiled as she got up. “If my set managed to make them forget their daily lives, take them on a journey, or simply put a smile on their faces, then it’s a success for me.” She paused for a second and added one more sentence. “Because ultimately, what I want most is for the music to have created a connection and left a mark, even a small one, on their experience of the evening.”
I thought about that for a moment after we hugged goodbye and she walked out. It’s probably why Warehouse 21, and so many other places, keep filling up whenever Fredy is behind the decks. People don’t just come for the music. They come because, for a couple of hours, she helps them forget everything else.
Then I picked up my bag and wandered back to the bar.
The bartender smiled.
I smiled back.
Apparently I wasn’t going home just yet.
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This post is not sponsored or paid for in any way. I was also not blackmailed or tortured to write it.
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