Mixing Music & Fashion, DJ K-Styles Juggles Genres With a Busy Schedule of Diverse Residencies.
New York City – Earlier this year, I got a party-promo email that caught my eye. It was for “Wild Hearts: A Late Night Rock & Roll Party” at Le Poisson Rouge, one of New York’s more versatile venues, and I began to get one of those nagging mid-life moments.
“Man,” I thought, “it was so much fun going to those rock-themed parties back in the day at clubs like Don Hill’s and Coney Island High. Do kids even like rock-n-roll anymore?”
So, I reached out, got on the guest list, and was ready to check it out. I wasn’t expecting an evening of hipster fare. I simply wanted to kick back and hear a DJ spin a full evening of rock on a big, boomin’, nightclub system. Luckily, the evening turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
Dispensing with all-too-obvious stuff – eg., no Journey tunes – DJ K-Styles leaned into mini-sets of indie, hair metal, punk, grunge, dance-rock, nu-metal, and classics. So, the evening went from The Hives to Def Lep to Ramones to The Strokes to Franz Ferdinand to Green Day to The Killers to Joan Jett, and so on. All popular songs, but truly tasteful and well-packaged to a youthful room that loosened up and lathered a bit over time. Yep, the kids are alright – it was a buncha fun.
The next time I was on the Lower East Side, I figured I’d catch K-Styles’ act at Arlene’s Grocery, an open-format gig in the venue’s packed, sweaty basement. It was hip-hop, EDM, and pop tunes this time, and to a collegiate, very un-rock-n-roll crowd. I stuck it out for an hour before I began to disintegrate from the heat, but it was clear that this DJ could easily read the crowd and served up the goods to keep the party going.
Turns out, for Kate Styles, this was business as usual. Currently holding residencies for a variety of themed-parties at a half-dozen NYC venues, the Brooklyn-based DJ juggles genres with aplomb. And, aside from dropping Big Apple beats, she’s getting into the fashion game with Bad Reputation NYC, her own clothing brand that she describes as “a line of upcycled, rock-n-roll-inspired gear.” Skills and taste matched with entrepreneurial spirit – now that’s a real DJ. We recently caught up with the ultra-busy K-Styles.
DJ LIFE: What’s your background?
K-Styles: I was born in Munich, Germany – my dad is German. I was bilingual when I was little, but not anymore. I moved to the States when I was about 3-years old. I grew up mostly in upstate New York in Cortland, a small town near Syracuse. They had songs like “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” in the jukebox at the diner. So there’s that. But music was always a part of my life, and I got into punk rock and hip-hop early on.
DJ LIFE: Where does music really come into the picture for you?
K-Styles: I always had older babysitters who turned me on to awesome music. As soon as I heard Nirvana and Green Day, I knew I loved rock-n-roll. When I heard Naughty By Nature and Warren G, I knew I loved hip-hop. The song that sealed the deal and made me fall all the way in love with hip-ho was “You Got Me” by The Roots.
DJ LIFE: Any background with traditional musical instruments?
K-Styles: I took piano lessons when I was little. At this point, I think I can still play chopsticks. I played guitar in high school and even had a cool all-girl band for a while called The Phenobarbidolls.
DJ LIFE: Clever… what inspired the DJ route?
K-Styles: I actually learned how to DJ on vinyl. I think it really helped me appreciate the craft. And over the years, I learned how to play on just about any setup that was put in front of me – turntables, CDJs, rotary club mixers, and controllers. I think realizing that I could do more than just listen to music – I could manipulate and control it – was the thing that made me love DJing. I could be more than just a music lover and a fan. I could be part of it.
DJ LIFE: How did DJing begin for you?
K-Styles: Basically, I fell into DJing because I hated working a 9-to-5 job. It was soul-crushing. I had a friend who was DJing and I thought it might be dope to have a creative outlet. I always loved music, so I took a couple classes at Scratch Academy – a DJ school founded by Jam Master Jay. J-Smoke from The Allies crew was my mentor there. He taught me a lot about turntablism and party-rocking. I thought it would just be a fun hobby. Then lots of months and lots of practice and lots of money invested in turntables and records later, it was taking over my life, and I was in love. I’m a perfectionist, so I waited a year or two before I was confident enough to play in front of actual people. But I was busy practicing and making mixtapes in my living room.
DJ LIFE: How did the gigs start?
K-Styles: My very first gig came from a promoter friend. It was at a spot called Serena’s, the lounge in the basement of the Chelsea Hotel. I was opening for DJ Hotday. I was so nervous. I think I brought three crates of records to play for one hour [laughs]. I kept playing any opening slot I could get, and eventually that turned into me getting booked on my own.
DJ LIFE: In which New York City venues do you have current residencies?
K-Styles: Barlume, Arlene’s Grocery, Le Poisson Rouge, The Skinny, Mr. Purple, and The DL.
DJ LIFE: Which kinds of parties are you playing? How do the audiences vary?
K-Styles: At Mr. Purple and The DL, I’m mostly playing matinee parties. And there are different themes like “This is 40ish,” which is ’80s, ’90s and ’00s, or “Matinee 2K” which is a Y2K theme or “Friday Feeling,” which is hip-hop and R&B throwbacks, or at Joyface it’s a disco matinee. At Arlene’s and The Skinny, I’m playing straight-up open format. Barlume is throwback hip-hop and R&B. And at LPR there are Y2K nights, EDM nights, rock-n-roll nights, and throwback hip-hop nights. There’s a lot going on!
DJ LIFE: Day parties seem to really be a thing now…
K-Styles: Yeah, these matinee parties are specifically geared towards millennials – so, basically, 30-plus. Staying out till 4 a.m. was cool when you’re 25, but maybe not as much at 35 [laughs]. So, you can party like it’s 2 a.m., but still be in bed by 11 p.m. It’s definitely a win.
DJ LIFE: At what point did you get gigs beyond clubs and bars? How did that happen?
K-Styles: That first happened through Scratch Academy. They had a whole event-booking business, and hired a lot of the DJs that came up thru the school. I also had contacts from my corporate job, and they hired me for events. So I got to start doing brand events, private events, corporate events and weddings. Then, on my own, I wound up booking gigs in Atlantic City every weekend. I also got introduced to the radio scene from DJing on Beatminerz radio for a few years.
DJ LIFE: Which Atlantic City venues?
K-Styles: Oh man, so many. I played at XBar and The Pool at Harrah’s. I played at Ego Lounge and The Casbah in the Taj Mahal. I played at Revel. I played at a bunch of the beach bars. The last spot I played was Haven nightclub.
DJ LIFE: You obviously pride yourself with musical versatility. Where did that skill come from?
K-Styles: I actually genuinely like most genres. And to me, playing only one genre would feel limiting and boring. There’s so much good music out there! I love hip-hop and rock. But I also love pop music. And EDM. And dancehall. And Latin. Why can’t we hear them all?
DJ LIFE: How does an open-format DJ best survive and thrive in the NYC club scene?
K-Styles: I think NYC thrives on open-format DJs. They’re the most versatile and adaptable DJs. You can still surprise a crowd. How could you not want to play The Eurythmics, Lil Wayne, Panic! At The Disco and Britney in the same set?
DJ LIFE: What are your favorite types of parties to play?
K-Styles: Any event or club night when you have a crowd that’s ready to have fun and take this musical journey with you is the best. Like I said, lately I’ve been playing a lot of decade-themed matinee parties, and lemme tell you, those people come ready to party! I think I always have the most fun connecting with the crowd and jumping around and rocking out in the booth.
DJ LIFE: In the DJ booth, what gear do you prefer?
K-Styles: Man, if it works, it’s a win. Any given week I’m playing on three totally different [Pioneer DJ] setups, and I’m cool with it. One spot has turntables and a DJM-S9 mixer. One spot has an SRT-1000 controller. One spot has CDJ-3000s and a DJM-A9 mixer – I think that’s my fave at the moment.
DJ LIFE: How would you describe your style of DJing?
K-Styles: I always describe my style as “everything you love to hear.” I’m all about party-rocking and reading the crowd. I like to drop in some scratching. And drop some unexpected tracks. And do some quick mixes and flips to keep the energy up. It’s all about reading the crowd and adapting to every party or event, while still staying true to my style.
DJ LIFE: What have been your most memorable gigs so far?
K-Styles: I would definitely say playing at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks. That was mind-blowing. Playing for a sold-out arena is some next-level shit. I recently opened for Mike Jones at LPR, which was pretty dope, too. I played at a billionaire’s party a couple summers ago that was in a legit bunker. So that was… interesting.
DJ LIFE: What are some of your favorite places to play?
K-Styles: Arlene’s Grocery and Le Poisson Rouge are at the top of that list for sure. They’re both like second homes to me. I’ve been playing at Le Poisson Rouge for over 10 years now with different parties and bands. And Arlene’s is basically family at this point. Sometimes a small room is just more fun because it’s intimate and you can really connect with the crowd.
DJ LIFE: What are three tracks that are always in your DJ box?
K-Styles: I think the point of an open-format set might be that there aren’t any set tracks ever. But, I will say that “We Found Love” never disappoints. As well as “Party in the USA” and “Mr. Brightside.” And “All I Do Is Win.” I know that’s four – but open-format has no rules!
DJ LIFE: Which DJs do you admire?
K-Styles: A lot of the DJs I admire are local NYC DJs. NYC is blessed with some absolutely amazing DJs, and I’m lucky enough to be friends with a lot of them. As an open-format DJ, I always looked up to A-Trak and DJ AM. I look up to DJ Goldfinger a lot as well, and he taught me a lot over the years.
DJ LIFE: Have you gotten into production, editing or remixing at all?
K-Styles: I made some remixes a while back. Some were good and the rest were pretty OK at best [laughs]. My first love is really party-rocking. But I have been tempted to go back to it lately. For a while I thought I wanted to be an audio engineer, so I was nerding out. I learned Garage Band before I had access to any real software. Then I taught myself Logic. Then I moved on to ProTools, and now I use Ableton as well.
DJ LIFE: Which producer/remixers do you most appreciate?
K-Styles: Right now, the market is so saturated with “producers” and “remixers.” But some that I like are KidCutUp, MarkCutz, Trayze, Isaac Jordan, Serg Sniper and The Tall Boys. They make some dope club remixes that are super-creative – not just songs with an added 8-bar intro.
DJ LIFE: In your time of living/spinning in NYC, how has the nightlife changed?
K-Styles: As a millennial, I can confidently say that we were the last and greatest generation of nightlife. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, NYC nightlife was at its peak. Dancefloors were full. We were drinking our weight in alcohol – probably why I’m sober now, though [laughs]. People actually went out to hear the DJs and dance. Over time, that’s slowly disappearing. Today there’s a lot more standing around trying to look cool. You can drop certified bangers in the club and the reaction is minimal. People are drinking a lot less, in general – which is fine. But the level of fun seems to have drastically decreased, which is sad. How do you teach people to have fun?
DJ LIFE: What’s the most challenging thing about spinning in NYC, as opposed to other markets? What’s the most gratifying?
K-Styles: The hardest thing about NYC is how saturated the market is with DJs. There’s a lot of great DJs here, and there’s also a lot of mediocre ones. There was a shift maybe 10 years ago or so where clubs started hiring promoters as DJs because they could bring in numbers. And those are two very separate jobs. And being good at one doesn’t necessarily make you good at the other.
The most gratifying part is that you’re a DJ in New York City – the biggest and best city in the country, a place with a history of legendary nightlife.
DJ LIFE: What do you think a DJ’s job is?
K-Styles: To take the crowd on a journey throughout the night. For a few hours, I’m trying to make you forget about all the shit that’s wrong in the world and let loose and be free and have fun. I’m trying to create a night that you and your friends will remember and look back on and be like, “Damn, that was the best night ever!” I want you to sing along at the top of your lungs and be like, “I love this song I haven’t heard it in forever!” Music is super-nostalgic and certain songs bring you back to certain times in your life, and that’s powerful! We all have the same songs to play, but it’s our job to read the crowd and play those songs in creative and unpredictable ways. That’s the difference between a DJ and someone who just presses play.
DJ LIFE: What’s next for you?
K-Styles: Right now I’m booked and busy, which is amazing and I’m so thankful for that. I’m always looking to do more brand collabs, especially with fashion and beauty brands. I’ve never been the type of person to have a five-year plan or anything. But I believe that bigger and better things are always on the horizon. I’m also focusing a lot on my clothing brand, Bad Reputation NYC – shout out to Joan Jett! It’s a line of upcycled, rock-n-roll-inspired clothing – think band tees transformed into flannels, jackets, throw pillows and other very cool, one-of-a-kind gear.
