Guest mix 009: GCDJ

With a reputation for creating an unmatchable energy on the dance floor, and leaving listeners reliving their 90s childhoods, GCDJ (Girls Can’t DJ) are fiercely carving their name into the pavement of the UK club scene. Consisting of Jordanne in London and Katie in Brighton, the pair have managed to spread their sounds far and wide for the benefit of every listener in a very short space of time; and when they come together it’s a magic not to be missed.

To kick off this month, they shut down Smirnoff’s pre pride party, locked off Old Compton Street during the Pride parade, dropped a set at Blissfields Festival and another at Brainchild. And last weekend they still made it out for Lovebox! You can also expect to find them at Secret Garden Party this coming Sunday.

So, what keeps this pair going? I caught up with them to find out about their best and worst experiences so far, and they provided us with the latest in our guest mix series.

 gal-dem: Where’s your favourite place to DJ?

Jordanne: Ridley Road Market bar in Dalston has to be my favourite. It’s one of those venues that genuinely feels like you’re at a house party. Not only are the staff the best but the crowd are always on point. I love it because each time we DJ there, we don’t know what crowd we’re going to get and we have no idea how the set is going to end up, but the vibe is always good.

Another one of my fave venues is Miranda at Ace Hotel because of the nights we DJ at, Work It and NANG. They’re probably the best club nights in London. They always have such variety in their line up. Often when you DJ on a big line up everyone comes for their set then leaves, but at Work It and NANG all the DJs hang around and listen to each other and party together.

Katie: In Brighton, my favourite place to DJ to be the Tempest Inn. I remember a couple of years ago Jordanne and I approached the manager asking if we could have a Sunday slot, never expecting to now be the Saturday residents and receiving the love that we do there. The location is so amazing, right on the seafront with the pebbles and ocean a few steps away. In the winter, we DJ inside and it’s laid out like mini caves and in the summer we’re placed on the terrace. Everything goes: smooth R’n’B – to funk and disco – to old school garage.

Can you tell us about some of the best experiences you’ve had as a duo?

GCDJ: It’s so hard to choose the best experience, but I think Brighton Pride has to be at the top. It’s our absolute favourite day of the year, all the streets are closed off and it’s one massive rave, so playing there is incredible as everyone just lets themselves go completely.

A general highlight of our DJ sets though, is the hyped atmosphere that we create for each other when we play together. From when we began over two years ago, up until now, we’re still just as excited for each other at every set. The love never ends.

What’s on the guest mix?

GCDJ: This mix contains new bangers, cheeky remixes, and some old classics. Our style is kind of like Soulection meets Kisstory meets MTV Base and with this particular mix it’s predominantly R’n’B. We’ve become relatively known for mixing old school with new, and songs on the mix such as the ‘Love Come Down’ remix (which mixes a disco classic with the baddest bass line) is literally us in nutshell.

We’ve explored how the genre has changed so much over the years. We’ve included legends such as Jill Scott, Fantasia and Lauryn Hill, and mixed them in with the new generation like Noname, Solange and Ray BLK. It’s interesting to see how much the genre is changing and also how hard it is to define a specific R’n’B sound.

 What have GCDJ been up to since you last spoke to gal-dem?

GCDJ: We have been so busy! We’ve managed to tick a few things off our checklist. We are doing loads of festivals this summer including Secret Garden Party this Sunday, Funk the Format and Bestival.

We have recently joined the Work It family and the West London Social Club, we now have a residency at Paradise in Kensal Green, and we started our own club night called Loose – the theme of the night is in the title! There is no permanent home for it yet but we’re around.

In Brighton we have loads of weekly residencies like The Tempest Inn which is pretty much a terrace beach party from early evening until the early hours..

We have also started doing radio! We are on Balamii radio every third Thursday of the month 1pm – 3pm playing tunes and gassing each other up. We also recently featured on Reprezent doing a guest mix on Shay’s show which was so much fun!

 Keep up to date with GCDJ on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Soundcloud.