DTRH2 Interview: DJ SLiPPERS
WLDCRD’s 24-hour long warehouse party on November 30, DTRH2: Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole, was nothing shy of a multiple-episode long adventure. The beginning stages were quite serene. Painters set up their work stations and musicians sound tested their equipment as people slowly trickled into the event. The night’s tempo accelerated around 10 p.m. as the venue filled up and headliners began to play. By the time 4 a.m. struck, the event had mostly shifted into a late night party for the diehard dancers who were ready to stick it out for as long as their bodies had the energy and their minds had the will.
Mandi Schuna, also known by her stage name, DJ SLiPPERS, was one of the catalysts through which this late night dance party was possible. Schuna’s sunrise set went from roughly 6 a.m. to just shy of 8 a.m., maintaining the level of energy the remaining crowd needed to keep dancing until the very end.
“I’m the afterparty DJ. I know what will keep you up but also chill you out,” said Schuna. “You need to be active but not straining yourself.”
Schuna is a house and techno DJ who resides in The Twin Cities. She is also a resident DJ at Key Elements Entertainment. Her musical history consists of some production and instrumental experience along with the obvious DJ experience, though she currently only advertises herself as a DJ. When she does produce, she prefers analog production over digital, as she is not a fan of staring at a computer screen for too long.
“It’s more interesting for me to pick up an instrument, play a few notes, put them on a loop, then play a few more and jam along to it,” said Schuna. “I’m getting to the point where I’ll make my own music, but for now I’m more of a music curator rather than a producer.”
The challenges of DJing go beyond stringing together seamless transitions and knowing the right track to play next. Like other small time artists sharing their talents with the world, promotion can be difficult, and sometimes the audience is simply uninterested. Likewise, many times the effort put forth is worth it. Such was the case for Schuna at Down The Rabbit Hole.
“I played a really good set at Down the Rabbit Hole because I felt like I fit in with everybody. But during some sets, I’ll look out at the audience like ‘Do you even care what I’m doing?’”
Schuna also attended and performed at last year’s Down the Rabbit Hole, which was a bit more spontaneous and unorganized. Due to this, her set was cut short to make time for Chris Lorenzo, another house DJ from the UK. As Lorenzo and a few other DJs were taking turns performing back to back, Schuna was invited to join in. However, there was an unfortunate turn of events as soon as it was her turn to participate.
“I got on stage, but within five seconds of pressing play, I hear ‘Cops are here. Shut it down.’ But karma hit me back up this year. I got to play for almost two hours, and I still have some ‘wldcrds’ left.” (“Wldcrds,” appropriately named after the collective itself, are currency exclusive to WLDCRD events and members.)
More good karma heading in Schuna’s direction would be a good look on the universe’s part. She does what she does exclusively for her love of the music, the moment and community. Her objective is a simple one:
“ I don’t want to make money off of it. I just want to play music for my friends. I’ve said it many times — I just want to play music for my friends.”
Check DJ SLiPPERS out on Soundcloud, or find her live in The Twin Cities keeping the party going after hours.
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