DJ AK - The Queen of the Decks

“To play without passion is inexcusable!” as spoken by Beethoven, one of the greatest musicians of all time. A.K. is an example of Beethovens words with not just the skill and the ability to make a Set sound seamless, but she also carries the knowledge of music that surprises even some of the greatest. A.K did not wake up to the world of being a DJ but has grown and developed into a DJ by listening and watching the constant changing world of music.
Although A.K has only been within the club scene for just over a year, she has achieved many benchmarks that only lifetime DJ’s can dream of together with playing alongside some of the most reputable names in the industry.
With her Turntable skills and her Sets being heard all over the world at some of the most reputable and demanding events, A.K has earned the respect she deserves by being able to accomplish any task that is thrown at her.

If you have yet to see the talent of this young artist, then get ready to witness why they call her The Queen of the Decks!

GO: Your fairly new to the scene. Tell us how you got started? Who is DJ AK?

Yea I’ve been djing for about a year and a half now in the club scene. I’ve always really been into music and yes like most young girls, I have always wished I could sing! I wanted to be in the music scene, something drew me to it. I had a few friends who were dj’s and I used to watch them and wonder what all those buttons did!! One night we were out and I said to one of my friends that one day I wanted him to teach me to DJ, we all laughed about it but really I knew I was being serious. After many hours of saving, I eventually went out and spent over $2000 on all my dj equipment and started practicing my ass off!!
I’m the type of DJ who has learnt over the years that you have to play what people want to hear but not completely losing yourself in that “commercial” side of things either. I play for the crowd, how could you get work if you didn’t? Lol ... I will also now and then play the stuff that the promoters tell you to stay away from, I’m not scared to experiment because I know that the crowd will respond to it.. Every time!

GO: Tell us about “The Best of Both Worlds” mixtape?

Ok, so the mixtape is something I wanted to bring to Australia which is not very common in a mixtape, it combines my 2 loves of music and accommodates for not only people who are going to the clubs week in and week out, but also for the old skool music lovers. It’s not your normal type of “old skool” mix you would hear though. The mixtape consists of “The Club Life” VS “The Thug Life”. The Club Life basically has a bit of something for everyone on there, without giving too much away, it has all kinds of rnb from the kind that makes you bounce to the kind that makes you get wild and dance! I have also tried to educate the listeners with some new tracks fresh to Australia. The Thug Life is pretty obvious in its name, it’s everyone’s favourite gangsta tracks from the one’s that made rap what it is today to some new tracks which are well deserved to be in the category.

GO: Theres been some talk about a DJ’s skill vs looks & marketability. Whats your thoughts on this?

Funny you ask this question because it is a question that has been discussed regularly. My take on it is basically you have advantages and disadvantages being a female DJ. Advantages would quite obviously be being able to promote yourself differently with pictures, miniskirts and high heels which promoters & punters love because it’s something different, but really that’s the only advantages a female DJ’s get. Disadvantages: There’s an expectation before you even hit the decks, people are ready to say “ you only got this gig cos your a chick” before they hear you play, security tell’s you to line up because they don’t believe you’re the DJ haha and there always seems to be more people watching out for your mistakes compared to male Dj’s. Concluding, I feel you can look the part and act the part but at the end of the day, if you don’t have the skills then it is going to catch up to you. I work hard and make sure I concentrate on what Djing is really about (the art and music) to make sure I never fall into this category.

GO: What do you love most about your job?

Oh my goodness, there are so many things..! Hmmm well how many times do you go to the club and hear songs but wish they were playing your playlist? Well I actually get to do that hehe! The main thing though, is getting to do what I love and being able to share it with everyone else, especially when I see & hear people’s reaction’s when I play a song they love, that’s pretty indescribable!

GO: What are some of your plans for 2010?

So many plans! First of course is to release the mixtape which is being launched on the 16th of January at a venue which is soon to be announced! Then I am hoping to do a national tour and do launches throughout Australia. Doing interstate gigs is awesome, you get to meet people and see places you would have never gone otherwise. I’ve got a few little surprises that I can’t really talk about yet but 2010 is going to be a big year. If all goes well with this mixtape, hopefully I can start work on another one really soon!

GO: Any shoutouts you would like give? >/B>