LAMP Weekly Mix #307 feat Mary Droppinz

Happy Friday and welcome to the weekend everyone!! This week we are keeping it close to home with one of the top selectors in the house music community here in Los Angeles. We are very excited to have Mary Droppinz in the mix for you. She has been tearing it up lately and making huge moves. Her eclectic style and radiant personality make for a one two punch that is hard not to love. If you have ever seen one of her sets or met her you know exactly what I am talking about. If you haven't and you live in Southern California then you need to keep an eye out. The next frontier for her is getting her own music out there which we are really looking forward to and it looks like we can expect that soon. In addition to this wonderful mix we had a chance to ask Mary Droppinz a few questions so we can get to know more about her, make sure you check those out down below.

PZB: Hi Mary! Thank you for putting this weeks mix together for us. We are really excited to have you with us. For our listeners that are not familiar with your music what can they expect from your mix?

MD:Thanks for having me :) I have a refined eclectic sound, I am not driven by popular electronic music. I like to play music that you didn’t even know you needed. A spoonful of that acid tease, I got that breakbeat steez, drip droppin the deep House, with a techno booty bounce, I do as I please <3 enjoy xx 

Also, mini CONTEST: one lucky winner that timestamps when my cat scratches on the jog wheel during my mix will get a photo of us + a fresh bucket hat 

PZB:Tell us more about you. We know you are in Los Angeles now but where did you grow up? How did you end up here if you are not originally from LA and how did the culture of your upbringing lead you to where you are today musically?

MD: I’m from Omaha, Nebraska. I lived a very different life in Nebraska so honestly the culture mostly had an impact on my character and values. My whole family loves music and dancing. We absolutely tear up every wedding dance floor we’ve ever been invited to. I ended up in LA for a job in advertising at TBWA Chiat Day. How I ended up in California, that’s a story for another time…

PZB: Can you please give us some insight into your musical background. How did you get involved in the house music community and what ultimately led you to start DJing and working in the music industry?

MD: I started dancing to Janet Jackson when I was 8 months old, my mom has tapes of it haha. I also watched my dad go downstairs to play the drums every night and he still does. I played the piano while I was younger too but only thought you could have a career in music if you were a singer like Brittany Spears, Beyonce, etc. Then I went to my first festival in California and that changed everything. I realized you could be a successful performer and not have to sing pop songs or be a classical concert pianist to share your music. Ever since that experience 6 years ago, I’ve been on my journey as a DJ and producer.

PZB: You have made quite a splash these past couple of years making sure that the Los Angeles House community is fully aware that you are one of the top DJ’s in the city. You have had your name on so many great parties this year and years prior including one of ours Side 2 Side which was fantastic. What would you say to someone who asked for your advice on how to get recognized and get more gigs?

MD: This is purely grassroots, I’m just being myself, meeting people, learning and getting to know myself in the flow state. I feel very blessed for the magnetism in my life, I believe I am on the right path when synchronicities happen. My advice is to be vulnerable and don’t try too hard, just work hard.

PZB: Speaking of which, is there a particular event from this year that really sticks out to you as being special. You have had several so this might be a tough question.

MD: This is a super tough question, I’ve played some really special gigs in 2019. I’d have to say opening for Green Velvet at EOS Lounge in Santa Barbara sticks out the most. For me, it was a validation of my hard work. I take pride in a proper opening set, building the vibes from scratch and to hand it off marinated so well to an idol of mine for his blast off was surreal. Also, Bix King’s parties in SB are super magical so was all around a beautiful experience.

PZB: You are a resident for another group of musicians and event producers Jill's House which I have had the pleasure of being invited to play not too long ago. Thank you :) Tell us more about Jill's house and what you all are working to achieve.

MD: Juliet Mendoza and Megan are spearheading the movement for women in music and I’m grateful to be apart of it all, we all throw down!

PZB: Outside of Jill's house are there any other groups or projects that you are a part of or working on you can tell us about?

MD: I’ve been involved with a lot of other crews in LA / OC as I am a big lover of the house community and a true industry titan but my main focus right now is on my productions, once I begin releasing I think I’ll be able to more concretely say who my affiliates are.

PZB: Our industry is constantly going through changes, and we as artists are competing for ears with so many others out there. On the flip, listeners are bombarded and overwhelmed with the amount of music out there. How do you try to connect with your audience, and what do you feel helps you stay relevant?

MD: We stay in touch, if you listen to my music, you understand my soul and that’s a true homie in my eyes. A lot of my mixes are on repeat and that’s who I want to cater to. I play from my heart and some people speak the same love language you know?

PZB: Outside of music what other passions and creative outputs do you have? What are some that you’d love to add to your mental vocabulary?

MD: I love to be creative in the kitchen and think it would be fun to dive deeper into that space.

PZB: Is there anything else coming up in your world that we should know or you want to tell us about that we should be keeping an eye/ ear out for?

MD: Expect to hear what’s inside of me in 2020 I want to share who I really am through the beats I am making as myself, Alyssa.  To be honest, I’m really having fun exploring music production and just going to keep going :) Shoutout to IO Music Academy in Hollywood, especially Adam aka Joluca and Lauren aka Mini Bear Beats for paving the path in my education.

PZB: Thank you so much for your time and the incredible mix you put together. Please keep us posted on future releases and events we would love to see you soon.

MD: I gotchu :) thanks again for having me loves!

Follow:

https://soundcloud.com/marydroppinz| https://www.instagram.com/marydroppinz/| https://www.facebook.com/marydroppinz