1108Calagna

www.ambiente.us NOVEMBER | NOVIEMBRE 2008

A Sound of One’s Own: DJ Alyson Calagna’s Doctrine of the Dance Floor
by Steve Ralls

The author Virginia Woolf once posited that literature must surely be the most challenging of all the
arts. The writer, she observed, is tasked with painting the landscape of a life – with a beginning, a
middle and some form of conclusion – using a paintbrush with no colors. The landscape of
experience, Woolf said, was far more easily constructed with the palette of the painter.

Imagine if, instead of mere words, Woolf had
been limited to just drums and a sex-coated
groove.

It’s a quandary DJ Alyson Calagna knows well,
and has mastered as perfectly as Woolf’s
command of the word. And just like her
literary counterpart, the South Florida spin-
mistress also finds herself a successful female
artist amidst a field of colleagues who are
almost exclusively men.

Woolf may have found comfort in a “room of
one’s own,” but Calagna has found her own
sound in the DJ booth, and later this month,
she’ll be one of the headliner artists
commanding the dance at The White Party,
a benefit for Care Resource.

For Calagna, the doctrine of the dance floor
comes down to two things: Truth and Self.

“My philosophy is pretty basic,” she told
Ambiente. “Be true to yourself and your sound.
That has worked for me all these years . . . it’s
about [the] music.”

That mindset has guided the South Florida DJ for 15 years. It’s a mantra that has formed over her
years on several continents and two of the most musically influential cities in the United States .

“I grew up overseas for most of my childhood,” she said. “I lived in Dubai , and there I was
influenced by the ethnic drums, chants and rhythms. Then I lived in Aberdeen , Scotland for a bit,
where I first discovered House Music. That piqued my interest at a young age, and I became
infatuated by that European house sound; I still am today.”

Later, Calagna’s family moved to Louisiana , where she has played extensively, including at the city’
s Southern Decadence weekend, where she was scheduled to appear this past September until
Hurricane Gustav shelved those plans.

“When my family and I moved back to Louisiana , the music was totally different,” she recalls.
“[There was] lots of jazz, which is why I love the sound of brass so much. Soul, Zydeco and country
were always being played, too.”

The landscape of sound continues to develop, and followed her to the Fort Lauderdale area, which
she now calls home. But the music scene in other countries where she has played also serves as a
compass whenever she plays.

“There is always a different sound when you go from country to country,” she told me. “For instance,
Brazil is very fast-paced tribal, and in Toronto , I can play a bit for funky and electro fans. The great
thing about playing in different counties is [that] you can adapt to what they like, all while staying
true to yourself as well.”

As for Miami , a city nearby her current home, she says it “is a huge part of the dance music scene.
There is a vibe here that is like no other. It’s the Latin influence; it’s sexy and has an energy that is
indescribable.”

As Calagna’s profile has grown exponentially in the last few years, her resume has expanded to
include a broad array of events, including, just this year, stops in Vancouver , Chicago , Detroit ,
San Antonio , Dallas and Washington , D.C. On Labor Day Saturday – typically the slowest weekend
of the year in the nation’s capital - she packed in a full house at Town, a local dance club know for
hosting some of the country’s top DJ talent.

She is also a rarity among those who frequent the gay music and party scene: A successful female
DJ who can bring men and women onto the dance floor together. But Calagna isn’t one to play the
gender card, telling Ambiente that “I don’t think it’s about gender.”

Increasingly, she is seeing the gap between men’s and women’s musically inclined events narrowing,
though, and has played numerous women’s events across the country . . . and internationally.

“There actually is a women’s social event scene that is growing,” she says. “For example, Aqua Girl
Miami, which is charity-based and attracts thousands of women from all over the country. Cities like
Vancouver , Philly and Atlanta have [also] created their own women’s weekends that are thriving
and growing.”

It’s a different scene, she says, that requires a different sound . . . or DJ booth . . . of one’s own.

“I do see a different musical format for men and women,” she says, “in that the women tend to like
more of an open format or mainstream sound, and there are probably not as DJ-driven as the boys.”

“The boys,” indeed, have created a veritable hierarchy of DJ fame, dominated by men like DJ Abel,
Christopher Cox, Peter Rauhofer and Junior Vasquez. Calagna, however, has been warmly
welcomed into the caste, and her star is quickly rising. She has recently released, with DJ Brett
Henrichsen, the CD soundtrack to One Mighty Weekend 2008, now available from Masterbeat.

In a scene where few musical artists explode onto the gay dance scene – with the possible
exceptions of out musicians like Ari Gold, Kevin Aviance and Madonna, if you buy-in to her
bisexuality – Calagna’s career is driving her to new goals and new venues around the world.

But Calagna, like artists from Woolf and beyond, refuses labels.

“I think there are a lot of artistic careers where people can become pigeon-holed, but there are
many people that are happy and content focusing on just one genre,” she said in her interview with
Ambiente. “I think you find this to be the case in the gay community because the circuit sound is so
unique. I do believe there are many gay DJs, including myself, who are venturing successfully into
the straight market on a national and international level.”

“I would love to play more internationally,” she added. “Amsterdam , Paris , Ibiza and Sydney . . .
that is the goal. I've also heard amazing things about the Atlantis Cruises; that would be awesome
as well.”

With each new venue, city and experience, a new Calagna sound is born. Chet Baker was playing as
she sat down to answer my questions for Ambiente, and she says that, “I listen to everything from
chill-out to country. It all depends on what mood I’m in.”

“Music, music, music,” she said, starting to sound like that infamous Madonna hit, “I love all styles,
shapes and forms.”

“The elements and atmosphere and type of party predict how most DJs play,” she said. “For
instance, my pool party sound will be much lighter, with more orchestration, than my after-hours,
which is a darker, sexier sound.”

More and more, the boys (and girls) who know sexier when they hear it, are forming a line at
Calagna's door.

“My goal is to leave people inspired,” she told me. “For me, dancing is a spiritual experience. When
I leave the floor from an amazing night of music, I’m always inspired, whether its musically or
sexually. It’s the inspiration that I live for, and I hope to give the same to the people who are on my
floor.”

The floor, and the evening, are owned by Calagna alone. A new queen rules the dance music nights,
and she has found a sound of her own.

For more information, including a calendar of upcoming events and free podcasts available through
iTunes, visit www.djalysoncalagna.com. And for tickets, event schedules and other details about The
Winter Party, click on www.wh iteparty.org

Copyright ©Steve Ralls & AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source