Danielle

When a true selector takes flight, it sounds as though they re-mould each track to fit their specific vision. That’s exactly the effect Danielle has as a DJ, as she reaches across stylistic divides to pursue the sounds that speak her language. In her hands, myriad splinters of techno, electro, dubstep, breakbeat, jungle, ambient and experimental music can slot together, but more crucially its the endless wells of misfits that fall between those generic signposts which give her sets the edge. It’s logical her tastes would be omnivorous – Danielle spent 10 years working at fabled London record shop Phonica, one of the definitive destinations for club music in the city. She’s since worked at the most vital dance music record shop in her hometown of Bristol, Idle Hands. Being across new releases week in, week out is one thing, but knowing how to stitch them together is another. Key to Danielle’s fluid, expressive narratives is time spent playing outside the functional pressures of peak time – her early years warming up a room, and her long standing residency on NTS Radio (since 2017). The freedom afforded in such spaces still guides her style now she operates more frequently in a headline capacity, and it’s precisely what makes her sound so striking and inventive. Danielle’s DJing has touched upon vital events, venues and locations around the world, from touring the US and playing flagship festivals like Glastonbury, Dimensions, Kala and Love Saves The Day, to clubs like DC10, Fabric, Oval Space, Pickle Factory and Ohm, and for parties as revered as Timedance, Herrensauna and Livity Sound. In tandem, her skills have been recognised by key publications including Mixmag, DJ Mag (she was nominated as a best breakthrough DJ in 2020) and Resident Advisor. Beyond her own DJ work (she’s also a frequent contributor to many a mix series), Danielle also takes the time to impart her experience and knowledge to the next generation via her classes at Mix Nights – a non-profit organisation she helped set up five years ago to encourage women and non-binary people to explore the art of DJing. Elsewhere, she works in an A&R and consultancy capacity for platforms including Team Love and Origins – roles, which speak to her consistent instinct for new developments within club music. All these elements feed into the overall mission Danielle is on, pursuing her love of dynamic, physical soundsystem music with errant coding in its DNA. It’s partly a product of her environment, tapped into a steady stream of upfront dubs from the Bristol coterie and beyond, but more than that, it’s down to her fierce commitment to the craft, and the sound that results from it.