It is Saturday evening and your girlfriends are coming over early to get ready at your place. After a week of convincing, you have finally agreed to a night out on the town. The endless stream of, “You always flake!” and “You’re no fun anymore!” texts have led you down this dark path. Your apartment is now the unofficial pregame spot. Someone hands you the aux cord and asks you to play the music — the night’s vibe depend solely on you.
You can take the easy way out and play Today’s Top Hits or you can go rogue. The fear of your friends chanting, “What is this trash!” debilitates you. Thinking you picked the perfect song only for them to yell “Next!” or worse … request a song. Did you ask for a request? This is your show, sit down.
Well technically, it is not your show, but rather the DJs’. Remember, it is a DJ’s world, and we are all just living in it.
But what is the world actually like for some of our favorite globetrotting DJs? To get to the bottom of this necessary question, we asked AMRIT to chat with her favorite DJs — she even scored us a personalized playlist.
Check out their — AMRIT even shares her own — travel tips, beauty secrets and favorite going-out tunes down below.
@dedelovelace
Dede Lovelace is both an open format DJ and member of an all-women’s skate team named The Skate Kitchen, whose eponymous indie film premiered in Sundance this year.
Q: Three must-listen pregame songs?
“Better” (Helix Funky Uptempo Refix) by Estelle
Beyoncé’s cover of “Before I Let Go”
“Get Me Home” by Foxy Brown
Q: How do you recover from a late-night gig?
I’m still trying to figure out my recovery plan. I don’t usually drink so my recovery isn’t horrible — I’m usually just sleep deprived. Sometimes, I’ll get home from a gig late and have to go to school the next morning, so for that, I try not to think about it and just do it. But on a regular day, if I get home late, I’ll make sure to set an alarm to wake me up before the afternoon, so I won’t sleep too long but still catch some hours.
Q: How do you combat jet lag?
Face masks are especially important to prevent dehydration from flying. I
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Q: What are your packing tips?
It’s good to pack light. I try to pack cute and small versatile shirts. I usually layer my pants and shirts instead of folding them on top of each other. I also try to pack one chill pair of sneakers and another more interesting pair.
Q: How do you minimize your beauty routine when traveling?
My routine has to be quick and simple. I like to stick with the basics: concealer for certain parts of my face, mascara to give some definition and eyebrow ink.
@iamkittens
Lauren Abedini is a DJ and producer. She started a non-profit called PWR by KITTENS whose proceeds benefit local women’s shelters.
Q: Three must-listen pregame songs?
“Cash Shit” by Megan Thee Stallion ft. DaBaby
“Tia Tamera” by Doja Cat ft. Rico Nasty
“Sucka Free” by Jozzy ft. Lil Wayne
Q: How do you recover from a late-night gig?
Sleep as late as possible and drink a ton of water with a large burrito. When my internal health is on point it really reflects on my skin. Iron supplements are important for me because I’m anemic, so when I’m tired my skin looks sallow and my dark circles are popping. Other than that, I try to get as much rest as possible — naps are my friend.
Q: How do you minimize your beauty routine when traveling?
I literally don’t minimize it. My skin is so sensitive and problematic that if I skip even one step of my routine, I look like a haggard troll immediately. No matter how tired I am, I will always force myself to take care of myself. If I’m in a complete emergency of exhaustion and can’t make it through all 75 steps of my routine, I’ll at least wash my makeup off, wipe it down with some toner, throw some kind of face oil on, and pray that I wake up looking medium OK.
Q: What are your packing tips?
I love buying trial/sample sizes of my favorite products as well as tiny containers from beauty suppliers so I can bring along all my beauty products. That way I don’t have to skip any steps. Regular travel bottle sizes take up so much space, so I avoid those. Also, packing cubes are amazing to keep everything organized clothing/accessory wise.
@jubileedj
Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Jess Gentile began DJing as part of the underground rave scene in Miami, Florida. She is now signed to Mixpak Records, an independent record label.
Q: Three must-listen pregame songs?
“Rapture” by Koffee
“Shape Nice” by Afro B ft. Vybz Kartel
“Property” by Mr. Eazi
Q: How do you recover from a late-night gig?
My whole life is a late-night gig, to be honest. I just try not to feel guilty sleeping in and resting. I hate the whole “never not working” mentality. Everyone needs to log off and take a nap.
Q: How do you combat jet lag?
I don’t really drink alcohol when I’m out of town, so I usually go right to bed when I am done DJing. Being on a plane hungover is my worst nightmare. I save the party for when I’m home in NYC. When I get home, I allow myself to just sleep and rest all day Monday and sometimes Tuesday too — I stopped feeling guilty about that. I not only need physical rest but also my brain needs a rest because talking to people I just met gets exhausting. It’s really hard to stay in a routine, but I try my best. I
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Q: How do you minimize your beauty routine when traveling?
I have everything in “big” home bottles and in mini travel bottles READY and organized — in my purse, my gym bag, in a bag of things that always go in my travel bag. No excuses. I make sure I schedule a facial once a month or every six weeks and I wear overnight masks on flights. I also have different kinds of make-up remover wipes. The good thing is before I started doing this, I worked at a make-up counter, so I can do a full face of makeup in about 15 minutes if I need to.
Q: What are your packing tips?
I live in a studio apartment in Manhattan, so I am the queen of downsizing! Pack light. You don’t need more than one pair of fire shoes. Wear a good jacket on [the] flight and make it your signature jacket for the trip. Save those Sephora points and use them for travel skincare and makeup. Make travel containers of your routine skincare if you have to. Packing compartment bags will change your life.
@sosupersam
Samantha Duenas is a DJ and singer who started the 143 R&B Party in Los Angeles — paying homage to the ’90s paper code for I love you — and will be touring the remainder of the year.
Q: Three must-listen pregame songs?
“Took The Night” by Chelley
“Act Up” by City Girls
“sweet sweet” by Travis Scott
Q: How do you recover from a late-night gig?
Tons of water, a facial mask, vitamins and coffee — I need coffee.
Q: How do you minimize your beauty routine when traveling?
I always have travel-ability in mind, so as a practice I try to keep my routine very simple. I use maybe five products total for skincare and don’t use much makeup.
Q: How do you combat jet lag?
My biggest secret is that for as [long] as I am in the club, I’m actually not drinking alcohol, I usually stick to sparkling water. This keeps my skin feeling great and minimizes overall fatigue during late nights and travel. I
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Q: What are your packing tips?
Ah the old carry-on tricks. I could write a book on this. Since we don’t have the luxury of overpacking, the best thing to do is outline a general idea of how many outfits you will need for your trip and pre-plan every outfit so that every piece counts. I will strategize my outfits around one or two pairs of shoes and one or two bottoms. Opt for lighter fabrics like silk skirts and tiny tops — they take up much less space. … If you like to exercise during travel, pack only one pair of leggings and a sports bra — hand wash them after your workout and hang dry them in your room for the next day. For products, I also collect samples of my skincare products and bring those instead of the bottles for times like this. Look ahead at your lodging amenities, don’t bring a travel hair dryer or conditioner if your hotel supplies the good stuff. Rolling your clothes is a good space saver, and of course, wear your bulkier pieces on the flight.
@itsamrit
AMRIT is a DJ and creative entrepreneur. Recently, she founded a platform called One Stop Away, which offers opportunities to those invested in positive change and advocacy.
Q: Three must-listen pregame songs?
“Burna Boy” by Ye
“Rapid Fire” by Santi
“Murder On The Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Q: How do you recover from a late-night gig?
I always eat after a late night out, no matter how late it is. Soaking up the alcohol significantly helps the next morning. Sunglasses always, and when that’s not acceptable, extra-strength eye drops!
Q: How do you minimize your beauty routine when traveling?
I feel like if I’m extra careful with my skincare routine I can do less glam. I typically do a double cleanse, toner, Sunday Riley Good Genes, moisturizer and oil depending on the climate. Dry shampoo helps minimize the amount of times I wash my hair. Recently, I poured all of my liquid toners into spray bottles so I can quickly spray them on, and I lightly pat them into my skin with clean hands.
Q: How do you combat jet lag?
A good multivitamin — I like Ritual — wearing compression socks on the plane, [and] working out even when you can’t be bothered to leave the hotel when you land. Tracy Anderson’s workout videos can be found on YouTube and are only 20 minutes long.
Q: What are your packing tips?
I try my best to only pack a carry on since I have a fear of losing my luggage. My beauty bag is ready to go with travel-sized products, and I replenish it with samples. I roll my clothing and keep it to a minimum — one trench coat (always chic), jeans, a few tanks and two shoe options (usually a sneaker and a low heel).
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Listen to their jams down below.
