Here at CITRUSRAP.COM, we give you guys the goods on who’s hot & who’s popping. To make it more enlightening for you, we introduce to you our new series: “GemTalk”. We will be interviewing some of the loveliest women in Florida making major moves and blessing us with their work. “GemTalk” is all about creating a platform where women can speak about their true passions and what they do for our culture. Up next, is Sel6 who is providing some serious juice whenever she’s spinning on the 1s & 2s. Read below how Sel & I talked about her creative process, what we can expect on her new project Evr Aftr & many more.
Who exactly is Sel 6?
Sel 6 is a devotion, not only to a specific person, but to a special cause as well. To put it more simply, Sel 6 is a person I created in honor of my mother. She passed away when I was 15, and ever since then I’ve made it a point to do something great in this life to make her proud. Growing up it was always just me and her. I never really had any other family but her, so she was my main support system. She’s always had a very strong influence on me and my choices, and especially on my taste in music. She always supported my ambitions to pursue music, even when I was so young and didn’t really know exactly what I wanted to do. There was a point in time where she was in and out of jail a lot, and we use to write letters to each other all the time, which is where I get the reasoning behind my name.
“Sel” is from my middle name, which is Selena (she always called me “Sel” as a nickname), and the 6 represents the actual cell number where my mother was kept during her last stay in jail. So to answer your question, Sel 6 is someone who took a bad situation and turned it into fuel for success. It took 5 years for me to come to this conclusion, which came with a lot of struggles and bad choices, but deep down I always knew I would be the one to break the chain, and I will continue to be great, not only for her, but for myself.
What made you start creating?
I’ve always had a special love for music. Going as far back as middle school, when I discovered YouTube and LimeWire, it was a wrap! I used to spend hours researching all kinds of music, and then I would burn cds for myself all the time and walk around with my portable cd player everywhere. Eventually, all my friends would ask me to make mixtapes for them, so I guess u can say that’s when I officially started curating vibes. Fast forward years later when I got my first laptop, I found out about virtual DJ. That’s when I really started mixing, so probably around 3 years now. It started as just a hobby, so I would make really long mixes of all my favorite songs just for myself. Now when it comes to producing, I’m still fairly new to it. I’ve only been producing original stuff for about a year now. My companion in life is actually the one who really inspired me to start producing and creating my own sounds. We started making music around the same time. He is a big reason I’m in the position that I am now, because he really pushed me to pursue music on a professional level and helped me to see that I can really do whatever I put my mind to. He’s my biggest inspiration in a lot of ways. Big s/o to the love of my life, Anthony aka Gnoli.
If you could work with anyone locally, celebrity, deceased?
Locally, I feel like I’ve already had a chance to work with some of my favorite artists down here AKA my friends (YXXXNZ, Bear, Grabba Ranks, Trbld Boy, and of course Gnoli + so many more). One artist I would love to work with is Angel Diary (formerly known as Little Cloud). She’s not on a celebrity status at all but that’s the only semi-famous artist I could think of that I would really want to work with. I think shes a genius. I’ve never heard anything like her music.
What made you fall in love with music?
The feeling that comes from it is unlike anything else. I feel like I’ve always had a really strong bond with music. I remember being so young and already being heavily affected by certain sounds. Music always made me really emotional. I’ve always been amazed by how sounds can come together and create all kinds of atmospheres, good and bad. Music is really spiritual for me.
Before you create a mix for an event, what type vibe do you usually look for?
One thing I want to clear up, is that when I do these events, none of my mixes are pre-recorded. I feel like that takes a lot away from the art of DJing. Everything I do is live, and on the spot. Pre-planning stifles the process for me and when I’m looking for the vibe, I’m more so looking within myself. 90% of the time I play what I want to hear. I usually pick my first song of the set about 5 minutes before I go on, and just go from there. I like to be surprised along with the crowd.
What single night been the most memorable for you as a DJ?
It’s hard to say because I’ve been a part of so many different great events, but I would say the most memorable night DJing so far definitely had to be the night I DJ’d Conceptual. Big s/o to Kangie, and all the rest involved for having me on that event. That night was just really incredible. The energy in that place was so amazing, and that was a very special moment for young female artists, for sure. I’m glad I had the chance to be a part of such a positive event, and connect with so many beautiful people.
Top 5 favorite albums
Very hard question for me! But first 5 that come to mind…
5) “Around The Fur” -Deftones
4) “In Rainbows” -Radiohead
3) “Three Sided Tape (Vol. 1 & 2)” -Lil Ugly Mane
2) “1999” -Prince
1) “Jealous Girlfriend” -Little Cloud
If you could be eternally stuck in one year’s music scene, which year would it be and why?
1983 for sure. My favorite kind of music of all time is 70s/80s RnB and dance music. I like New Wave a lot to. I would of loved to be a DJ during a time where people went out to actually dance and have a good time, instead of standing around smoking and staring at each other. The music that came out of that era just feels so good. Whenever I’m feeling down or just want to take a break from today’s music, I always go back to my oldies. I love to incorporate that kind of music in my sets because it really sets a different mood. It’s hard not to enjoy that kind of music.
What festival(s) do you see yourself spinning at in the near future?
There’s really no specific festival line up that I desire to be on at this time, except III Points. However, one thing I will accomplish at some point in my career is doing a set for Boiler Room.
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
I definitely will not be in South Florida that for sure! I plan on traveling for the rest of my life, so who knows where I’ll end up. I really just want to see as many places as I can and meet all kinds of people. I have no desire for wealth or fame. All I want out of life is health, happiness, to be able to travel whenever I please, and to play and make music wherever I go. I’m actually going to be dropping one more project, then I’m taking a break from the scene for maybe like a year, so I can work on me and get a deeper understanding of myself and what I actually plan to do with my music. I feel like it’s definitely needed right now, and it’s the only way I can make music into a career and maintain it. I have quite a journey ahead.
Tell us about your upcoming project.
The name of the project is “Evr Aftr” and it’s going to be my 3rd originally produced, instrumental EP. I like to tell stories with my sounds. I do something very different than what most people do musically down here in South Florida, which is why I’ve found it to be a little harder gaining recognition for my production. My music is more on the eclectic/experimental side, totally different vibes from what I usually provide when DJing. My music is very personal to me, and I refuse to create anything that doesn’t make ME happy, first and foremost. Evr Aftr is a special thing between my partner and I. This project not only symbolizes the never ending love I’ll always have for music and what it does for me, but for him. He has been more than just my boyfriend. He’s my best friend, mentor, and so much more. Like I said earlier, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for him. He’s featured all throughout the project on a couple different songs as well.
Any advice to DJs who want to be heard:
My advice to any DJ who is trying to be heard, is to stay original and stick to your guns. YOU set the vibe, YOU control the atmosphere. Play the kind of music YOU want to play. When you stop caring about what others think, you will see how rewarding it is. Don’t ever let the scene control you. It can be intimidating sometimes, but if you have faith in yourself and set your own vibe, the rest will follow! I’ve realized that I always enjoy myself more when I play music that I want to play, instead of the typical hype, trap shit that everybody wants to hear all the time. If you really want to be heard, just be you. You will stand out, I promise.
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Credits:
By: @HighTaty
Photographer & Editing: Ashley Richardson (@cameocamero)
