Steve Baltin tells the tale in the LA Times:
- One film crew is already shooting in the sparsely decorated Mulholland Drive home of Charissa Saverio--a.k.a. popular nightclub disc jockey DJ Rap--when a second crew arrives at the door. It's a little before 4 in the afternoon, the start of her day. Bouncing around the room in tight blue jeans, a black tank top and boots, her blond hair flying, Saverio is actually at work--getting her set list together for an after-party to the Sunset Junction street fair, which is being held at the Echo Park nightclub the Echo.
The house is suddenly full of cameras, bodies and booming music, all flowing together in a kind of impromptu mix.
That she happens to be a woman in a male-dominated art form has long ceased to matter to Saverio. She's got to tend to business, and business is very good. The first film crew is one she hired to document the making of her new album, her third, which she promises will blend the frenetic, tribal-esque drum-and-bass beats she's known for with the breaks she's been utilizing in recent sets. The second crew is there to interview her for a documentary on electronic music.
Female DJs, once a novelty, increasingly are becoming established players in the serious business of late-night fun, with their popularity growing. Despite concerns that some of the women are relying on their sex appeal to get gigs, and the resulting backlash on the credibility of others, there is a core of talented female artists who are taking hold of the scene, with newcomers arriving regularly. In the process, the idea that women can't compete with their male counterparts--from sheer talent to handling the constant travel and the vampire-esque hours--is slowly fading.....
- Colette--last name Marino--stops short in front of Vice, a trendy clothing boutique on Sunset Boulevard, where a girl with pink hair is kicking out an awesome mix of songs on Day 2 of the street fair. "Oh, it's a girl DJ," a man in a cowboy hat says to a friend as he walks past.
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