Name: Krystal Roxx
Nationality: British
Occupation: DJ, producer, founder at female talent collective Superfoxx
Current release: Krystal Roxx teams up with Chelcee Grimes for their collaborative single  "Girl," out now via Ultra.
Recommendations: Rick Rubin, The Creative Act; Florence & The Machine, Dance Fever

[Read our Chelcee Grimes interview]

If you enjoyed this Krystal Roxx interview and would like to stay up to date with her music and current live dates, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud. 



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in DJing? How and when did you start DJing?

Yes I trained as a dancer and went into musical theatre and had been in pop bands, writing music. So it was very natural to start producing, recording, making edits and playing live

Today, DJs are rarely just DJs. Very often, they can be producers who are also DJs or DJs who are also producers. Where do you see yourself on this spectrum and what kind of potential issues and cross-pollinations does this create?

I love to collaborate. My new record “Girl” with Chelcee Grimes is a great example of that.

Working with other writers and producers is always a furlong unique experience. I keep working on my skills as a producer and musician playing guitar, drums, recording my vocals.

Now, I'm learning to produce Binaural Beats to incorporate healing frequencies in dance music.

What were some of the most important insights you gained from teachers/tutorials, other DJs, or personal experience? What does it mean to be a “better DJ?”

Warming up for Carl Cox as watching him control the energy of a space was incredible, having confidence to take the crowd with you on a journey as it arises in you is the greatest.

My Female Talent Agency & Club Night, Superfoxx, we have a DJ Academy training DJs and Producers then give them jobs in Music. I also love Play Virtuoso - the course are exceptionally clear and informative.

[Read our Carl Cox interview]

For you, is there still listening outside of looking for music for your next sets? If so, what do you prefer to listen to and how does it possibly nonetheless have an influence on your performances?

I love going to gigs in genres that I don’t play.

I recently saw Bombino and fell in love, also with the warm up act. I must find out which that was!

When digging, what are you looking for? Is the process all about taste for you, or is it about “going beyond taste?”

I’ll go to my favourite producers and labels that I know get me every time, but love being surprised out and about and Shazam a new discovery.

On the basis of one of your most recent gigs, tell me about how the preparation- and decision making process works during a gig with regards to the inclusion of key records, the next transition and where you want the set to go?

I normally digitally crate dig and come out with 3x the amount I’ll actually have time to play. The rest is totally in the moment so it’s important to have playlists and cue points prepared so I can play freely

There must be endless ways of “matching” two or more tracks. How do you prefer to do it? What makes two tracks inherently “matchable” and what constitutes a great transition?  

I love a 1/2 echo effect with a filter or looping the top or end of a vocal rolling down the bar length and switching into something totally different

How would you describe the experience of DJing, physically and mentally? Do you listen – and deejay - with your eyes open or closed?

I’m fully immersed when I play. It’s a complete mind body soul take over!

Do you engage with audiences/dancers - and how? Taking one of your online DJ mixes as an example, how does the experience and the way you deejay change when you subtract the audience?

I thrive connecting with the crowd. Sometimes I’ll drag them up to the decks!  Or jump into dance with the crowd.

For me it’s about liberating them and us all going on a one of a kind journey together while we’re on the dancefloor.

Collaboration is a key part of almost every aspect of music making, but it is stil rare in DJing. Tell me about your own views on back-to-back DJing, interactions with live musicians or other forms of turning DJing into a more collective process.

I love going back to back with another artist, they introduce you to their style and visa versa. I recently did that with Tensuhi at Wild Meadows Festival and it was deeply inspiring.

I also use sax, trumpet, guitar, and drums or percussion in my live show and that’s a whole new level of unique flare and musical expression, listening to each other's take live in the moment.

How important is dancing for our wellbeing on a personal and even on a societal level?

I trained professionally as a dancer so know first hand from the start the impact it has had on me as an artist. Dancing is proven to be the leading physical exercise to beat depression. Movement is medicine.

I see this clearly at our Sober Rave Rise & Shine. The dancefloor is, in the worlds of Faithless, where we heal our hurts.

Especially in the light of advances in AI, where do you see the role of humans in DJing versus that of technology? Can AI act as a collaborator or creative stimulus?

AI, like all digital technology, is a great tool but doesn’t replace the authenticity of soul expression.

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

I had moods made at Specsavers when I started to mix and they were great. It takes a bit of time to get used to mixing with them in.

I actually need to reinvest in some, thanks for the reminder!

Do you feel as though DJing is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Music is my life; whether I am dancing, mixing, producing, writing, singing, strumming, drumming, yoga flowing or meditating.

It’s my modality to express myself and learn about the truth in others

Let's imagine you lost all your music for one night and all there is left at the venue is a crate of records containing a random selection of music. How would you approach this set?

I’d pray for clarity!

Then I’d start with the record that I knew everyone would know the most but not peak time and have fun building the night from there!