Meet StoneyPie: Creative/DJ/Producer
EXCLUSIVE MIX:
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Ling Xiaoyu on the way to school
MEET STONEYPIE:
WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY:
Whether she’s djing, curating shows, or making music.. Phoenix-local creative, StoneyPie, is beloved by many. Her enthusiasm and passion is a driving force that’s caught the attention of media outlets all around the country.
Connect with StoneyPie via Instagram to stay up to date on what the young creative is currently working on and if you’re ever in town, check out one of her upcoming shows and have some fun. ✨
Instagram: @stoneypie
INTERVIEW:
1. How would you describe yourself and what you do for a living?
I mix music, I take two or three songs, get them to match each others speed/key, and mash them up to create a full experience and feeling on its own.
My art is completely an act of giving. All I want to do I make people happy in this dystopian world. Dancing at shows, party or punk, quite literally saved my life. I only hope to provide that refuge for other people, especially those who feel like they do not fit into the norm.
2. Describe the favorite show you've performed at this year.
This year I threw a show called PC house 9000. A group of friends and I came together to throw a real renegade party that goes till sunrise with House music and PC music as the theme. The energy of the night was amazing, during my set I really wanted to emphasize my roots and how is started. So I was playing tracks very dear to my heart, classic house tracks, disco, even some 80s boogie. My connection to the songs was shinning through to the crowed and there was a feeling on the dance floor from it. My heart was immensely warm. I felt like I was really letting myself go and letting the love I have for everyone there guide me behind the decks.
A similar thing happened when I opened for Tokimonsta. Look, being a DJ, there’s a lot of politics involved. There is tons of unjust treatment and favoritism for who plays by the rules and who’s marketable over real artists and talent. You have to fight through all of that just to get to the stage often. This show was put on by a major promoter here and a DJ friend added me to the line up so I ran with it, I didn’t “take it easy” as an opener. I played for the crowed and they loved it, appreciated it, and most importantly felt something!!! They had fun! That’s what’s important and that is what will always make or break a performance for me.
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I am currently studying mastering and production, I want to make some music and release it in the next 5 years. I am considering starting a band because I am very musical and enjoy playing with others.
I am also planning on continuing to DJ and help other new DJs create fun, authentic parties outside of the EDM pop sphere we’ve all been beaten to death with. I want to give people of all colors and sexes a platform they can flourish with.
4. Describe your setup at home for your work.
I use both 1200s and CDJS with a mixer for Djing. For music production, I’ve just started taking lessons on Abelton 10. I also use a KORG tritan tektile/korg kaoss 2 channel mixer, Micro Korg, and a boutique series 808.
5. What other creative industries do you see yourself getting into?
I am an inventor of sorts… I want to develop an app that will allow people to list shows and events privately without police interference. The app is called Sphinx app, I plan on debuting it in the UK when it’s done. It will not be done for sometime however as I am not a developer, so I’ll be spending the next couple of years looking for investments for the build.
6. What inspired you to get into music?
My story begins as a struggling teen; I come from a large Hispanic family. I wasn't provided much fostering in terms of becoming my own person let alone an artist of any kind. I was one of six kids and three of those six already had children of their own, all living in one small 3-bedroom townhome (which is perfectly normal for our culture).
You can say my family was largely in survival mode, all of the time. We were poor, barely making it. I was lost in the sauce.... and could feel it. My grades slipped, the schools I attended were underfunded nightmare factories. I was malnourished culturally and mentally. As soon as I hit 16, I got a job, left home, and started making/creating my own identity.
Having just run away from my chaotic and overcrowded home, I was quite lost and alone. I found myself tagging along to local punk and hardcore shows with a small group of kids at my school. I didn't have much of musical identity yet... but slowly my taste began evolving and I found refuge in music and the progressive political perspectives found in the local scene.
I began purchasing 7' records at these shows, which led me to get a record player. That right there opened my Pandora’s box of musicality. Not a single artist, genre, party, rave, or performance. Nope, a device, the ol’ wheel-o-steel. I instantly became a feverish digger.
I didn’t have much money so I would scour the one-dollar bins at the local record shops. Dollar bins at the time were chalk full of hip-hop singles, disco, house, breaks, 45’s, and electronic music. Most of this music was ignored and shelved because it wasn’t seen as valuable by the classic rock and jazz enthusiast whom largely ran these shops. I didn’t realize it then, but I had struck gold on the fact that most DJ’s were going digital and quite literally, donating their record collections to goodwill.
From there I just went for it and started playing my records for people. Alex Djentrification, who is one of the very best DJs I have ever met or seen live. He showed me how to shut up and feel the music and encouraged me to play music for people publicly, something I probably would have never done for my self. He also didn’t hold my hand through it, but instead allowed me to really to find my own sound and style, my own way. He encouraged me and gave me my first show at a weekly that happens today. I will link his profile for you all.
7. Where do you hope to see the creative industry go in terms of trends or future collaborations with other creative industries?
Let’s not forget that current dance music would not exist without the past influence of garage parties in the late 1970’s. These places created safe havens for queer, people of color, and those who did not fit into the status quo. They were a home for the homeless at the time. A place where people didn’t have to hide who they are. A place where you could dance all night and let go.
The ego fights and lack of diversity in dance music now is a literal inversion of this mind set. It seems like the skill set in this industry has taken a back seat as well as the feeling. This is only going to dampen the culture and cause it to expire and become played out.
A group of talented people & myself included are working hard and started a talent collective called Hydr8. Our goal ultimately is to refresh the scene. We want to provide different art forms, sounds, and styles to bring the feeling and love back to music!