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MELYSS (Sister SF, Opel Productions, SF)

You want funk? You want breaks? Melyss is in the house; in this juke joint off the beaten path. She’s created a breaks mix with a big dollop of funk like butter on grits. We sat down with Melyss and asked a few questions on how she got where she’s at and the music soundtrack of her life.

Melyss is a San Francisco based DJ with about 10 years on the scene. But how did she get there? She grew up on the east coast in the land of “Liberty and Prosperity”; in Jersey. She was firmly rooted in music by her family that encouraged music in her life. Melyss tickled the ivories and sang in both choir and vocal groups. This created the creative fertile bed that led to the next slippery slope down into musicland.

While in college, Melyss was one of those women that were at every live show; addict of the live band and crowd scene. In the late 90s in her senior year, she visited New York City’s Palladium where Junior Vasquez was performing and Kevin Aviance was doing runway. Magic. She was home. Game on! The experience of 90s New York City clubbing birthed a new DJ…Melyss.

Melyss started DJing in January 2000 and shortly after pulled together with a San Francisco krew including J-Fi, Chonky-T, Jan, and Tonic to throw the night “Mayonnaise”. It was every Tuesday night at Skylark, her first residency, and the source of many a four hour sleep night. Mayonnaise led to a broadening of friends and something called out to her as being needed; a krew of female DJs.

Sister SF was one of the first all female krews in the world. She and the likes of XJS, Siren, and Charlotte the Baroness were all about supporting female DJs. Sister SF was a resource for all things DJ from contracts to tutorials. They had exposure and features with press like Remix Mag, SF Chronicle, and Karma. Sister SF is relaunching this year around supporting women in electronic music production. Melyss requests if there are female producers out there that are interested in contributing to the relaunch, please contact her at Click to reveal email.

In 2005, Melyss joined Opel Productions with DJs Syd Gris, Hoj, and Dex Stakker. She told us, “Syd is a madman and I owe many of my major performances in San Francisco to his productions and party-throwin’ skillz.” One of the best venues she’s played at wasn’t so much a venue…as a float. LovEvolution (previously known as Love Parade and LoveFest) is America’s biggest dance music event; a celebration of the highest forms of electronic music culture and technology, in the belief that dance promotes peace, love, unity and respect. For it, individual floats are created, produced, and booked by krews; one of which is Opel where Melyss played to thousands dancing in the street. LovEvolution along with How Weird St Faire, Halloween, and New Years are regular festivals in which she plays.

Melyss has a strong leaning towards funk; a funkie junkie of breaks and house if you will. She loves music laden with deep funky basslines and old school hop-hop samples; think Neighbour (Homebreakin Records), All Good Funk Alliance, Fort Knox 5, Fingerlickin’s A. Skillz & Krafty Kuts, and Plump DJs. She’s sees herself continuing in that while adding some midtempo funky breaks and remixed disco.

Melyss told us that she loves programming out a set that she knows is going to be killer and then seeing the audience get down to it. She always plans out the beginning of her sets and how that will flow; it’s important to get off on the right foot. She respects the DJs that put the effort into creating a mood through their music selection. For herself, at times she feels bound by having only the music of others to create the atmosphere; nothing wrong with that. Instead, it’s inspired her to begin producing her own music. Melyss, along with her husband Jayo/Big Fat Frog have come together on Cheeky Productions to create both their own music and together a live act. How’s that for circling around to the live vocal performing of her youth?

You can catch Melyss at the following upcoming performances: Saturday August 29th Drunk Funk Champion Sound @ Koko (1060 Geary St, San Francisco); Saturday October 3^rd LovEvolution with Opel Productions (San Francisco); Saturday Oct 31th Halloween with Opel Productions (San Francisco).

More about Melyss at MySpace and Facebook.
Booking: Click to reveal email

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1. FunkTransplant – Backbone [Home Breakin Records]
2. Neighbour – Pistachio Ride (original mix) [Jalapeno Records]
3. Nick Fonkynson – So Damn Fresh [Super Hi-Fi]
4. Neighbour – Drunk on Funk [Super Hi-Fi]
5. Fort Knox Five – Funk 4 Peace feat. Mustafa Akbar & Shunda K (Deekline & Ed_Solo Instrumental) [Fort Knox Recordings]
6. Finger Lickin’ Allstars – 2 Da Break (original mix) [Finger Lickin']
7. Bootasaurus – Brown Acid [Party Style]
8. Maelstrom – The Glue [Money Shot Recordings]
9. Mr. Strom – Right On [East Records]
10. Elite Synthesis Project – No Breaks We Don’t Stop (original mix) [Royal One Records]
11. Knightlife – Discotirso [Cutters Records]
12. Hot Mouth – I Don’t Care (Hot Mouth remix) [Unreleased]
13. Fort Knox Five – The Spirit of 75 feat. Mustafa Akbar (Neighbour Remix) [Fort Knox Recordings]
14. BadboE – Loose Your Funky Self [Auditorydesigns]