Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, May 8, 2015 Page: 9 of 36
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have been with them so long. It's gratifying
and rewarding."
Whether Calagna is in the DJ booth cueing
up tracks that she produced (like the current
Billboard chart-climbing remix of Yoko Ono's
"Woman Power") or those that others have
produced, she promises to take the dance floor
crowd on an inspirational journey.
"What I've kind of stuck by is if [the music]
moves me, then I play it," Calagna says of her
trademark. "It's all about finding energy
[through] peaks and valleys, yet still tying
music together and telling a story. There kind
of needs to be a flow between beginning, mid-
dle and end. It's a storytelling experience. It's
a lot like life."
Calagna draws from a vast collection of
dance tracks that transcends both time and
musical genres.
"I firmly believe that [music] doesn't have
an expiration date," Calagna says. "The beau-
tiful thing about music is that, in one moment,
you can be catapulted into a memory that can
be from your childhood or high school or any-
thing. It's so funny how we say, 'I used to love
that song!' We put it in the past tense. The truth
is we still love the song, but we just haven't
heard it."
As a female DJ in a male-dominated circuit
world, Calagna also believes that music has no
gender.
"When I was coming up, there were not a lot
of us," Calagna says of her female colleagues.
"It was really, really hard for me to break
through. It's easier in a sense now, but it still is
not as accepted. For some reason, there is a bit
of a stigma."
Calagna recalls one particular appearance
several years ago during Orlando's Gay Days
as a pivotal moment in her career — a night
that elevated her circuit party credibility.
"It was the first Arabian Nights after-hours
that I did for Disney," she recalls. "At the end
of that, I remember feeling like 'What the fuck
just happened?' That gig was kind of like the
shot heard round the world. People from all
over the country were there."
The secret to Calagna's success before and
since, she says, has been to follow her instincts.
"Pretty much what pushed me through was
to be myself — to be OK with exploring sound
and constantly being a work in progress," she
says. "It's easy to go with what everyone else
is doing, but in the end you'll hurt yourself.
Just follow you, be you, and play you."
Calagna and her partner recently relocated
from Florida to Colorado. With a hectic travel
schedule both stateside and abroad, the in-de-
mand DJ realized that she had really begun to
miss nature.
"I really enjoy living in [a place with] four
seasons. It's good for me. I like the change - the
physical change and the energetic change," she
says.
She has noticed, however, a recent popula-
tion boom in Colorado. Could it be that her
fans have followed her there? "They followed
me or they followed the legalization of mari-
juana," Calagna quips. "I'm not sure." ■
ON STAGE AT 9:30PM
GDMAF.org
• Doug Jackson, Roar! (Dallas Eagle, 5740
Maple Ave. Friday, 9 p.m. $5 suggested cover).
South Florida’s DJ has served as spinner-in-
chief at several of the nation’s hottest bear
events including Provincetown’s Fireman’s Ball,
NYC’s FurBall and TBRU’s BearDance. Jack-
son’s sound mixes progressive, techno and
tribal grooves with big room vocals and deep
bass rhythms. (DJ Perry of Dallas opens.)
• Wayne G, Rise pool party (Sisu Uptown
Resort, 2508 Maple Ave. Saturday, 1-7 p.m.
$35-$40). A former resident DJ at London’s
Heaven, Wayne G is known internationally for his
impressive skills. He is also noted for an impos-
ing discography having produced dance floor
remixes for divas Lady Gaga, Madonna, Katy
Perry and the late Whitney Houston, and seam-
lessly blending house, electro and tribal sounds
into his exhilarating sets. (MNDO of Dallas
opens.) Note: Dallas Voice will be shooting pho-
tography for its upcoming Annual Swimsuit Edi-
tion at the Rise pool party. Come to the party
and win a chance to appear in the coverage.
• Alyson Calagna, The Purple Party (South
Side Music Hall, 1135 S. Lamar St. Saturday, 9
p.m. $60-$80). The high priestess of sound (see
interview, this page) has earned top billing at the
world’s biggest dance and circuit events. Her
profound and unmistakable signature style will
transport revelers on a spiritual journey that rises
above both musical genre and time. (Shane Stiel
of Los Angeles opens.)
• Danny Verde, Revival (Hall of State in Fair
Park, 3939 Grand Ave. Sunday, 4—10 p.m. $35-
$40). Italy’s Verde returns for his third consecu-
tive Purple appearance. Verde has remixed
some of popular music’s biggest names includ-
ing Cher, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Avicii and
Selena Gomez. His high-energy sound is fueled
by driving beats and powerful, uplifting vocals.
(Brandon Moses of Dallas opens.)
• Paulo, Glow (Sue Ellen’s, 3014 Throckmor-
ton St. Sunday, 10 p.m. $25-$30). Portugal na-
tive DJ Paulo has headlined parties including
Montreal’s Black and Blue Festival, NYC’s Ale-
gria, Orlando’s Gay Days and Sydney’s Mardi
Gras. He also boasts impressive production
credits with remixes for artists including Lady
Gaga and Christina Aguilera. His hypnotic, per-
cussive blend of tribal and percussive house
sound promises to entrance the dance floor.
(Mike James of Dallas opens.)
— Scott Huffman
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Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, May 8, 2015, newspaper, May 8, 2015; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth706898/m1/9/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.