Interview with DJ Jesse Valentino

The Irish entertainment Industry’s premier female DJ. Jesse’s versatility is what keeps her one of Ireland’s fastest risers within its commercial music scene. She adapts her sound to any venue and crowd, whether it’s commercial or underground with diverse and ever-changing sets.

Without dispute, Jesse is the hottest DJ in Ireland. She is known for her pumping up crowds with her diverse sound an unending energy.

Jesse, tell us a little bit about where you are from and growing up in Ireland.

I’m from Dublin, Ireland and I’m a full time DJ. I gotta say I do come from a very supportive family. My whole life I’ve been in love with music which in turn has pushed me in to my now career of being a DJ.

When you were young what music did you listen to?

From the age of about 13 I remember being obsessed with rock and punk rock bands- I’m talking Nirvana, Green Day, The Distillers… and was definitely in to the punk style scene. My first ever concert was in the O2 (The Point) when the band Offspring came to town. When I was around 16 I was listening to a mix of hip hop, r&b, garage and a bit of house.

How did you get started DJing?

What got me in to DJing was when I was 18 going out clubbing. I loved to watch the DJs play and got interested in the whole business. Plus

I happened to have a few DJ friends at the time to help me out, so from there I just decided to buy my own pair of 1210s, practice and take a chance with it!

Was it rough going getting started since female DJs are very few in number in Ireland?

Yeah it was pretty rough as very few people would take me seriously, so I really had to prove myself. I had a tough time showing people that I could actually DJ!

I have read that your mixes are considered “unique”. Describe your style? What would your typical set be like?

I love a lot of different styles because I love to listen to a lot of different genres. It mainly depends on what kind of crowd I’m playing to and my mood. Warming up I like to play either some old school r’n'b or chilled out funky commercial house. My main sets can range from anything to the most popular house/electro remixes of what’s big in the charts to fist-pumping dirty dutch to hip hop and dancehall.

Describe your creative process when coming up with your mixes and sets.

A lot of the time I’ll make a mix right after those rare times – you know when you find a good bunch of songs all at the same time. It gets me in the mood! Your mixtapes are a test sample to show your musical taste, so people can tell if they dig what you’re about or not. So with the tracks I can’t get enough of, it’s then just a case of arranging them up & looking at the BPM’s.

What do you do that you think gets the audience pumped up?

Always when you play a song with a long drawled out slow part in it & when the bass drops the crowd goes wild! It’s an amazing buzz to watch the crowd going nuts to your set.

In 2011 you spinned at the after party in the Wright Venue penthouse for Kylie Minouge’s crew. What was the experience like?

It was a great experience as I was able to play a lot of old skool dancehall and r&b tunes which I would never get to play in a mainstream club,

I had Kylie’s crew booty shakin all night!

You once wrote that you get off on controlling the crowd. Do you still get excited about it?

Definitely-It’s all about keeping the crowd moving to your sound. You need to find that sweet spot right in between playing the songs you want and what the crowd wants, and from there you can either take them up or keep them at a slow chilled level.

Where can we go to find out more about you?

Contact email for bookings etc: djjessevalentino@gmail.com

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