On stage Brazzabelle is a fashion forward temptress with a sexy gaze, smile that can light up a room and a distinct perfectly placed long ponytail. But today she's almost unrecognizable as she comes off of Space Mountain at Disneyland. The Arizona native and now LA transplant is an annual pass-holder, so we figured we swap a normal interview about her up and coming DJ gig in the OC for a day at the happiest place on Earth. Because, why the hell not? She dons a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt with a red plaid skirt, black mouse ears beanie and Main Street Elite patches on her spiked jean vest. Anywhere else the outfit might be a bit much, but at Disneyland she fits right in. Her style is usually pretty eccentric, the kind of loud clothes easily suited for massive stages at festivals like EDC Puerto Rico or New York's Electric Zoo, where she's been known to DJ hard-hitting, electro inspired sets.
We make our way towards Main Street so that we can take pictures in front of the giant Christmas tree and hopefully spot a character to take a photo with. Afterwards we head over to Disney California Adventure because we're in desperate need of a cocktail. Yes it's okay to drink at Disneyland at 2pm, if you're with an EDM goddess and it's her birthday. As we wait in line at Cove Bar in DCA to have celebratory birthday drinks Brazzabelle spots Daisy Duck and begs for a picture. After posting her selfie on Instagram, fans instantly comment, “We're on a mission to find you!” But considering her signature look, would they be able to spot her behind those funky shades and Disney kid grin? “When I first started DJing I was told I needed to have branding with a name that's original and a distinct look,” says the artist born Brittney Bowles. “The long ponytail weave was cool because when I didn't want to be recognized I could wear my hair down, but that doesn't really work anymore.”
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Her OC promoter friend Kevin from Trilogy who accompanied us on our Disney date says, “that's because you're just so popular now.” That seems to be the case as of late. After being the opening support for various artist such as Alesso, Laidback Luke, and Martin Solveig she's now headlining her own monthly local shows like the new Wonder Saturdays at the Yost Theater this weekend. She's also playing at LED's OMFG NYE festival in San Diego on the 30th and the LA Shrine on the 31st alongside artist like Boys Noize, Diplo and NERVO. “All of my LED, Yost, and Avalon shows are amazing,” says Bowles. “I have the best fans here. They always come out and rage!” Her fans are so enthralled with her, they even beg for her hand in marriage via twitter or Facebook on the daily — Not like she replies, “but it's cute to see,” she says. We stay at Cove bar for a while admiring the view of Paradise pier and Mickey's Fun Wheel as we drink and eat like the quasi-mature adults that we are.
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She casually sips on her beverage of choice, a Black Pearl, making sure to point out it's not on the menu anymore — but still the $7.95 old cocktail price. Not that she has to worry about saving a couple of bucks. She quit her day job as a fashion merchandiser for LF clothing six months ago and has been touring the States while working in the studio full time ever since. “I asked for a Yamaha sequencer mixer for my 15th birthday and my parents got me a cell phone instead,” says Bowles as she munches on some of the best nachos we've ever tasted. “They were like I don't know what that is and it sounds really expensive.” After putting her DJ aspirations on the back-burner they were ignited after studying abroad in Barcelona at a time when dance music was huge there. She came to LA and lived with fellow artist Congorock as she became known in the scene and opened at several LED shows in San Diego.
Maybe that's why her style is much like a mix of an old-school EDM lover spliced with today's harder bassy Dutch sound. Her most recent mix for Sol Republic showcases her mash-up and remix work as she blends songs like Sisqo's “Thong Song” with Kenneth G's “Basskikker.” Sort of old school with a touch of today's sound which the kids eat up like candy. After all of the drinks and appetizers we feel pretty buzzed as we make our way to the California Screamin' rollercoaster. “I only love coming to Disneyland during the day on a weekday,” she explains while we wait in line. “I'm so thankful to have friends without normal 9-5 jobs who can join me!” Once on the ride we go from zero to 55 miles per hour in just four seconds screaming in delight the entire way with our hands in the air. “That's how I feel when I'm playing a show in front of thousands of people like NYC's Webster Hall or HARD Summer,” says Bowles as we get off a bit dizzy but full of adrenaline. As night closed in, we decided to make sure to cram in the last bit of fun before Bowles had to go to further celebrate her birthday with friends at dinner in LA. We made our way to Tower of Terror as Brazzy shared a bit of her current side project.
“I've always wanted to write Calvin Harris-like songs because they make you feel like you're on top of a mountain riding a unicorn,” says Bowles. Maybe that's why she's decided to prove herself as an artist and step away from her usually electro sound to write songs of this nature. “I've really impressed myself with this and I'm really happy with the way it's unfolding,” she shares. Suddenly we're stopped by two rockabilly girls asking where she got the patches on her vest. “I just got them at a barber shop in LA,” she says. The girls stare her down and let her know if she attended the [Main Street Elie] meetings she would know they're no longer wearing those patches and walked away.
So maybe Disneyland isn't as PLUR as we thought, but she's not going to let it get to her. Brazzy's already proven to be one of the baddest bitches in this male dominated industry anyways. “[Female DJs are] fun and nicer to look at,” she says. “But that only gets you so far. Labels don't care if you're a female or not. They care whether or not you can sell records. That's were you have to stick with it and prove yourself through your music and your production skills.” Today though she's know for her remix work and bootlegs as well as several self produced tracks which she plays in her sets. “That's the best feeling in the world. When people recognize something that you made yourself and sign along,” says Brazabelle. Sounds like she's already living in her fantasy aspiring DJ world.
See Also:
Top Five EDM Shows in December
Laidback Luke Learns to Tap Into His Inner Wolverine On Stage
Despite Being Underrepresented, Female DJs Say There's No Crying in EDM
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