“If you’re an artist then you’ll understand your depth and you understand how something that you did made you feel, so when you look at it, it’s like you want to convey that energy to somebody else.” –Fathom DJ 

Her name leaves a mystique curiosity. Her talents extend to various realms of creativity. As a painter, graffiti artist, designer, and overall artist, her fulfillment is met when people are moving to the sounds of her mixes in a constant motion. She is Chicago’s own Fathom DJ. Her occupation: “Expanding the Universal Language of Music.” 

Reminiscing with a friend and talking about old movies, led to memories of things over the course of childhood. Laughing as she shares this brief piece of her history, Fathom DJ explains, “I have all these memories of being a kid and my mother using album covers as fans when I got hot. So as I was thinking about it the other day, it’s like you had those little slight subtle hints of things that people might take for granted but when you look back at it, those could be considered foundations for where you are now.” 

Her mind was set on the music. The first test came when she was dating a guy and his brother had turntables. Fooling around, the fellaz yelled, ‘rock the party!’ Fathom took her cue and did the best she could for her first go-round. The challenge was to mix the music without a change in flow and motion. “It was kinda cool but I was off cause he was like if you’re off when I dance, I’m going to know because my rhythm is going to change.” 

That experience led to a goal; making people dance in one complete movement. 

The bug hit her. Everything about spinning on the turntables, the soul of Chicago’s music, house music, just felt good and she knew that’s what she wanted to do. It wasn’t long before her mother’s record collection began to condense and gigs started to roll in.  She even landed a weekly gig at the Funky Buddha Lounge along with a variety of other events. Work was in good rotation. But as an artist, there is always a form of conflict and frustration somewhere down the line. 

Her inspiration was drawn from other females doing what she had aspired to do from childhood. “At that time [childhood] DJ Heather was rocking at Red Dog. I had a fake I.D. I was there every Wednesday!  She was the one female DJ who made me say ‘I see myself doing that.” Fathom’s admiration for turning tables came from knowing that women such as DJ Heather and her friend DJ Rapture were doing something that was not expected of them. “They appeared strong, in control, and confident and women need to see that of each other.” 

When you have a strong drive embedded in you, after time you tend to brush off some of the obstacles that are set to scramble your goals and focus on forward-progression by any means. For women, this remains a constant battle, but the fight is strong. The beginning for Fathom didn’t fit the part where she is a woman into the equation. It was simply all about the music and wanting to evoke that feeling that she felt when she saw DJ Lil Louis, one of Chicago’s hottest DJ’s in the early 90’s, spinning house music at Hotel parties. “When I first started it was just about playing records. I just really want to do this all the time you know what I’m saying? You don’t event think about the fact that you’re a woman doing what you do.” 

While working on the “Neo-Soul Explosion” project with DJ Twilite Tone, she expressed her frustrations, confusion, and issues with the industry and jobs slowing down for her. It was then that reality really hit and sunk in. He simply said to her, you’re a woman, you’re a girl. “That was so disheartening to me because I’ve always been kind of a tomboy about things, [in grammar school] I played basketball, I chose to draw over fashion…” but nobody ever just said, hey you’re a girl and you shouldn’t be doing this.” However, it marked the first time that statement was put into her existence and she understood it. 

Nevertheless, that was just the fuel needed to spark her creative inhabitants even more. From that realization came the birth of pushing and promoting herself harder to get noticed. Because she is an artist in various genres, she began to allow one source of her creative energy to spill over into other avenues. “My creativity is and will be all over my projects, the art, the music, the clothing, will all work together.” 

Just to get her feet wet, she did a promotional tee-shirt that will be available on her website, www.fathomdj.com pretty soon. “I’m hoping to spawn some more original designs it’s just a matter of prioritizing the DJ’ing, the original music production, the events, and the rest of my creative world!” 

For the past year, Fathom has been using technology to exhibit her brand. She goes hard at promoting herself through myspace, a youtube blog, and a podcast. You can check out some of her mixes online too! “My confidence is so much higher because, I realized, you stop comparing yourself to people and start looking at what you bring to the table specifically, it’s a power in that. So my confidence level and campaign is different now.”

 

The Teacher and The Artist.

Fathom DJ is more than just an instrument that uses her fingers to spin your favorite tunes; she’s a teacher, a teacher of social environment, life, realism, creativity, and artistry. Her skills as a DJ bring forth the rhythm and sounds of the underground and inspires you to not only move in the way of the kinetic vibrations, but provides unknown knowledge; that some may not even realize they were seeking. 

“ [To me], DJ’s are supposed to show people the A, B, C’s and 1,2,3’s and everything else that they don’t get. So what ”Expanding the Universal Language of Music” is, is being able to take what you know of music and take the knowledge that I have and put it together so that it continues to grow. I want to always add to the pot of things that you know and add what you don’t know.” 

So much music and art becomes lost and carried away into the midst of recycled masses. For one, the radio over saturates us with the same songs and promotions for the same artist, but we can’t hate because that’s the first source of music along with the fact of it being free. It remains one of those things we love to hate. “I’m not trying to hate on the radio or anything [but] it comes to a point where I don’t request or find it necessary to hear everything that the radio is playing.” 

Laughing, Fathom recalls an example of the, “recycled madness”, “I was at a buddy’s house the other night for like two hours and they played Beyonce’s video seven damn times! and though her shit is hot, I was going who else got videos out?” 

The art of DJ’ing is more than just “rocking the house” but it’s a form of expression that can change one’s mood, it’s a vibe that can be carried on after the club and will have you wanting more!  It&rs
quo;s a field of exploration. “DJ’s should add to the radio stuff and build. So I show you things, it’s kind of like teaching and that’s a lost art cause people are like ‘we just wanna hear what we wanna hear’…A, B, C. and I’m like don’t you wanna go on field trips and learn about other people’s cultures? That’s the frustrating part.” And this is where the teaching comes in. 

Regardless of any adversities and frustrations that Fathom has, nothing ever changes the fact that she is an artist doing what she absolutely loves. “My people worry about me putting too much energy into Fathom DJ. I eat, sleep, and breathe how to better promote myself and planning how things are going to turn out. Everyday I am a creative person and everyday I’m adding a new color to the painting called my life. I’m my art,” she concludes laughing! 

 

For more about Fathom DJ and to hear her music visit:

www.myspace.com/fathomdj7

www.projectvibe.net

www.fathomdj.podOmatic.com

Also make sure you check out her video blog on YouTube!!! 

Fathom DJ currently spins every Wednesday night at Salud Tequila Lounge located at 1471 N. Milwaukee.