Among the new aspects at this year’s French Quarter Festival is a stage dedicated to New Orleans DJs spinning a range of genres, from hip-hop and electronica to Afrobeat and Latin styles. It’s a welcome, if belated, focus on the important place those party-starters, vibe-curators and trend-setters have had in New Orleans music.
The PosiGen Solar DJ Stage is at the foot of Canal Street, along the river in Aquarium Plaza, and will feature 24 artists across the festival’s four days. Many of those performers are making their French Quarter Fest debut.
On the lineup are several DJs who are well-established figures in New Orleans hip-hop, including Raj Smoove (5-6:20 p.m. Thursday), EF Cuttin (12:50-1:50 p.m. Friday), Captain Charles (6:40-8 pm. Friday), Westbank Red (3:30-4:40 p.m. Saturday) and DJ Poppa (5-6:20 p.m. Sunday).
Performers like Kelly Green (6:40-7:50 p.m. Saturday), Antwigadee! (3:30-4:40 p.m. Sunday), DJ RQ Away (6:40-7:50 p.m. Sunday), Legatron Prime (5-6:20 p.m. Friday) and her Where My Girls At? party collaborator DJ Jess (12:50-1:50 p.m. Sunday), Spin Griffey (11:10 a.m.-12:20 p.m. Sunday) and Saint Amethyst (12:50-1:50 p.m. Thursday) have become contemporary favorites in New Orleans for their creative mixes that span hip-hop, electronic dance music, R&B, rock and anything else — all with an alternative touch.
DJ Hollaback, who spins before Pelicans games and was recently a featured DJ during Mannie Fresh’s birthday weekend party, opens the stage at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. And later in the day is Lil Jodeci (3:30-4:40 p.m.), who co-hosts Set De Flo and is known for his New Orleans hip-hop-meets-Chicago house mixes.
DJ PJ (11:10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday) is a popular party DJ and drummer and has worked with the duo Fresh X Reckless, emcee Koan Kenpachi and Odd the Artist. He’s followed at 12:50-1:50 p.m. by Mikey Offline, who recently released the hip-hop and trap mixtape “The Year of the Fire Breathing Dragon.” And then Bouffant Bouffant, the host of the queer dance party Gimme a Reason, performs 2:10-3:10 p.m.
Nesby Phips is an established rapper, producer and visual artist, but he’ll flex his DJ muscles at 2:10-3:10 p.m. Friday. Odd the Artist is an emerging vocalist and producer blending alternative hip-hop and soulful music, who recently released her debut album, “Let Go, Let Odd.” She opens the DJ stage at 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday.
There also are several DJs who tap into more international sounds. Funke (2:10-3:10 p.m. Thursday) draws from Afro house and broken beat. DJ Olay (6:40-7:50 p.m. Thursday) is the founder of Afrobeat NOLA and digs into a blend of Afrobeat and bounce music.
Tropi Papi (3:30-4:40 p.m. Friday) is a project by DJ Otto that pulls from dance music genres from across tropical locales. DJ T-Roy (5-6:20 p.m. Saturday) has dancehall, Afrobeat and reggae in his mix. And Ngoma Numu (2:10-3:10 p.m. Sunday) is a drummer and Afro House DJ who draws inspiration from South African artists.
Festival Fuel By Sarah Ravits
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