Last year, French Quarter Fest introduced a DJ stage with support from New Orleans legend Raj Smoove. The stage was a hit, filling a gap in showcasing a cornerstone of New Orleans music that has historically been under-appreciated in the city’s festival scene.
The Willow DJ Stage returns this year and will be located at Aquarium Plaza along the Riverfront, between the Jack Daniel’s Stage in Spanish Plaza and the Mike’s Amazing Culinary Stage. The lineup includes 32 of New Orleans’ brightest nightlife vibe curators, spanning genres anywhere from hip-hop and R&B, to global funk and techno. There’s a little something to get everyone moving.
The festival kicks off on Thursday with energetic DJ sets from FTK at 12:20-1:20 p.m., Lady Li at 2:30-3:30 p.m., creator of monthly queer nightlife event Gimme a Reason Bouffant Bouffant at 4:40-5:40 p.m. and more. DJ FTK channels hip-hop and Afro-Latin musical elements into lively remixes for his set. Lady Li, a member of Domino Sound Record Shack’s monthly vinyl DJ event, is also an organizer of the music education summer camp Girls Rock New Orleans.
DJ and producer Legatron Prime will perform on the Willow DJ Stage on Friday.
Friday brings a range of sounds, including from artists like Funké, C’est Funk and Legatron Prime. Funké is a self-identified “audio shaman” who takes audiences on a spiritually cleansing journey with a set featuring Afrobeat drums, deep-space synths and Indigenous chants. They perform 12:20-1:20 p.m. C’est Funk then takes over the stage from 1:25-2:25 p.m. to offer a spiritual release with a set full of global funk and disco. Well-established hip-hop DJ Legatron Prime follows at 2:30-3:30 p.m. Legatron regularly organizes events across the city, including her monthly “Where My Girls At” event, which boasts an all-women DJ lineup.
On Saturday, DJ Rakimbeau plays a lively hip-hop set at 12:20-1:20 p.m. The night ends with DJ RQ Away at 6:50-7:50 p.m. RQ Away’s hands and ears in New Orleans’ DJ scene has helped shape the community into what it looks like today in many ways. His quarterly Lagniappe parties at Tipitina’s are thrown to highlight local artists, promote mutual aid and build community.
Sunday is a stacked final day, with performances from hip-hop and bounce music culture bearers, DJ Jess at 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., DJ Jubilee at 4:40-5:40 p.m. and Kilobauud at 5:45-6:45 p.m. DJ Jess, another “Where My Girls At” co-creator, performed when the stage debuted last year, and she returns for another groovy hip-hop set. DJ Jubilee is a true pioneer of New Orleans bounce music, with hit records such as “Get Ready, Ready” and “N.O. Block Party” to name a few. Kilobauud, formerly known as Lil Jodeci, helped put a spotlight on Black New Orleans artists in house and techno, giving it some much-needed recognition with his late-night event Set De Flo.
Also look out for DJ sets by Raj Smoove, Kelly Green, Antwigadee!, Nesby Phips, Captain Charles and many others.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
