Trillo

"I feel like I have grown with that Latin vibe/rhythm and I feel that I am more open to that. When I started doing "Cumbia Contra la Migra", I found myself really going into cumbia digital and finding new collectives like in Mexico City. I love it."- Trillo.

In a city where the music scene is rapidly growing, it's hard to keep up with all the local bands, artists and DJ's that are playing throughout the week. I just hope that El Paso continues to blossom while filled with local sounds and people eager to take advantage of the artistic shift in the city. In fact, one of the names that pop out is: Trillo. From playing the Lowbrow Palace to Prickly Elder to Later, Later, these are all places where you can catch Trillo during one of her sets. She definitely knows how to read the crowd and bring those electro beats with a lot of Latin flavor. De seguro te pone a mover con unas buenas rolas. (Click here for some good beats while you read this interview. Get in the mood: soundcloud.com/trilloadriana/venenosas-extended-mix ).

I recently caught up with her and we talked about some future events, her start as a DJ and border life in general all while sipping on some beer at a local restaurant/bar called Craft and Social located in downtown El Paso. 

Desert of My Eye (Pao): How did you get you get into DJ-ing and when did you discover it was something you wanted to do? Did it start off as a hobby? 

Trillo: I have always been into music. Always have. I think it is because of my mom. My mom would always be singing and the radio would be blasting. However, the way I got IN TO music is different. When I was sixteen or seventeen I started going out more: partying and going to the different events here. I started meeting new people too. It was people that were always there and we would start talking. That is also where I met my friend Johnson. He's been a DJ since he was fourteen. I realized that me and all these people were into the underground scene. We started off by wanting to get together and jam and share music. Three or four years in, it started getting repetitive. We would go to the shows, but we wanted to listen to music that we wanted to. Not mainstream. We wanted to show this huge library we had to people. My friend Johnson said, "lets just do this and do a little collective where we can play whatever we want." We all have knowledge of underground music and we all a have a different style. We started this thing called "Unruly RIDDIM" and he (Johnson) was the one that taught me how to DJ, but it didn't take me long to get the hang of it. I am good with rhythm. We just started doing it and that's where it all started. 

D.O.M.E: I personally haven't seen a lot of girls DJ-ing, at least on this side of the scene. Did you find it difficult (as a girl in a mostly male dominated scene) to start DJ-ing? 

Trillo: Actually, I didn't. At first I thought there weren't many girls DJ-ing, but then I realized they were out there. They just didn't have a platform to do it. You know what I mean? Once I started VENENOSAS, the all-girl collective I do, I found so many girls! I, myself went on the internet and started looking through mutual friends and hashtags and that is how I found a bunch of the girls. Some of them had been DJ-ing at their house for years. They just didn't have a place to do it, so when I reached out they were super excited. There are so many girls, but I don't know why they are just not out there. 

D.O.M.E: So tell me about the event  (VENENOSAS) that you have coming up and how it all started!

Trillo: It all started because of The Swell Kids and they had their little event that they do every month or every other month. They told me, "we want you to host it and find girls (to DJ)". That's basically how it all started. It's crazy, everyone loved it! The owner of Prickly Elder was like, "dude, let's just do a monthly thing." When we did it with The Swell Kids, I was like "let's do PELIGROSAS". The reason I changed the name is because there is a collective in Austin called "Peligrosa Records" and I didn't want to look like I was copying. I am doing it (the event) every month or every two months because I don't want it to burn out. It's coming up again January 19th and I am very excited. I gave it a two month break. It's crazy how much feedback I get. (Trillo added that The Swell Kids were a big part in encouraging the event). 

D.O.M.E: People sometimes don't realize all the genres in electronic music. It's funny.

Trillo: Right, there are all these sub-genres. It a freaking whole world of music and people don't know it.

D.O.M.E: Do you have a favorite DJ? 

Trillo: I have a lot of favorite DJ's and I also like a lot of different collectives. There is this one from Manchester called "Swing Ting" and they play a lot of dance hall, reggae, and they also add the modern UK twist. That's one of my favorite collectives. There is a DJ in that collective called DJ MURLO and he plays electronic music, but you have to hear it. If you listen to it, you know it's him. That is one of my favorite DJ's, but I have so many.

D.O.M.E: From the times I've seen you, I've noticed that you have a lot of Latin rhythms in your sets. Is there a particular reason you do that? 

Trillo: It has a lot to do with what moves me at the moment and also catering to the event. So whenever I play at Prickly or at VENENOSAS, I play the dance music that I am into at the moment. I really don't play the same tracks. There is new music every day. I really cater to the crowd or event. 

D.O.M.E: Do you think living on the border has affected how you approach music? I realize you cater to the crowd the event. 

Trillo: I think so. I feel like I have grown with that Latin vibe/rhythm and I feel that I am more open to that. When I started doing "Cumbia Contra la Migra", I found myself really going into cumbia digital and finding new collectives like in Mexico City. I love it. 

A big thank you to Trillo! Make sure you check out her event, VENENOSAS, on January 19th at Prickly Elder. Follow her on Instagram: @adrianatrillo to keep up with events she is playing at!