After discovering DJ'ing on her term abroad in Australia, Natalia took the COVID pandemic as an opportunity to work on improving her skills. Two years later and she now shares the music she loves at events between London and Warsaw as DJ Saigona.
How did you get started DJ'ing?
I have always loved music; I went to music school and played the piano. I really missed making music at university. When I went to Australia, I met someone who was a DJ and event organiser. He had a super nice DJ set up and taught me a lot. But I was only in Australia for a short time and it was hard to learn from just getting the theory explained. So, when COVID started, I got decks and started experimenting with them, and that’s how I really learned.
My first gigs were parties organised by my friends as soon as lockdown ended in Poland. Then, this summer, I started getting paid for my performances. I worked with a manager for a little while, but my main goal as a DJ is not to make an income. What really matters to me is where I play and what the vibe is like. I am very picky about that and I’d rather decide by myself, so I stopped working with him.
Do you prepare a set before your performances? Or do you pick the music depending on to the mood?
I should prepare but I never do. I only have my music genres grouped a little bit. The reason is that if I do prepare, then I want to stick to the plan. And with DJ'ing especially I think you have to feel what kind of people are there and what their vibe is. I will always play my choice of music (I hate when people come up to me and ask me for a specific song) but I can switch it up a little bit. I can choose sometimes to focus a little bit more on deep house, sometimes play more soul, or sometimes go for a disco vibe.
How does the technical aspect work?
The whole idea is to mix music together. I used to play on a small, compact controller that I would bring with me to my gigs. I have now finally moved to bigger decks, like actual mixers, which I don’t own, but the places where I play do. That is why I have songs downloaded, which allows me to turn up with just my headphones and my pen drive.
What is your go-to genre?
Deep house. If I play at a party where I can fully be myself, I always go for deep house. However, I mostly play in bars and at events that take place early in the evening, and I know that deep house is not many people’s favourite. And when I get paid for my work I obviously have to be considerate of what the preference is.
How has your experience been with Asian and female representation in the DJ scene?
Looks matter so much. Not in the sense of “beautiful or not”, but much more as in “exotic” – I’m Asian in Poland, and I think that’s what catches a lot of people’s interest.
I can only talk about my experience in Warsaw specifically. There are not that many female DJs here. It makes it easier to be a girl because there are more opportunities, which for me is a good thing. But it misses the point to book a DJ just because she’s a girl rather than based on how she plays. Unfortunately, in Warsaw, many girls exploit this mentality and focus on the looks instead of sharing good music. Sometimes that upsets me.
What would you say is the most rewarding part of being a DJ?
I didn’t expect to get into DJing that much at all, it’s been a really exciting journey. I just wanted to learn, and making money from it was a great bonus. I get really upset when I don’t like the music somewhere, so being able to share the music I love and what I think is good music to dance to is just amazing. The best thing is when people ask to get in touch with me, or even say that they had a good time. It’s the best feeling ever when, especially on calmer nights, people come up to me and tell me they only came and stayed for me.
What is your advice to someone who wants to get started?
Unless you have your own DJ decks, it’s really difficult to learn, even if someone explains everything to you. If someone wants to get started, the best thing would be to get their own controllers and just experiment by themselves. You have to be able to feel how it should work.
Keep an eye out for when Natalia shares her first set! In the meantime, make sure to stay updated via her Instagram (@sajgonatalia).
Comments