DJ Gina Turner is a one-of-a-kind person. She has a no-nonsense personality and understands what it takes to be successful in the electronic music industry. Splitting her time between New York and Amsterdam, she has a unique view on the electronic music scene. I was able to catch up with Gina at EDC NY after she threw down an amazing set finding the middle ground between house and techno while infusing some popular hip-hop beats. In a male dominated industry, Gina doesn’t see gender as an obstacle to overcome, in fact she simply shrugs off its importance. She seeks to become recognized as a DJ before anything else; a role model and stereotype breaker.
“I don’t consider myself a ‘girl DJ’. I am a DJ that just happens to be female. That is a really important aspect to the way I market myself. Yes, I am going to dress like a girl but I am not going to use that as my number one draw. Like Nina Kraviz doing an interview for Resident Advisor in a bathtub? If you are going to play up your sex, cool, sex sells, thats fine, but don’t come around saying that you aren’t playing up your sex when you are. I shouldn’t even be saying this stuff; I’m going to start a war… I want to be a good role model to young girls no matter if I am a plumber or a yoga instructor. It is sad that there aren’t many females in the EDM world. But it’s a man’s game, and at the end of the day so is most business. It is our job, as girls, to break stereotypes and set ourselves apart. And not necessarily by showing your tits.” 
One way Gina hopes to set herself apart is with a new album she has on the way on the way:
“I have been working really hard on it. I think what we might do is release an EP first that will have a lot of the album tracks on it, then release the album later. Kind of a like a teaser. Drake actually did that, he did an EP then later released his whole album.”
Along with playing a few tracks off her album, Gina played a Breach track called “Let’s Get Hot” at EDC NY, it is a great bassy house track that fits perfectly in to Gina’s sound. When I brought it up, she burst with excitement.
“Yes! I just made a track with him, actually. We made a really cool, weird track together. He lives in Amsterdam now so I was just able to pop over to his studio.”
While working on new music and big collaborations, Gina is also focusing on her record label, which her brother runs:
“I’m just trying to define my sound as a label at the moment, which should reflect who I am as a DJ. I am not too housey, I am not too techno, I am not too ‘EDM’ I’m just somewhere in between and I hope I can find more artists that are in that realm of music. I don’t play things I don’t like and I wouldn’t release things I don’t like.”
DJ Gina Turner is definitely an artist to keep your eye on; her upcoming album is promising and her label continues to grow. She has a way of filling the dancefloor with infectious beats and getting people to move their feet. Be sure to catch Gina if you get the chance, I promise you will not regret it.
