Born, Stephanie Deanne Swanson, Deanne grew up in a small town in Kentucky listening to her parents’ music of the late 70′s and early 80′s rock, funk, R&B and disco artists like Queen, Aerosmith, Isaac Hayes, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rick James and Donna Summer.
In junior high, Deanne would listen to the local college radio station that was playing the freshest hip-hop, R&B, and dance music every Friday night. Unaware that it would ever play a part in her future, Deanne began developing her “DJ skills” making mix tapes of nothing more than a collection of the hottest songs recorded from the radio. “I can remember sitting in the dark, past my bedtime, with the music really low, so my mom wouldn’t hear me. I would wait for hours for a certain song to come on, try and perfectly time recording the beginning and the ending of the song so that I got every beat. I would record the next song right behind the other with no gaps, commercials or DJ voices. I would just jam to those mixtapes, but always excited to make a new one. It seems pretty lame, but I had no idea that it would later be a part of my life.”
In 1996 Deanne moved to Tampa and began to immerse herself in the music of the newly discovered nightlife of South Florida. Hungry to find all the tracks she was hearing in the clubs, her continual search for the newest, freshest tracks ignited a fire and unveiled a passion. She moved back to Indiana in 1999 and got her first gig spinning at the only club in the city with a house music format. In the spring of 2003, Deanne migrated to Indianapolis and made her debut spinning at the official Indy Pride Festival T-Dance. Late in 2003, Deanne landed a prime Friday night weekly mix show slot on, Miami-based, Energy Internet Radio/EnergyRadio.fm. A few T-dances and special appearances later, she earned a monthly spot in the rotating line-up at Indy’s hottest club, Talbott Street.
With weekend attendance numbers near 1000 at the Indy club, Deanne is no stranger to holding a large dance floor captive to her style of mixing. With influences such as Ralphi Rosario, Peter Rauhofer, Roger Sanchez, Robbie Rivera, Mark Knight and Chus & Ceballos, Deanne’s style is defined by the spirit and energy of house music. Vocal, progressive, underground, tech and elec-tribal beats and rhythms are combined to take her listeners on a unique journey that is marked with emotion, sensuality, undeniable energy, and wonderful “dance floor drama”. “When I really started going to the clubs and hearing how music was supposed to be played, the best DJ’s took me on a musical journey – a ride. That’s what I want for my listeners, a night of music that they remember and come back for over and over again.” And they do.
Deanne can be heard monthly at Talbott Street in Indianapolis. Nominated in 2011 and 2010 as one of Indy’s best DJs, and winner of Metromix’s 2009 Sexiest DJ title, Deanne is heavily active in the local scene with continual appearances at local venues, parties and festivals. She is becoming instrumental in progressing the Indianapolis EDM scene by hosting a monthly “open deck” night featuring some of Indy’s most seasoned and yet-to-be-discovered talents. She has played alongside Paul Van Dyk, Starkillers, Twisted Dee, Mike Cruz, DJ Dan, Above & Beyond and DJ Colette, among others. She makes quarterly appearances at Twist on South Beach and is branching out into the Southern Florida market and beyond. Other notable appearances for Deanne include 2011 and 2010 Indy Pride Parade and Festival, MojoStock 2011 and 2010, the 2009 Gay Day at Disney Pool Party, 2011 and 2009 Oranje Festival, Dayton’s Flight Party in the summer of 2006 and Chicago’s Fireball Festival in 2005, to name a few.
Her mix show can be heard throughout the week on G.I.R.L. Radio. Check out Facebook and find her on iTunes for more fun stuff and links to downloads of live sets and other recordings.
