ATQPOD033 || Beth Grace
Updated: Nov 3, 2021
We are excited to showcase the 33rd Arteq podcast brought to you by the one and only Beth Grace. Grace has been gracing dancefloors with her stacked library of house, disco, and techno since 2014, and this has seen Beth develop into a staple of Melbourne's electronic music scene.
Enjoy a stellar mix comprised of unique electronic cuts, seamlessly weaved together to create a mix for the party! Turn it right up, move the body! Lets go.
Beth, this is such a banging mix. Thank you for your efforts, and for making us move amidst the chaos we all face in the world right now! <3
CLICK to open mix in SoundCloud.
More from Arteq and Beth Grace below.
Tell us about yourself as ‘DJ Beth Grace’.
Well, a few facts about me… my hair colour changes every few months, cozzzzz why not! It’s only hair. I believe in expressing yourself and be your true self! You might see some fluffy furr children on my Instagram every now and then, I have 4 treasured cats to love and cuddle with. My obsession is with indoor plants, currently sitting at 54 in my office space at home, it takes about an hour to water & tender to their every need. My partner and I bought a 100-year-old Milk Bar and are converting this place into our home, which we are doing as much as we can ourselves. So learning lots along the way. And I think that sums up who I am personally!
What direction did you take on the podcast?
With this set I’ve prepped, my mind was thinking about people across our nation who were in different stages of lockdown, away from friends and family, potentially feeling disconnected. So I took my thoughts to dig through my library of tracks that made me feel warm and fussy, with flashbacks to hanging out with friends in dark clubs to the late hours of the morning. This collection of tracks, in this mix, is where I ended up! I hope others enjoy the journey, it's heavy, it's moving, and it’s going to get us up and grooving in our lounge rooms. Sit back, with a big glass of wine & dream of nights dancing under the red lights.
When and why did you start DJ'ing?
It’s been a few years out and about on the town, but I started DJ’ing back in ’14. The reason why I started, I guess now is a topic many people are aware of but it really boiled down to the fact that I was going to lots of venues and promoting events/venues to only see males involved. I’d turn up to places and would be the only female present on the team talking about promoting a night for male DJ’s/bands and that became a normal occurrence with very few females working in the industry. Whether that be in the promotions team, events team, performing, even at uni while studying audio engineering, I was surrounded by males.
With all that time spent dancing and watching the boys I thought ‘well, it doesn’t look hard, I can do it too’ and that next week, I went to JB HI-FI with my parents and bought my first controller. Here I am 8 years later. I have witnessed so much change happen in the industry, yet, also so much devastation from the last 18 months of living through this pandemic.
My purpose for continuing to work so closely with venues, promoters and those alike is to continue to provide support for other females and non-binary people who may be looking for a safe environment to work, play and dance. Every time I DJ, even if the room is seated (thanks covid) I hope that maybe I’ll inspire someone to chase their dreams even if it's scary, challenging, or seems out of reach, I’m telling you - it is so worth it.
To anyone reading this and needing that encouragement to start their dream, do it! Don’t wait for next month, next year or for the pandemic to be over. You can start DJ’ing, playing music, producing music, anything you love, you can do it. You can do it now.
What has been your favourite DJ set & why?
My favourite set to date, wow, that’s a hard one to nail down. There have been so many amazing moments over the years, that I’ve been honoured to be a part of, witnessing the energy & love from everyone on the dance floor. The one I think about the most is in 2018 at Babylon Festival.
Let me set the mood for you: It was the last day, Carl Cox had just finished playing on the Bloc 9 Stage, my set on the Day Spa Stage had begun, it was the last stage open of the festival, and everyone there was just ready for the send-off to a great big weekend! Last-minute, Mr Rory Marshall joined me in a B2B which made it even tougher, huger & even greater techno vibes. Kinda like the set I’ve recorded!
You are a Radio Host, tell us about that!
It’s been few years since I’ve hosted a radio show, but I have a love for radio and its power for connecting with the community in the day to day, not just a dark club.
What are you most looking forward to in 2021?
For my 2021 goals, I’d love to say I have a huge list, but I don’t. COVID has made it hard to plan big, but I do have smaller plans. A lot of focus on personal time, I’ve been focusing so much on my mental health over the last 2 years, that my goal now is to continue to practice mindfulness, gratitude and love myself, so that I can heal the burnout I felt when COVID first hit and be able to be my best to continue to support others wanting to work in the music industry.
Any upcoming gigs or anything exciting coming up for you?
Unfortunately, my calendar just cleared its self for July with the current Melbourne Lockdown number 5. But I hold faith that in August, events will be back (in some form) and we can rave again! I was looking forward to being back at Day Spa & The Third Day to play some mean sets. But stay tuned for those rescheduled events! 2021, has been full or rescheduling and pencilling in dates for events and shows.
There are 10 minutes left before the world self destructs, what song do you put on?
I’d pop on a disco classic - Burn Baby Burn. Relevant to go up in flames hey? haha!
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