The Spins

These Raleigh DJs are hitting all the right notes around town.

With just the drop of a beat, DJ Jermainia (aka Jermaine Landon) is able to get a whole crowd of people moving and grooving on the dance floor on any given night at his main “residencies”: Clockwork, Five Star and Neptunes. 

The self-dubbed “vibe distributor” is just one of Raleigh’s several DJs bringing the high energy to local hot spots—and if these upbeat spinsters are making an appearance, you know it’s gonna be a party (!).

While Raleigh’s DJ scene is by no means new, it has had a sort of renaissance over the past couple years, due largely to the pandemic. Not only did many music lovers take up DJing during the shutdowns, but “bars realized, as they started to reopen, they needed entertainment all the time,” says DJ Jermainia.

DJ Miss Ashley (aka Ashley Dyson) was one of the people who took up DJing during the pandemic—and she maintains it’s no easy feat. “Some people say, ‘Everyone is a DJ’—and many people are or dabble in it—but not many can curate the party, vibe, or keep up the momentum of the DJ lifestyle. It takes a lot of work to find the space, promote, negotiate your terms with the spaces, build up the momentum for parties, put yourself out there, etc.” But, hey, if you can hit all the right beats… 

Meanwhile, DJ Micky Slicks (aka Tu Micky Nguyen), who you’ll commonly find spinning tracks at Neptunes, Clockwork and Cuya, has been on the scene since 2015 and says the “DJ scene in Raleigh is always here going strong.” To wit, find DJs select nights at spots like Willco and La Veladora, Split, Tin Roof, and The Architect—to name but a few. 

“DJs do a good job of setting the soundtrack for the night, setting the mood, bringing people in, providing energy,” adds DJ Jermainia. “So you can go out every day of the week now and see a DJ, from Monday to Sunday—and really good ones too.”

One particularly lit event to see a volume of Raleigh’s best spin masters is the monthly Day Party at Junction West running through October. Raleigh’s “feel-good party” gathers a host of local DJs to set the mood for a Sunday Funday like no other, complete with drinks, eats and vendors (be sure to mark your cals for the next installments, July 23 and Aug. 27!).  … Bright lights, louder tunes and an overall immaculate vibe are just one spin away. Listen up!

The Ultimate Summer Playlist

We asked four of Raleigh’s resident DJs their top summer jams—making for an unbeatable summer playlist that’ll def get you the aux.

DJ Jermainia’s picks

“Regulate – Extended Mix” by Totally Enormous Extinct
Dinosaurs and Redlight
“SUMMER RENAISSANCE” by Beyoncé
“Eat Your Man” by Dom Dolla (feat. Nelly Furtado)

DJ Micky Slicks’ picks

“Shay Lia” by TAKUTÁ
“KAYTRAMINÉ” by Sossaup
“Jarreau Vandal” by No More
(feat. Gayance)
“Mina Nawe” by Soa Mattrix and Mashudu
(feat. Happy Jazzman & Emotionz DJ)
“Jorja Smith” by Little Things

Miss Ashley’s picks

“Escapade Escapade” by Cascandy
“Tzu-Mani” by Aldo Cadiz and Andre Butano
“Femme” by Desiree
“Trambolla” by Andre Galluzzi & Dana Ruh
“Guaja” by LevyM (feat. Emmanuel Jal, Nyaruach & Benjy)

DJ k.ward

“Little Things” by Jorja Smith
“Float (DJ MoMa Amapiano Remix)” by Janelle Monáe
“Son Shine” by Sault
“Dominoes” by Jungle
“Sossaup” by KAYTRAMINÉ