A conversation with Juliet Mendoza.
One of the DJ selection themes we’ve been exploring this season at UltraMaroon is around what goes on in other cities. We hit up Detroit with Rimarkable, and for Pride brought in a bit of a London vibe. For IndepenDANCE we decided to go west!
If you ask the question “who is the queen of house music in Los Angeles” to anyone who knows anything, they’ll point to Juliet Mendoza. We’re really excited for her to join us, and ahead of her first gig on Fire Island we asked DavidxDaisy to help us get to know her a bit better. Check it out!
Afro-Latina artist and LA native Juliet Mendoza is the embodiment of house music on the dance floor and behind the DJ booth. Whether she is creating space for the underdogs with soul or playing with internationally-acclaimed artists, she starts with intention that speaks to every individual dance floor. From Amsterdam and Paris to Mexico City and Tulum to Croatia and Coachella, Juliet is sharing her light on a path that will take her far, including her upcoming Fire Island Pines debut at the iconic summer party, Independence, presented by Free Radical Design Group and UltraMaroon.
DXD: How did you get your start in LA nightlife?
JM: In high school, I had some really fun friends. One of my buddies’ older brother brought a tape home with trance music on it, and that caught my ear. From that tape catching my ear, and then my cousin coming from Texas and moving to LA, we started going out with people to the clubs. At that time, I was 13, and he would sneak me into the club with him, which totally opened my eyes to a whole new world. And then I started to hear about different places. So I would get all dolled up and have a fake ID and get into the club. Then I found out about this all-ages club and started going there with friends from junior high and high school. When we merged into high school, it turned into like a whole party crew thing and we would go out all the time. And for me, it was easy, because I already had my fake ID. I could pretty much just go anywhere I wanted. So I would take turns going to the all-ages stuff and going to like the 21+ and over 18+ clubs, discovering this whole new world of possibilities of everything. The music was amazing, the energy was amazing. Seeing different pockets and types of people, the way people would dress, and all the beautiful people that come from everywhere to be in one space to release and let go and have fun – that was my introduction to the LA world.
I think dance has been what has taken me on this journey. Being able to be in really amazing spaces where, if you are a female, they take care of you. And it was just like the most amazing thing to be able to go to these spaces and not have to worry about what I'm wearing and what I’m doing. Everybody is embracing you and you can just do your thing. Seeing that world compared to the hip hop world was also a big thing for me. I realized I might not really be about that world. It really kept me in the house scene here in LA. The most wonderful moments for me have been sharing spaces with other individuals that are there to release.
DXD: How would you best describe your sound?
JM: For every show, I have a different intention. That is a really big thing for me because I feel like healing music has been a big part of healing for me throughout my life. And so every single show I go to, I set a new intention; whether it's tonight we're going to release or tonight we're gonna do the thing. Maybe I want people to escape into another world or I want people to cry and really get in their emotions. Whatever it is, for me it is about the feeling, the movement, and just having fun. People go out with the intention to go out and have fun. But imagine going out with that intention, and the person that's playing the music has that same intention for you. Let's go explore and go around the world. I want to feel it. I want to know that I'm here sweating and having a good time. I want to sing, I want to shout, I want to dance, I want to jump up and down. I want to be very present in that moment.
If I was out on that dance floor, what would I want to hear right now? It's not only about me, but it's also about recognizing and reading the room. Who's here to dance? But my goal is for us all to get down, have a good time, party, and dance. Let’s dance like no one's watching.
DXD: You were a dancer from an early age, and that has stayed with you throughout your years coming into the house music scene. What was that moment when you found house music to be a new outlet for your dance expression?
JM: Since I was a little girl, my parents have had me in dance. They put me in classes and did the whole nine yards. Then I was going to the clubs and then I got into hip-hop dance, breakdancing and all those things. Then I met a friend in a class that asked if I had ever heard of a place called Deep. I had not and he said he thought I would really enjoy it if I liked house music, which of course I do. So he took me to the club and it blew my mind. I was so used to hearing hard house, Chicago-style music like Bad Boy Bill, DJ Irene, and Richard Humpty Vission, as well as all the local LA people.
When he took me to this club, I walked in and it was dark with blue lights in the room. And there were plants in there, and everybody was dancing. It didn't matter if they were dancing alone or with somebody. Everybody was just in the zone and with the music. The music there took it a notch up from being in the car with my parents. And that was a big thing for me. Both my parents are very musically educated. My mom and I are both competitive dancers and my dad is a musician. So I was exposed to a lot of music growing up. Hearing soulful vocals to dance music that wasn't so hard and literally took you on a journey was a game changer for me. I realized I don't want to go anywhere else but here. I'm going to be here every Sunday.
DXD: Tell us about Open House.
JM: So Deep is exactly where I met my Open House family. My friend took me for the first time and then I would go there by myself and I started to see house dancers. If you’re an attendee of a space and you're there every single week, you get to know everybody. I started to get more involved in that particular dance style and that's how I met my Open House family. We were club heads that wanted to have a space to practice our style of dance. Every single style of dance that you can think of has practice sessions, jam sessions, and things like that, but we didn't have that here in LA. In other places around the world like New York, DC, and Baltimore, they have things like that. So we created Open House as an open space to come and jam and practice your house dance. It grew to become a very special place for a lot of dancers, a lot of people, teachers, pioneers of house dance. It wasn't just a space to go and dance. It became an educational institution for us where we were able to teach the up-and-coming youth the dance style and the culture. For the pioneers of this culture to have space to teach not only the music and the history, but also the movement, it made it such a special thing.
We've been running for over 10 years now. Everybody's gotten older with time and we all have kids now. And we all have families and so forth. So we're not always there visibly present, but we still have our hands in and can help out with certain things. It's still up and running and there’s practice sessions now on Thursdays. We were able to build something that was not only an LA-based thing, but also became a worldwide thing. We had different chapters in Arizona, New York, Japan, Thailand, France, Brussels, and Mexico. It's just been a very beautiful thing to watch, grow, and see go out into the world. I know I can go anywhere in the world and I'm gonna find someone that speaks the same language of dance with me. That's the beautiful thing about that, too. It's building community. And I think it's really special to have that space.
DXD: You founded Jill’s House aka Jackin Jills at the start of 2019 to create a space for the womxn in the DJ booth. What does it mean for you to not only be able to offer that space to your peers, but also hold the reins on your own event and its intentions?
JM: So Jackin Jill's or Jill's House was founded at the beginning of 2019 because of having certain hiccups in the industry. Being a female DJ, I had come into a lot of obstacles – things like being told what to play and what to play. They booked you, but they want this kind of style. How are you going to have an artist come into your space to be an artist, and then you're telling the artist what to do? It doesn't make sense.
I knew I wasn’t the only one that feels this way, so I created a space where we can have female-identified artists come and do their thing, regardless of whatever is happening. A lot of people hold back because they're afraid to shine their light. Why do you have to conform to something that you do not resonate with? So I said screw that, we're gonna do this. We’re gonna give these artists the prime slot and let them play for everybody. What ended up being created was a space for artists to come and shine their light. The girls from the team would open and close depending on how the night was, or if we were feeling something special we could have more artists. Then we had a dancer as well. So it was that dance conversation of a DJ and dance floor combined. I've seen it plenty of times where I've gone out to dance, and you have like the wallflowers that are kind of swaying. It feels so nice when you have someone that is already in that energy and vibing at a party, and they pull you out to dance. How much more fun is it for you to know that someone sees you too? Combining all of that was definitely a very beautiful thing that we were able to bring to light.
I'm still looking forward to bringing it back. We've been in the works of trying to figure out what that's going to look like exactly. After the pandemic, there has been a lack of venues to throw parties, and I know that we're not the only ones that suffered from that. It's all over the country and all over the world. So it's just about finding the right space and for everything to align because I don't want to force anything either.
DXD: You were selected as a winner for the Defected Records Unsung Heroes 2022 competition. What was your mindset going into that and what opportunities came from that accomplishment?
JM: It’s actually a really funny story. I know the pandemic did a lot to people mentally, especially if you are an outdoors person. I was also pregnant during the pandemic so it was like a whole thing for me to not be able to go out and eat what I wanted or grab certain things and all these different things. So I feel that for my well being and my mental health, it wasn't the best at that time. I still DJ’d, doing Twitch and live streams with people and I think that's what kind of helped my heart stay happy. I feel that the thing with Defected was such an eye-opening moment and a very beautiful blessing in my life at that time because I was still struggling with a lot of things at that time. I wasn't even going to enter the contest, but I had a couple of friends tell me to just go for it. Then the last day, literally the day before the last date to turn it in, something told me to just do it. Do it in one try, and if it doesn't work, then you don't turn it in. If it's not meant to be, you're fine. I did it with a mindset to share my emotional experience right now in this mix. And that's what I did.
Having some special moments in 2023 like Defected Croatia has been life-changing, as far as being able to see the way that people embrace this music, and want to champion each other and where they come from and running around with their people and their flags. They’re not only celebrating the music, but also celebrating themselves. That's such a beautiful thing. It was such a beautiful reminder for me that we only have one life, and I want to live it to the fullest. I want to make it count. That’s what it did for me.
I've been able to talk with different people and I'll be back again this year for Defected Croatia, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what else they're gonna bring to the table. It's great to see everything getting back into its routine again. It was definitely a life changing experience.
DXD: Would you mind sharing who your Unsung Heroes recommendation came from and what your relationship with them has meant to you?
JM: My person was Marcus White, who is the founder of Deep. It was really beautiful to know that there was a full-circle moment. The first full-circle moment for me before the pandemic and all of this happened was playing Deep. I was so nervous. I don't know how many times I cried while I was playing. It was just such an emotional thing for me because I was in a space that I've been going to for so long. And now here we are, and I get to play for all these amazing people that I've been dancing with for so many years. Having Marcus White and Deep family stamp of approval is wonderful. Tying that whole LA family thing together was really nice.
DXD: Your mom was noted to be at your full Knee Deep LA set in Pershing Square last summer. Is your mom a house fan, and how was that experience for you to have her support there?
JM: My mom has been my house music support from the start. When I started dancing at these all-ages clubs at the age of 13, my mom would go with me. So my mom has a competitive disco dance background. The club that I would go to was called Arena and behind it was Circus Disco. So if you are a huge disco, electronic music, or house music fan, you know these places in LA. It's really well known in all communities. So my mom would take me to the club, and she would go down to Circus Disco and then hop back over to the club and make sure I was good and dance house with me, and then go back to her disco dance with her friends. It's always been that way. I've always been able to go with my mom to things. She's always been supportive. She's definitely a dancer, and will forever be a dancer. She's definitely my biggest fan and it was really sweet to have her there. She was sporting her shirt that had my name on it. It's great to have that support.
DXD: You also made your Coachella debut this year. In a story with The Press Enterprise, you said, “In our Latin culture, they always tell you when things are meant for you, it will just come.” What is the feeling of knowing that moment was meant for you and that it did come?
JM: I come from a family where, on the weekends, all the cousins would get together and there was a routine Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, one half of the group would go with grandma and learn how to cook and the other half would go play baseball with grandpa. On Sunday, we would switch. So we would take these turns and you're having fun, but still it's like these responsibilities of knowing and practicing things were something that's put in us since we're little like.
So getting to that point was very surreal and it didn't sit with me until the moment came. Being there and being in this place that so many people dream about going to was incredible. The thing that came up for me was that not only was I there, but I was also representing a lot of different things. It's really important to embrace that and give that light, like being a single mom there doing the thing. Many moms expressed they don’t know how I do all of this. It’s just about remembering that we're human, and that it does take hard work to get to certain things, but it does come to you when you put in that work. If it's for you, it will come.
When you really sit here and think about it, everyone's journey is different. Everyone's journey is going to take the time that it's going to take, so why am I going to overthink it. Just let it be. It will come if it's meant for you. As an artist, I didn't begin this journey to become this person. It just happened that way. I started DJing for therapeutic reasons. I wanted it for my pain and my hardship that I was going through at that time. I just needed to be home and play music and be with myself. That became three years of practicing how to play vinyl. And then my friends saw me play at home and wanted me to play at his club. That all led to what it is now. To see that moment of where I had come was very special. It's very beautiful and very emotional. I think that it's only made me look at myself and my strengths. It has made me ask how much further I can go. If I put more intention into this, where else can I go? I'm really looking forward to the story, the journey, and all the beautiful people that I'm gonna meet and all the people that I'll be able to tap in with and connect with and do this thing and celebrate.
DXD: Will IndepenDance be your first visit to the Pines? Is there anything specific there you are wanting to see or experience? Has anyone given you the Pines tea yet?
JM: So Rimarkable is one very, very, very special person in my life. She is my music sister. I love her so much. When we were talking about this event, she was like, “Oh girl, just wait. It's a magical place. You are going to frolic and have fun and just be. It's going to be the thing and you're going to live and just embrace it. I have to witness Juliet Mendoza do this.”
I've heard from other people that it's so much fun and I’m going to love it. They said they wouldn't be surprised to see me run around and just be free and do the thing and just be who I am. I can't wait. Please take me there.
DXD: What’s a track/artist/set that’s especially been inspiring you lately?
JM: It's so off the house music realm. Literally right now, my thing that I've been doing is focusing a lot on self care. With that being said, I've been going on these amazing crazy hikes and listening to affirmation trap music. There's an artist named Spiritual Tony, and the song is called, “Motivation.” If you wake up every day and play this track, I promise you, it will get your butt out of bed and just have a whole damn day to yourself say fuck all the bad vibes and leave me alone. I'm ready. Let's go.
DXD: Top three things you love seeing at parties?
JM: I love seeing people be free. I’m not afraid of someone exposing their authentic self. That part that for me is so liberating. It reminds me that I can be myself, and it's okay. The other thing that I love to see is a space where young and old come together. I think it's very important to have that. Because within that space, you learn so much from the conversations outside of the dance floor and meeting new people. I don't think people really realize it, but you're gonna get called out on your shit if you are in that space and you are being disrespectful. Believe someone will turn around and check you real quick. I love the fact that there is this balance to a space like that and that's what I love about it.
I would say the third thing that I like to see out, and I feel that has been more embraced now, is paying attention to the issues that we're having with fentanyl and drugs and so forth. Having more people present with testing drugs and having that support within the community is important. It saddens me and it breaks my heart when I hear that things happen. I'd rather know that the person is cautious and that they're testing. I worked in the rehab treatment world for 10 years so it's really important to me to see that. I know I've had my share of fun, and I'm sure other people like to have their share of fun, but it's really difficult when you don't know what's going on or what you're getting. So I'm really happy that testing is more of a thing and that it is talked about now. It should have always been that way, and you can't run away from things like that.
DXD: Well said. It’s Saturday night, and you’re not working. Where are you at to have a good time?
JM: Oh, Saturday night in LA, I'm gonna look for the best underground possible. I need somewhere to go. I need somewhere where I know that I can be myself and it's dark. It’s going to allow me to dance by myself in a corner and just be me. Somewhere I can throw on sweatpants and a T-shirt and go sweat and just just enjoy it. Yeah.
DXD: What are you most looking forward to for your upcoming set at IndepenDance?
JM: I know that we're celebrating IndepenDance, and independence. So these are things that strike a different chord when I hear the words. I'm going to be in a place that I've never played before – I've never played on the East Coast, by the way. I've played Detroit. I've not been to Chicago yet and I've never played in New York. So this is going to be my first time, which is amazing. To me the word independence means so many different things. We're celebrating so many different types of freedoms and so many different types of growth. On top of it, we get to have fun music and we get to share it with a lot of fun people, and it's going to be in a magical place. This is all I hear. So I want to give everyone a journey that's not just not an everyday thing. I want it to be special. I want to be able to tap into some things that you haven't heard in forever. Let's go. I want everybody to feel it. That's been my thing right now. Like, can you feel me? I just want you to feel it. I'm looking forward to being able to be open and expressive and just have fun. I love the flyers too. And I'm like, there needs to be a flyer that just says the gays know how to have fun. Because you're right. Yes, we do.
DXD: Any last words for us all on the dancefloor?
JM: Dance like no one's watching. And just sweat. And just release and have fun. That’s all you have to do. Come have fun.
Thank you Juliet Mendoza! You can catch her live in Fire Island Pines on Sunday, July 2, at The Pines Club as Free Radical Design Group and UltraMaroon present Independence 2023: You Look Like the 4th of July. You can keep up with her on Instagram and SoundCloud. See you in the Pines! (RAIN UPDATE: This event has been postponed to Monday, July 3. Same time, same place. Please reach out to UltraMaroon for any ticketing questions.)
Xx,
DavidXDaisy