Live Review: dameeeela Begins Her Rise To The Top, Releasing Debut Single, 'The Shake Up ft. Tjaka'

Long time Purple Sneakers favourite dameeeela has released her debut single 'The Shake Up ft. Tjaka' alongside the news of her signing to NLV Records.

dameeeela has long time been a queen of underground dance music in so called Australia. She's a multi-hyphenate DJ, producer, radio host and Yuggera woman, establishing herself as one of Meanjin's most in-demand selectors. Her sets have ranged and known for everything from Playboi Carti originals and edits, to acid running house music to classic dance tunes. It's her passionate rife for experimentation and diversity, both as a community leader and as a tastemaker, that has made her as one of the most adored names in the country.

Today marks a moment in local dance music, a changing of the guard, the beginning of an artist that is set to take over the world. We should call the 11th of February national dameeeela day, as she releases her debut single, 'The Shake Up' featuring Tjaka. The track displays years of experience and ear to the ground listening from her, amassing in a jumpy euphoric techno banger.

It channels emotive classics of Detroit house pioneers, alongside catchy melodies and a decontextualisation of her culture, rhythms and melodies of her past. It reflects her intrinsic connection to Indigenous cultures past and present, a connection that should be known to all so called Australians of all backgrounds.

The featured artist, Tjaka is comprised of brothers Geoff and Jake Fabila, proud descendants of the Djabera Djabera tribe from so-called Western Australia, and a helping hand from guitarist Felix Fogarty.

In her own words, dameeeela says 'The Shake Up' was, "Made explicitly for the absolute rare moment where you’re dancing eyes shut in some techno/electro induced euphoria and you hear the sound of the ancestors calling you through Tjaka’s electronic didgeridoo, entering a state of connection to the land you’re dancing on. The exciting forceful drops that have you celebrating for a moment, forgetting all else."

Image via James Caswell

Words by Parry Tritsiniotis

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