Since Madonna's "Nothing Fails" (her #1 Billboard Dance remix hit), everything's not only possible, it's happening for DJ Jackie Christie, undeniably the reigning turntable "Queen of House" in New York City and around the globe. Known for her ability to whip up any crowd with her tailor-made sets and killer great looks, this former host of MTV's "The Grind" has just added "Producer" to her long list of credits and artistic accomplishments.
MADE 4 U, her new CD released Oct.26, 2004 on the maverick new indie label, Motéma Music, is her first full length project as studio producer and song-writer. She once again joins forces with her Nothing Fails co-remixer and engineer, Shane X. Conry, to feature all original music and guest artists Lady Bunny (whose hilarious verbal exchange on stage with Carmen Elektra at March's Dance Star Awards had the international press buzzing), House music pioneer KRAZE, and Sheila "Amuka" Brody, whose track 'You Don't Appreciate Me" also hit #1 on Billboard's dance chart.
What makes her spin? "I love collaboration - gathering great talent around me and creating new music, trying new things that break down the barriers of expectation," she says. While most DJ's want to be known for specific beats or defined styles, DJ Jackie prides herself in achieving musical diversity. "I find strength in diversity. It's what defines my life and the people in it. My audiences trust me. They know I'm always full of surprises, so when I hit them up with something new and unexpected, they'll go there with me. I sing, dance and talk with my audience. I lose myself in them and they lose themselves in the music." There are two things, she says, that have universal appeal and never fail to reach her audiences. "My music always has a focus on melody and an intoxicating quality. I want people to get lost in the music and come away feeling better than when they came in - revitalized and full of life."
Setting her sights on more TV and even film in her future, MADE 4 U promises DJ Jackie Christie huge international exposure, beginning this summer in the Euro dance capital of Ibiza, where several singles and remixes will roll out as advance promotion for the fall release. Thanks to internationally known innovative French photographer, Jean-Marc Lubrano, MADE 4 U will reveal an even hotter and more glamorous DJ Jackie, who has already graced the pages of almost every major U.S. dance music magazine, and was the first female DJ on the cover of DJ Times. She continues to generate national and international press exposure in French Vogue, The New York Times, Paper Magazine, The Village Voice, URB, Vibe, Time Out and is even mentioned in Brett Easton Ellis' book Glamorama.
Sound like a dream come true? It is exactly the dream a 16 year old Jackie had in mind when she first stepped behind the decks with a crate of records, spinning those turntables and working the cross-fader at bar mitzvahs and school dances in her home town of Detroit. It wasn't long before her style, energetic personality (and her mix cassette) landed her a radio mix show gig on Power 96. As a Dj She worked along side techno pioneers such as Kevin Sauderson, Juan Atkins and Richie Hawtin until the allure of New York City's clubbing heyday in the early 90's pulled her away. Jackie set her sights on the hottest tickets in town: Frankie Bones let her copy her mix tapes at his place and then hired her to DJ at the Storm Raves as she worked her way through residencies at the infamous Limelight nightclub, NASA at The Shelter, Tunnel, Life, and even a featured spot at Studio 54. The exposure catapulted her career into another dimension, as she became the resident DJ and host on MTV's The Grind. The beat and the list goes on and on!
Her career firmly grounded in NYC's hottest clubs, DJ Jackie Christie went on to conquer the rest of the world. She began playing clubs and raves spanning the globe from Mexico to Japan, DJ-ing international special events for celebrity clients Donnatella Versace, Marc Bouwer, Bacardi, David LaChapelle, and Swatch.
In the summer of 1997, Jackie Christie released her first single "Bitch" followed up by "Stimulating and Exciting", on Groovillicious Records. Full length mix CD's for Bacardi "Seize The Night" followed and led to her highly successful "Hard and Tasty Beats" on Nervous Records. Her groundbreaking remixes include "R U A DJ" by Kung POW on Extreme Records and Yoko Ono's "Open your Box" on Mind Train Records. Nervous Records followed up with "DJ Jackie Christie's Hot and Tasty Beats," an energetic, expert compilation of club anthems that dubbed her Queen of Clubs. With a weekly residency at New York's premier club Spa, Jackie still kept her roots in broadcasting, spending four days a month in LA taping TheTruth.com's syndicated radio show for major urban markets. This led to a Fujisankei Communications International Production, "Soulook-Seize The Night," a music variety show that aired in Japan and on NYC Cable.
Jackie's status and reputation have also earned her spots spinning at mega-clubs alongside legends like Sasha, Digweed, Moby, and Carl Cox. She also headlined the closing party of Club Universe with Cindy Lauper in San Francisco.
DJ, re-mixer, Billboard reporter and now producer, what new vistas does this dazzling diva of dance hope to conquer? Says Jackie, "I take it as a personal challenge to find exactly the right music and just the right groove that will capture the crowd. I know if I tell the right story through my music it will have a positive and unquestionably powerful effect on them." And what story will MADE 4 U tell? "One song sums up my philosophy. It's called Beautiful Day and the lyric is 'It's a beautiful day with you in my life.' We all have someone we feel that way about, someone who's made a difference in our lives. My amazing audiences have made DJ Jackie Christie, and this is exactly how I feel about them. They keep me positive, make me want to do more and never stop." Straight to the top is more like it!
