“But it seems like house music isn’t as in the mainstream in Cleveland as it is in Chicago, [where] you can turn on the radio and find a DJ spinning.”
Roland wants to change that. With standing bookings at the Windy City’s chic Smartbar and Red No. 5 (along with gigs in Europe and Australia on her itinerary later this year), the St. Louis native saves the last Thursday of every month for a double shift in Cleveland. She starts at Fusion for a two-hour spin session of house and chill tracks, and ends the night behind the turntables at Karma.
“At Fusion, there seems to be a more relaxed and older set of people that are just enjoying good food and cocktails to good music,” says Roland, who’s been DJing since 1999. “When I go to Karma, I play my more bumpin’ dance-floor cuts. At Karma, there are more party people that are out to have a good time in a large club with a good sound system.”
And an even better catalog of CDs. Roland’s jazzy Shades of Emotions and Seoul Sista (a reference to her Korean ancestry) keep a metronomic beat with the occasional freestyle vocal drop. As she canvasses the dance floor, Roland’s on a quest. “I’ve played at some great parties in Cleveland and enjoyed the intimate vibe,” she says. “And when I perform, I would like the audience to experience house music on a spiritual level that will make them dance like there is no tomorrow.”
This article appears in Aug 25-31, 2004.