In conversation with: CPowers
Cecilia Powers, or fondly known as CPowers, has been a DJ since she was 11 years old. She’s also spent much of her life within the tenant organizing and union organizing worlds – namely Don’t Evict Portland. She’s been a regular on the Blast Radio airwaves for more than a year, streaming live DJ sets for listeners around the world.
We recently spoke with Ceclia to learn more about her, her streams, and what she’s got coming down the line. Read on to learn more about the DJ keeping you moving.
Follow Cecilia (https://blastradio.com/cpowers or ‘CPowers’ in the app) to catch her weekly DJ Sets.
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How would you describe your streams?
My streams are all improvisational: I do not make any preparations & instead I follow my intuitions and really enjoy living in the moment of the mix.
Which product do you use to broadcast (Blast Mic, Blast Box, Broadcast Software)? What is your setup?
I use Blast Box. My setup is a DJ mixer with 2 turntables and cdjs. I have both vinyl collections and Serato integrated into my turntable workflow.
What do you enjoy most about streaming?
Getting lost in the moment and creating new neuro pathways in my lobes.
What steps do you take to prepare for a stream?
I turn my gear on, make sure I am feeling loose (often this means enjoying some legal marijuana), I make a selection for what I want my first record of the stream to be, I hit "Stream." I pray it goes well.
Do you have a fond memory of the radio you’d like to share? Who you were with, what was playing, how it made you feel?
As a youth growing up in Atlanta, the world of Black radio 100% captivated me. The stations in Atlanta (and many Midwest/East Coast cities) had these Traffic or Lunch-Hour mega mixes where they would have a DJ come on and mix as many records as they could within like 20-30 minutes. I lived for these!
The DJ's these mix-sessions featured where all very fast, very sharp, and loved to cut and scratch. I think my style today is heavily influenced by the DJs of Atlanta's incredible world of radio-broadcasted Black music. Indeed, many of my mentors in Atlanta were Black people, including my high school art teacher who also played thousands of R&B records and Jazz records for me and his classes. For him (and for me now as well), Music and Visual Art were one in the same.
Who are your three ideal dinner guests (dead or alive)?
Prince, Gucci Mane, Kim Petras. I don’t know why, but I want to have a dinner with them? Seems like a good combo.
How would you describe your music?
My music is quite different than my DJ style at times. When it veers away from what you might hear me play at the club it is misty, swung, highly sequenced and percussion focused. My work that is closer to my dj set style is straight up trashdance.
Do you have anything you’d like to promote to Blast Radio listeners?
This year I have releases forthcoming on Fixed Rhythms, Island F, Papaya Records, and hopefully some collaborative material from PlayPlay and I for our collab entity "PowerPlay."
