A key creative of the “doll rave” scene that’s electrifying the outer boroughs and beyond, DollNxtDoor is serving us all the music, poetry and gorgeousness we can handle!
Thotyssey: Doll, hello! How were your holidays, if you celebrated?
DollNxtDoor: Very wholesome! I’m grateful to be home with my family this year (and not in the club, lol).
When you are taking a break from the clubs, are you still playing with new mixes and remixes and finding new music, or do you block that all out?
Hmm… I don’t think I ever intentionally take time away from creating while taking breaks, because the process of playing around is so therapeutic for me. But as far as writing goes, I definitely use any excuse to not face an empty page these days.
That’s right, you’re a poet as well as a DJ / producer. Have you ever combined those skill sets to write lyrics?
Yeah, it’s my new favorite thing to do! Usually the delivery is more performance artsy, but I want to start bringing my mic to the club. More and more, I’m taking my performances into nightlife and out of traditional gallery spaces.
Where is your original hometown, and were you always musical / artistic growing up?
I grew up in the DMV. I was always super artistic; I used to write poems and raps as a kid. Then I joined DC’s youth poetry slam team, and that expanded my brain musically.
How and where did you begin as “DollNxtDoor?”
DollNxtDoor is the name I used for my Chaturbate back in the day. It’s still the name I use for my ads to this day! But applying it to music came during Covid. I’d been working on a lot of tracks and studying DJ’ing, trying to hone my craft. I didn’t really rebrand my entire artistry under DNXTD until after my first year playing, when I felt more confident.
And then how did you come to join the nightlife creatures of NYC?
I came into Brooklyn during the wave of “Fight Club” and “Ghetto Gothic,” “Spectrum” and “Pregames” at Hotel 17. I was a first semester junior at Saint John’s University (which is a private Catholic situation), and when I found a community that challenged and enlightened and affirmed me I sort of dove into Brooklyn and never gave Forest Hills a second thought.
It must make you proud and excited to be part of the whole trans / non-binary rave scene that’s blowing up Brooklyn and Queens these past few years. Were you there at the beginning of all that?
I’d definitely like to think so; I think that if you were out hosting, working, and involving yourself in the Bushwick nightlife community before Covid, then you contributed to something very special. Parties like “Dick Appointment” and “Discakes” set new standards for safety and accountability across the board. There were so many DIY spaces and hands on deck, it was beautiful. And above all shit was fun. But who can really say where the beginning of it all started? I think that there are girls who’ve been partying and contributing for decades.
Have you had a favorite DJ moment?
Favorite DJ moment would either be playing for Cupcakke’s concert this past Valentine’s Day. OMG, or playing on the streets of San Francisco with my sister Jasmine Infiniti last Pride!
What do your sets generally sound like, when your setlist is totally up to you?
It’s always up to me! When I’m on the decks, it’s my world… and it’s my job to create vantage points so every audience can get into it. Lately, it’s a lot of baile funk and classic r&b remixes with heavy techno bass lines; I’m trying to trick people from both sides of the fence (techno and house) into enjoying the best qualities from both. And above all, my sets depend on what makes people move with me. I’ve also been playing a lot of banji shit… but that’s never gonna change, lol!
On Friday you’re gonna be spinning “Intima: Meat Market” at Brooklyn’s Market Hotel with the legendary LSDXOXO!
Yesssss! I’m honestly so excited. I love their sound and influence on club music. It’s so hot to think I’m on such a short lineup with such good talent!
And you’re also on the bill for Euwhoria and Omega’s New Year’s Eve party at Trans-Pecos in Ridgewood: “Unimatrixxx!”
Yesss! I love the folks involved with both those parties, I’m gonna be bringing the New Year end from eleven to midnight.
What else is coming up for you?
I’m working with one of my favorite organizations, Eureka House, to put on a performance art exhibition at Brick Aux Gallery on January 21st at 5pm! It’s called “Dollnxtdoor Invites You for an Incall.” Five hours of music and poetry, with some special guest artists. All set in a gallery made to resemble my bedroom, which is my safe creative space.
That sounds very interesting! Okay, finally: do you have any New Year’s resolutions?
To aggressively pursue joy–through service, through self-discovery–and generally challenging my sense of what happiness is, and where it comes from.
Happy New Year, Doll!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for DollNxtDoor’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Thotyssey 