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Groove with a few of the Bull City’s most talented DJs BY MARTHA ZAYTOUN P HOTO GRAPHY B Y
JO HN MICHAEL SIMPSON
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he Mamis and the Papis DJ collective was founded on a desire to create space for immigrant music and those with immigrant backgrounds. Co-founder Areli Barrera Grodski began her DJing journey at UNC’s WXYZ radio station while in undergrad, where she discovered her passion for playing at parties and her draw to the dance floor. “It’s the space that helps me release energy and reset and also helps me connect spiritually to myself and my ancestors,” she says. Areli moved to Durham in 2010 and soon met other women who shared her appreciation of music and dancing. Areli had already worked as a DJ for eight years when she and her pal Michelle DurangoLopez decided to focus on making a space for more female-identifying people in the industry, and founded the Mamis and the Papis in 2016.
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