Before moving to Durham in 2011, Gemynii never imagined she’d become a party DJ. She spent her childhood recording music off of the radio, and was a college DJ at her alma mater Elizabeth City State University. It wasn’t until she started throwing house parties that caught the attention of her mentor DJ PlayPlay that she started to take the craft more seriously.
“During that time, DJ PlayPlay was teaching a class on DJing at UNC Chapel Hill. They had noticed my parties and asked if I wanted to take their class,” Gemynii said. “I took two lessons in 2016 and have been DJing ever since. If it wasn’t for them leading me into the party DJ world, I don’t know what I would be doing right now.”
Since then, Gemynii has become one of Durham’s most in-demand DJs. “Gemynii’s beats are like a heartbeat of Durham’s DJ and Club scene,” said Kym Register of The Pinhook. “She’s out here advocating for QTBIPOC (Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities on the daily, and she brings so much queer joy to her parties. I love working with her for a number of reasons. She merges being an incredible DJ with being an incredible human. She really gets how to curate a joyful and safe space on the dance floor, and that’s so invaluable right now and for always.”
On top of being a DJ, Gemynii also spends her days working as the director of Housing and Therapeutic Services at the LGBTQ Center of Durham. A self-described “community auntie,” Gemynii helps marginalized people in her local community attain the resources they need to thrive…