Donwella ✯

Donwella is a DJ and social researcher from London. Through her thoughtfully-curated, genre-fluid sets, she expresses her deep love for a wide range of music. Donwella’s selections are driven by feeling, rather than a specific genre – reflecting her eclectic musical background and her forever developing musical influences. She grew up in a household that flowed with jazz, hip-hop and soul and started DJing whilst living in Cape Town, inspired by the incredible abundance of South African dance and electronic music. In her Balamii and Soho Radio residencies and earlier sets, she leans into her soulful, groovy, sunshine-infused collection. In her late-night club mode, percussion and bass lead the way – weaving threads of global diasporic electronic music  – from kuduro, to gqom, broken-beat, UK funky, garage, and baile funk. Donwella runs well-loved and intimate parties and helps to organise a DIY participatory festival with the sound-system collective Coop Audio. As part of this, she champions gender equity on the decks, teaching DJ workshops for aspiring selectors.