FEATURE:
Saluting the Queens
Club Space Miami, D.J. Layla Benitez is someone that you need to know. You can follow her on Instagram. A few of my Saluting the Queens features are going to be about women D.J.s. Those who are extraordinary and important that might not be getting the same spotlight and column inches as some of their male peers. After playing a New Year’s Eve gig at Proper NYE, Layla Benitez closed off a busy 2023 in style. I think that she is a D.J. that deserves more interviews and press. Making her mixes available and widely shared. I am going to come to some interviews and features with Benitez. She is an amazing D.J. who has travelled the world and inspired so many club-goers. No doubt inspiring other D.J.s coming through, it is going to be exciting to see where she goes in 2024. Before getting to interviews, I will start with some bio from a few years back. It gives us a good background and impression of a phenomenal talent:
“Her sound is as diverse as it is radically distinctive, delivering a freshly curated narrative flow to her audience. Layla has an admiration for classic and cutting-edge melodies that she bridges together in reimagined ways. Channeling an eclectic mix of deep house with percussion, world harmonies and soul sounds, Layla takes you on a journey of uplifting and energetic beats grounded by dark undertones with groove foundations.
From playing the Tribeca Film Festival’s official galas, to underground parties in Mykonos and Ibiza, to the events of Miami Music Week and Art Basel, she brings her dynamic vibrations to music lovers around the world. Her most notable appearances in NYC include “Babel”, “Kuna”, “Sonara”, “White Lodge”, “Disturbed”, “Playroom”,“Memoirs", “Funkbox”, "Love Medicine”, "Sonic Jungle” and “Bang On’. Other memorable gigs worldwide such as Soundtuary in Miami, Soy Ser and EK Guardians in Tulum, Deep Space in LA, The Watergate Release Tour in Tel Aviv, and Done N Dusted in London have defined her as an international artist. She was the resident DJ of Good Behavior’s “Dreamland” at the Made Hotel in New York from 2017-2019. She spent the summer of 2019 as a resident DJ at Sommer Klein in Alacati, Turkey, whilst touring Europe and The Middle East.
Layla is a classically trained piano player and grew up with rhythm in her blood; her father is renowned producer and DJ, Jellybean Benitez. He helped to define the unforgettable nightlife scene of New York in the 80’s. He was a resident of iconic clubs such as Studio 54, The Limelight, and Palladium. She carries the heart-warming energy of this history into her mixes. Constantly intrigued by the experimental electronic landscape, Layla brings genre-bending imagination and a future-focused playfulness to every set. She is currently preparing her first EP, set for release Summer 2020”.
I am going to go chronologically in terms of interviews. Miami New Times spotlighted the amazing Layla Benitez in 2021. A natural -born D.J., she learned at the feet of her father, John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez. I think, over the next few years, Benitez is going to go down as one of the greatest D.J.s of her generation. She is already shaping up as a club legend:
“A DJ's progression from novice to superstar can often trace a linear path, starting with informal sets among friends, moving on to residency at a nightclub, and eventually earning their stripes and traveling the world.
DJ/producer Layla Benitez prefers more of a zigzag approach.
A club residency often serves as a stepping stone to a career, but the 28-year-old Benitez initially leapfrogged that step and went straight to playing shows around the globe, her penchant for Afro and deep house motivating the world's dance floors.
Yet like virtually everyone else, when the pandemic put an end to bookings, Benitez had to recalculate.
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In November, she packed her bags and flew to Miami from New York City.
"I was only supposed to stay for a week or two, but everything was shut down in New York, and the events were canceled for the upcoming month," Benitez tells New Times. "I was getting a lot of bookings down here, so I stayed down here for a little longer and set goals. I [wanted] to be a resident DJ at Club Space."
PHOTO CREDIT: Ro Orozco
After connecting with Space co-owner David Sinopoli, she was given the opportunity to open for the Brooklyn-based duo Bedouin at the club's outdoor venue, Space Park, in January. Benitez kept the music and vibe in harmony during the event and officially assumed a spot on the Club Space roster.
Still, she soon learned that she had to readjust her way of thinking behind the decks. A resident DJ must never outdo the headliner; their task is to keep the music steady and maintain the flavor of the main act.
"Before I became a resident, I was like, 'I'm an Afro-house DJ. If you hire me, you're getting Afro-house,'" Benitez says. "After playing Space, I learned a value in adaptation, realizing I need to be more open as an artist."
By the time Benitez opened for Italian tech-house DJ Marco Carola, she'd updated her library with thousands of new tracks. She also brought a positive mindset to capture Carola's patented sounds.
"I needed all new music. Nothing I had was going to work," she says. "Now, every time I play, I'm going into a set with a fresh perspective. I'm discovering that I do have a passion outside of Afro-house. I'm able to find my voice in every single genre."
Few clubs go to the lengths Club Space does to spotlight their resident lineup. After shifting to new ownership in 2016, the club expanded its openers and closers, mixing back-to-back sets among veteran residents like Ms. Mada and Danyelino with cameos by fellow locals like Nii Tei.
After the Bedouin event, the owners wanted Benitez to play back-to-back with all the Club Space residents — the better to build rapport and understand each DJ's method.
"I was nervous the first time I played with Danyelino," Benitez admits. "I went into it not knowing what to expect, but after playing with him, I was like, 'I need to go home and buy more music and be more prepared next time.'"
A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, Benitez continues to refine her practice with every set.
"I'm learning how to mix breakbeat. A lot of the residents have been helping me with that," she says. "There was one day where I met with [fellow Space resident] Bakke, and he showed me all these different ways to end a set."
Benitez has only been DJ'ing for four years, but her appreciation and skillset trace to her first teacher: her father, the dance-floor trailblazer John "Jellybean" Benitez.
"When I was around 12 years old, my dad would teach my sister and me how to DJ," she recalls. "He also taught me how to play on vinyl.
Jellybean held residencies at institutions like Studio 54, the Funhouse, and Palladium. In the '80s, he took New York City club culture mainstream and remixed songs for the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna. Jellybean is also regarded as the first DJ to have signed with a major label (EMI)
"My dad would bring me wherever he was traveling and I was able to go into the club — even if I was just staying in the booth with him," Benitez recalls. "I got to experience the life early. I have memories of falling asleep behind the booth."
With life slowly returning to normal, Benitez looks to continue her sonic evolution — and to keeping the dance floor moving and grooving”.
In 2022, NYLON spent some time with a D.J. who began playing bat mitzvahs at aged thirteen, to getting booked for Coachella. Her music and amazing connection with her crowds has always been so natural and electric. That lineage. Her father, who worked with artists like Madonna and Whitney Houston, has seeped into the D.N.A. and blood of Layla Benitez. You know that she is set for a similar sort of stardom and legacy:
“How did you first get into DJing? It seems like you had a relatively fast rise.
I actually learned to DJ when I was 13 years old, my father taught me. I started off playing friends birthday parties, and bat mitzvahs/bar mitzvahs. My first CDJ's were Pioneer 900s and I had to burn CDs and there was no cue button! In college, I picked it back up and played very casually for friends events.
About four years ago, a friend of mine who was throwing massive events in New York City came to me because one of his opening DJs wasn't able to make it. He asked if I could fill in opening up for Guy Gerber. After my set here, many people started reaching out to me about playing other events and it just kind of snowballed. It was a huge rush because I was thrown into the world quickly. Every event for the first few years I received through word of mouth from someone who heard me play, and I truly feel the music speaks for itself. I definitely feel like I have found my purpose.
I know you went to Parsons. Does your art background inform your DJ work at all?
I did go to Parsons, and graduated with my BFA in Photography. I had to take all different kinds of art classes as requirements while studying. But I would say one of the most important lessons I learned there was the creative process.
Your father was a renowned producer and DJ — how has he influenced you?
From a young age, I spent a lot of time with him at home and at his office absorbing what I could. I was always very interested in the industry. I would sit and listen to the thousands of demos that artists would send, and stick around for his meetings. He spent a lot of time trying to educate me about music as well as the business side of it. My ear was exposed to some of the best music from the '70s/'80s, as well as the house music world he was moving into at the time. I think my sound completely stems from being around this. There is a lot of ‘80s influence in the tracks I play and create.
What’s the craziest party you played this year?
The craziest party I played in 2021 was probably iii Points x Secret Project last spring. I played on the main stage in front of thousands and it was an incredible energy.
How does it feel to DJ post-lockdown vs. before? Is there a different energy in the air?
I think the energy is different because I think the lockdowns really made us think about what we take for granted. Music is such a powerful medium of expression, whether you're listening, creating, or playing. I think it really put into perspective how much we need this outlet to feel alive”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Alive Coverage
I am going to finish off with a feature from NOTION. There was not a great deal of press last year. Having played in a variety of settings last year, this NOTION interview was at a truly distinct and extraordinary setting. I do have a great feeling about this year and where Layla Benitez is headed:
“DJ and producer Layla Benitez takes us along for her set at Mexican festival Day Zero Tulum 2023.
"What an incredible experience playing my first Day Zero, I was truly honored to be a part of one of the best events in the world."
"Although this was my first time playing, this was not my first time attending. We arrived right before the sun rose, and it was amazing to see the jungle transform once again from night to day around us."
"I started playing at 9AM in the club room after a phenomenal set from Danny Tenaglia."
"It is always magical to interact with and feel the energy of the amazing people who come out to these events from all over the planet."
PHOTO CREDIT: Alive Coverage
"At this point the sun was shining and it was the perfect temperature, and it was just an incredible feeling!"
"Red Axes came on after me, and they are actually some of my favourite producers."
"This is my best friend Apu. It's always so special to me when I'm able to share these major moments with some of the most important people in my life."
"My mood after playing my first Day Zero! It was really such a dream come true. Until next time in the jungle..."
Closing off a remarkable year in style, Layla Benitez will have a brief rest before being thrust into a busy diary. There will be a lot of demand for her around the world. One of the world’s best D.J.s, I think that we will hear a lot of great things from her this year. One of the very best in the industry, we should all salute…
A D.J. queen.