Mondai has always been house
An interview and DJ mix from the Chicago-bred DJ and producer.
Mondai
HEADS KNOW TAPES is our mix and interview series that introduces you to the most interesting selectors and tastemakers in the world.
Mondai is wearing a black and white crocheted bucket hat so big that you can barely see the relaxed focus on her face, which is only illuminated by On The Radar’s bright green lights. Despite the obstructions, the task seems effortless for her. As she intricately turns the knobs on the decks in front of her, she seamlessly mixes in and out of deep-cut house tracks that bring her back to her Chicago roots.
DJing didn’t always come as second nature for Mondai, but it might have always been written in the stars. Her godfather, DJ Bass, was her earliest supporter when she decided to give DJing a try. “I remember one time I just could not understand the concept of blending songs and I literally went into his bathroom and cried,” she remembers.
Now based in New York City, you can find Mondai behind the decks several times a week—and not only can she blend songs without hesitation, but she also makes it look easy.
Get a house music history lesson in Mondai’s HEADS KNOW TAPE and read on to learn about how she started, her move to New York City, and why it’s not surprising that she’s all about house.
ARIELLE: Thanks for being part of this! What have you been up to?
MONDAI: Oh, nothing honestly I’ve just been basking in having a little bit of time off from DJing… Definitely ready to get back to it though!
I've known about you for a while—I think we have a lot of mutual friends. But what really put me on was the On The Radar DJ set. I didn't even know they filmed DJ sets before yours. How was that experience?
Awww, you have also been mentioned in many conversations. We do have a lot of mutuals! On The Radar was a great experience. I feel like that’s where I finally got to show everyone what I’m really capable of. I went there with a playlist of, I think, 218 songs; my set wasn’t planned out at all. I just played what felt right and it ended up being one of my best mixes, if I do say so myself hehe :)
You really play such a wide variety of genres. What is the best part and the hardest part about having to be so multifaceted?
Yes! I would definitely call myself an open-format DJ. Being open format is cool because you get to engage with so many different types of crowd… It’s like a little challenge, like, can you truly make people move in any room you walk into while completely having to guess what type of music they’re into? It keeps me on my toes, haha. The hard part is people not really knowing your true identity. I think my On The Radar set was a little shocking for some because they may have only seen me play hip-hop, etc., but many don’t know I started as a House DJ.
A little birdie (Andre) told me you wanted to get more in your house music bag.
Awww, I absolutely love Andre! Yes, he is right I just feel like there was a certain point where I strayed verrrrry far away from my roots. Like I mentioned earlier, I started off as a House DJ. I feel like once I came to New York, in an attempt to get my name out there, I kind of just started doing a little bit of everything. But, at the end of the day, I love house music and it’s the genre I honestly prefer to play and produce.
What made you start DJing in the first place?
I used to write for a few music magazines and it just wasn’t doing it for me. I knew I loved music, I knew I wanted to work in this field, but strictly writing just wasn’t scratching the itch. So I told my dad and my goddad (DJ Bass) that I wanted to give DJing a try. Shortly after, my dad went and bought me my first controller, a DDJ SB2, which I still have. DJ Bass has a whole studio set up in his house so I used to go there every Wednesday to practice. I remember one time I just could not understand the concept of blending songs and I literally went into his bathroom and cried. That's when I knew I was serious about wanting to be a DJ.
We share a similar path! What's your earliest memory of music that made you realize how important it was to you?
Honestly, my mom has a video of me dancing at my 1st birthday party. I remember watching the footage and thinking wow, I’ve really loved music since I was a baby. It’s funny because in the video I was dancing to juke music; that’s what we listen to at our family functions. Never would’ve thought I’d end up playing the same music I grew up listening to in front of crowds in a whole different city, but here we are!
What was the moment you knew you had to pursue music as a career?
Nothing else ever felt right. I’ve had so many different jobs in my life, but I think working at Yelp is when I really started to have a crisis about what I wanted to do with my life. One day, while I was working there, I legit walked in and told my manager that I was moving to New York to pursue music. This was back in 2020. It was such a damn lie, I genuinely had no idea how I would ever be able to afford moving to New York at that point in my life. Now looking back I feel like I manifested this for myself because in 2021, I did end up moving here. Sometimes lying is ok I guess hehe :)
If the dancefloor clears, what's the song you use to bring everyone back?
Ah, this is an interesting question, I think it genuinely depends on the type of party I’m playing. If it was one of my open-format events I’d probably play Sexyy Red or something. She gets the people going. If it was at a house music event I’d probably play "Follow Me" by Aly-Us, it’s a classic that everyone knows and loves.
Which DJs, producers, artists, parties, or collectives should heads know?
Oh dear, there are so many people to name here! Definitely Mamicana, she is a DJ and producer who has a super cool event called Gyrate. Nzingha is also a great DJ to know; she has an event series called Spin Again. Also check out Malcolm Flex, Last Nerd, Shekdash, Tromac, Dylan Ali, Nadus, Dj Simmy, Chizzum, King Inesse, Mellow Domingo, Noah G, Denise Renee, EDEN, Juan De One, Geeky Minajj, Daniro, Niyah West… Omg, there are literally so many more people to name, my head is about to explode!!
What can we expect from this mix?
You can expect to dance, that’s for sure. As usual, I didn’t plan what I’d play but I think everything came together very nicely and, of course, I had to end it with some Chicago shit… I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t.
Is there anything I haven't asked you that you want to talk about? Anything you want to promote?
YES! Go listen to my tracks “Don’t Leave” and “Blunt On My Lips” on Soundcloud, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, all that!
Follow Mondai on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
Chris Flanagan - Get Started
DJ SWISHERMAN - Untitled
DJ SWISHERMAN - Pushin Keys
Criminal Practice - Booty Treatment
Moodrich - Grew Up Out The Mud
DJ Godfather - Let’s Jit
DJ SWISHERMAN - Bkdrop It
DJ SWISHERMAN - Bamio
Seigg - Shootin’ Up
DJ SWISHERMAN - Don’t Play
X CLUB. - These Streets Look Dangerous
Beau Didier - Whoomp!
Dylan Fogarty - Kept Aside
Pablo Peptasy - Baby Love
Wodda - Don’t Mind Me
Paul Johnson - Hear The Music
X-COAST - Track 2
Amadeezy - Bring It Back
Amadeezy - Freaky Bitch
MCR-T - Anal OG
1 9 0 5 - Recorddeals
Rod Lee - Rump
Tromac x DJ Huncho - Her Majesty
DJ SWISHA - She’s Homeless
jammin gerald - Pump On The Floor
DJ Deeon - Every Freekin Day
DJ Deeon x DJ Funk - Let It Be House
Special mention to our sponsor, Brewdog. Check them out for delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers!