Illexxandra trained in opera and musical theater before she ever touched a DJ booth, moving to New York for a singing grad program that eventually gave way to global bass, soundsystem culture, and funk instead — a formally trained vocalist who ended up behind the decks rather than on a stage.
DJ Shakey brought a different kind of expertise to Empire Breaks, the duo they formed together: a collection of more than 10,000 vinyl records and Shakey's Record Fair, the event she founded and still runs at Nowadays — their debut EP, Bass Arithmetic, released on ill.Gates' Producer Dojo imprint, is where those two very different backgrounds actually met in the studio.