This week we’re stepping into the Confessional with DJ Lindsey, a perfect example of simple elegance. Her no-fuss style and selective taste in music have kept her on our Hail Mary list almost every month. She shares a little insight on married life and the party scene in NYC.
Make sure to keep up with her on her website: www.djlindsey.com.
Name and Age, please:
Lindsey Caldwell, age - old
Marital status:
Married
Where are you originally from?
St. Louis, MO
How long have you lived in New York?
I’ve lived in NY for almost 8 years
What neighborhood in NY do you live in?
I live in Williamsburg
What are your favorite memories of New York since living here?
The day of the blackout was awesome. I was at work when it went down and I immediately linked up with my lunch buddy Doug Lee, we walked down Broadway to Opening Ceremony. There were like 30 people just chilling on the stoop and I spent about 24 hours hanging out with my good friend Ann. It just made me feel like I was right to move to New York and the whole day I thought about how lucky I was to have met such amazing and inspiring people. We went up to Times Square to see what it looked like with no lights, and ate beef jerkey for dinner. It sounds so simple but maybe that’s what made it such a good day. No one had anywhere to be and we were all just able to relax and be ourselves.
Give us a brief rundown of your past work experience.
Brief, ha! Straight out of school I co-founded a magazine called Frank with Steve Malbon, his cousin Josh and sister Cat. When I moved here I worked for a company called Upoc, then I asked around to find out what the best music PR agencies were in the city and found Girlie Action. I left Girlie to work at Rockstar Games doing project management and then went freelance for a while. I worked a very brief stint doing PR and Marketing for Rocawear (thank you Damon Dash for firing the whole department right before Christmas that year). After Rocawear was forced back to freelance and DJing full time. During that time I worked at a company called KCD doing castings during NY and Paris fashion weeks for Marc Jacobs, Chloe and a slew of other designers. In between I was DJing and hustling. I took another full time job at a marketing and PR firm called Ketchum and worked as the SAE on Absolut Vodka, Level Vodka and Nokia. I went to FADER as one of the editors and now I am back to the hustle. Oh and interspersed between all the other jobs I have been working at Opening Ceremony since 2002.
How long have you been DJing and how’d you get started?
I’ve been DJing since around 1998. I started out just admiring the DJs in Atlanta and, DJ Lord who is now the DJ for Public Enemy was in the apartment next to where we worked on Frank. I would walk over there during our downtime and watch him rehearse. I ended up buying an old beat up pair of turntables off of him and that was that. I started out playing drum and bass and before I had turntables DJ Rashida and I would sit on the floor of her apartment and teach ourselves to beat match. I used to also downtown on Mitchell St. where my friends lived. They were all in the group Massinfluence and they would let me on their turntables for short intervals, haha they could only take maybe a half hour at a time before they’d have to kick me off.
What kind of music do you like to spin and why?
I really like to spin everything but I guess you could say I focus on anything soulful. Mainly old stuff. For now.
Got any other music-related projects?
Yes. We’ll see if it ever sees the light of day.
You recently started a new Wednesday weekly, the Hump, what’s the vibe like?
It’s more chill than most things I attempt to do. Myles and I discussed doing something that was just regular for lack of a better word. We were sick of going out and feeling like people were focused more on what they were wearing than what they did at the party. We knew there was only so much we would be able to do at Blue Owl since it’s a lounge so we focused more on making the music good and I took a marketing approach to how we were going to promote it. We asked Grotesk to design an identity and it’s turned into some really fun parties with no pretense.
You also work at one of New York’s most exclusive fashion boutiques, Opening Ceremony, what’s your involvement?
I do a little bit of everything. I’ve been around since the store opened.
What kind of role does fashion play in your life?
I used to participate way more. Right now I have a uniform that consists of a white v-neck t-shirt by Hanes/Fruit of the Loom and any pair of jeans laying around. I sometimes dress up a little but I like to keep it easy. I like to sleep in so it allows me to sleep until the last possible minute every day. I know what I’m wearing.
What kind of perks do you get from working at OC?
Just being inspired by them! If anyone has observed their progress over the years knows what I am talking about. Their shit is MAJOR now! We also get free clothes and first dibs on stuff which is nice. It brings a lot of fashion that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford into my reach…kinda.
Of all your different creative outlets, what part is most satisfying to you?
Music has always been the most satisfying, it’s also so personal that it makes it really hard to do it for a living. For example, if I am playing out and people are not feeling what I am playing it hurts my feelings in a way. Any DJ who’s experienced that knows the feeling I’m trying to describe. I think that’s why it’s taken me so long to get my own personal music projects together. I am a perfectionist when it comes to that stuff and I am SCARED to let people judge it.
Can you tell us about any other things you’ve got on your horizon?
For now I can’t really say too much about it. But there’s something pretty huge on the horizon. Myles and I are going make some really cool shit happen. Shout out to Cortni.
Got any favorite clothing brands? Stores?
Every season I of course drool over the Opening Ceremony stuff, especially the shoes. I also love the new Comfort Soft t-shirts by Hanes, perfect for the summer! My girl who I have just reconnected with, Meera Sleight, is killing it with the textile design over in the UK so some of the stuff that she’s done for Acne is so on point.
Got a long term plan?
Getting married changed a lot of stuff. The beginning of this year I slowed down a lot just to enjoy being a newlywed (CORNY!!). And after a long hibernation Myles and I feel ready to get ourselves back to work and really get our shit together. I wish I could get more into it but that’s all I can say for now. I want to try to get some more music done and actually put it out. A couple of young’ns in the next couple of years would be nice too.
Do you have much free time? What do you do when you’re not working?
My schedule has been a little crazy lately so my free time ends up being sandwiched in between other things. I watch a lot of trashy TV as an escape. The biggest mistake I made was to buy a gigantic TV for Myles a couple of years ago. We are like zombies in front of it.
How would you describe your personal style?
Basic. I wear a white v-neck and jeans and I build from there with cardigans, and scarves and the like. I never wear make up really, if I’m feeling fancy I wear red lipstick and that’s that.
What’s your prized possession?
Don’t make me be corny again! you know who that is.
Where do you like to shop?
I’m at Opening Ceremony a lot so I shop there the most. I like window shopping at The Future Perfect. I get my DJ stuff at Turntable Lab. For vintage No. 6 and Dulcine. I just got the chance to check out Fruition in Vegas and I am hooked. Lately I’ve been checking out street vendors a lot more. Chioma, a good friend of mine, reminded me that you can get some really unique things from street vendors. It’s easy to get caught up trying to afford stuff out of expensive shops when I can just wear my uniform and get something small off the street for a deal.
Do you go out much? Got any favorite bars, lounges, and clubs?
I don’t go out much anymore unless I am DJing. If I could go out more I would definitely never miss the Rub, when I played that party the crowd was so into it I had so much fun. I am always DJing somewhere else during that party so I usually have to miss it unfortunately. Otherwise my couch is my favorite lounge, a pint of Vermonty Python ice cream and a movie and I am straight.
Name your top 3 fave restaurants in NY and your favorite dish(es) there.
Barrio Chino - I love it here even though it’s now always so crowded you can’t get a table there anymore. It’s small and chill and the folks who work there are really friendly.
BarBossa - I like BarBossa for similar reasons that I love Barrio Chino. You immediately feel very welcome and the food and drinks are so good.
Diner - I love that they have their set menu and then a trillion specials every day. Half of the excitement of going there is to see what the specials are going to be. The food is consistently delicious.
What music have you been listening to lately?
I’ve been going through all my stuff from ‘88-’98 for the Hump. There’s a mix up on my site that Myles and I did so you can hear what I’ve been listening to here:
http://www.djlindsey.com/TheHumpVol1.mp3
What’s your most recent discovery/exploration in New York?
Not that recent but the beaches on Long Island are really great. We try to get out there as many times as we can during the summer. Myles’s family are all out there too so it’s so nice to do family day on the beach.
Do you plan on living in NY forever?
Most likely, yes.
If you smoke, tell us your favorite rolling paper. If you drink, tell us your cocktail/drink of choice.
I don’t smoke but I love the Ellison at Blue Owl. Anything fruity has my name all over it.
Name one New York woman that you would nominate to our Hail Mary! list.
Miyazu Sato - She owns a company called Urban, they are a full service production company and their shit is really starting to take off. On top of that she’s just a really great person.
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