DJ Amber
Residence: Oakland
Style: Hard, pounding, bone-jarring acid techno
By Erik Fong

Spinster
Amber is a member of Sister SF, an all-female DJ crew founded in 1997 – and the first crew of its kind. Thankfully, Amber hasn't had to deal with sexism in the male-dominated DJ world. "San Francisco's an unusual case – it's a town where if you want to do it, just do it and nobody cares who you are. This is a real comfortable town and a great part of the world to be a female DJ. But in New York, I've heard tales of women coming up with records and being asked, 'Whose records are you carrying?' or 'Don't come into the booth, you can't be the DJ.' It blows my mind, because I would never experience that in 100 years here."

You Want Some Advice With That?
Amber has some words of wisdom for aspiring DJs: Don't hesitate. "A lot of people who start out DJing take what they hear on mixed CDs too seriously, wait too long before they start playing for friends, and get too upset if one mix isn't 100%. Don't panic about having to be so perfect that you keep yourself from performing. A lot of beginning DJs waste literally 2-3 years before performing, thinking that they're not good enough. A big part of becoming a DJ that plays out for crowds is getting used to playing on different systems in different rooms. That's an important part of the training, and people shouldn't put that off."

It Doesn't End There
You can find Amber telling large groups of people what to think at UCLA's School of Musicology, where she's a regular guest lecturer on the history of electronic music. If mind stimulation isn't enough and you need to be "in the shit" with the other DJs out in the field, Amber's also passing her spinning talents down to the delicate children of our future through private lessons.

DJ Gone Wild
Check out Amber's DJ skills in the comfort of your own home when her brand new telelvision show, dubbed :CODE TV, hits public access stations in San Francisco and Oakland. The half-hour program will include highlights from Amber's DJ spots at the DNA Lounge, as well as live footage and special guests.

Witness: :CODE @ DNA Lounge (Every second and fourth Thursday)
Albums: Gold (2002), CityDweller (2001) - available for purchase through Amber's web site
Sample: Excerpt from Gold (20:43)
Website: www.iamthedj.com