Diskokitty
San Diego, CA
Active 1995 - Present
Hailing from Chicago and recently relocated to San Diego, music powerhouse Diskokitty, or Margot Rudy, has seen it and done it all. This flexible DJ has the ability to take on any gig, big or small. The key word is fun. She wants to have fun and wants you to have fun with her. No matter the genre, she will make you move, *chair dancing is acceptable but not encouraged*. She has over 20 years of experience traveling to DJ underground and corporate events. She has DJed all over the United States, and in Mexico and Canada. Margot has supported some of the world’s most legendary House and Drum and Bass DJs.
Including over a decade’s worth of piano lessons, Diskokitty has had the blessing of being exposed to an amazing amount of music of all genres. As an open format DJ she leans toward Hip hop, pop, and funk, and as a underground she leans toward Chicago-style tech-house and old-school drum and bass. No medium is a challenge and she is able to perform on whatever is set out in front of her, even if it’s a crate of your own records or a roulette of random USB’s. She will take over the dance floor. Just show her where the set up is and she will play a set for you that you will never forget.
Her forté is working with finicky crowds and keeping the bodies moving. Margot has a deep passion for music and it is her full time job. She scours the internet and record stores searching for the perfect songs to cultivate your event, playlists, and her sound. Currently she is also working in the studio on her own productions and remixes. If you need a DJ (and now producer) that will connect with your crowd and dance with you, then Diskokitty is the lady to call on, as she is the “ultimate selector” who can handle any situation.
“Never let them see you sweat, or glisten, as us girls do” .
Interview:
To get a bit of background, what year did you start deejaying? What motivated you to get behind the decks?
1995
Financial aid. I was in college and had always loved underground dance music. I got married (1st husband) in college, which qualified me for a lot of grants. I used my money to pay for school and decks. I bought 1200's from a pawn shop in my college town. They were the decks used in the bar I used to sneak into when I was 17.
We all must know, what is the story behind the name Disko Kitty?
I love cats. I love glittery things. Before I was DJing I lived w my ex-Husband and his punk band. One day during a trip on acid my roommate looks at me and says, "You look like a disco kitty". It stuck. I had these buns in my hair and glitter all over my face (think 90's Bjork). Years later, after getting my decks I was on another acid trip. I had been trying to come up w a name for myself that was cool, feminine, and marketable. I washed my face and all the glitter sparkled and "Diskokitten" popped back in my head. My now departed friend had a radio show in that town and played my mix on the radio but mistakenly called me "Diskokitty". I thought about it and decided "Kitty" had more longevity. I chose a K to spell Disko instead of Disco w a C bc I play much more than disco music.
My first introduction to you was a mix you did on KUNV in Vegas about two decades back. How do you see yourself and the artform of deejaying now as opposed to what it was like back then?
Oh wow! I am much more polished that I was then. I am now able to perform the ideas I had back then. It's kind of cool bc I have most those masters and have reviewed them. They're awful lol! But I head my ideas. I head where I was trying to go. I'm now there in terms of how I want to sound. I'm proud of who I was back then. You can hear someone who is really trying to find their voice.
You have a name that is now easily recognizable both on the west coast and in the midwest. What do you see as the most pinnacle steps in your career as a DJ?
In the Midwest when I joined Proper Chicago. It showed that I was not about to retire. Probably also when I DJ'ed at the Pride Parade in Chicago. Over 1.1 million people were there, I got a lot of exposure and press. Now on the Westcoast I would have to thank Twitch. COVID prevented me from networking in a new city (moved from Chicago to San Diego 8/2019), so I turned to the online community and livestreaming. I've connected a good amount of people in the past four months alone. I can feel that it is going to be life altering....it already is.
When I got booked for my first rave. It was Time in Vegas '99. I got paid and played Drum and Bass in the outside area and a train drove by the Candy Factory during my set. I knew then I would DJ and play dance music for the rest of my life.
What are the greatest sets of challenges you have faced?
Parenting and maintaining a presence in the underground community. W DJing, promotion and music comes a lot of unsavory characters and situations... making them not so family friendly. My kid and parenting come first, so it's hard to balance those too. I want to be a great mother but also be known as a great artist. Sometimes I cannot wear both hats. Not only that but parenting takes time. I have to be engaged and not on social media all the time, promoting, or producing music. Keeping an uninterrupted train of thought these days is rare.
Who has provided the largest amount of inspiration on your journey?
Oddly enough you mentioned Vegas. DJ Shoe of Las Vegas was a HUGE inspiration. That mix tape from 20 years ago is from a kid from Chicago that only knew house and some jungle. Shoe introduced me to a much deeper world of jungle that still inspires me to this day. There are artists that inspire me. But I have to say, as a whole, MUSIC itself is my inspiration. It has been my mother, my lover, my family, my doctor, it inspires me by it just being music itself.
You have stepped up and embraced where technology has taken the realm of Deejaying. 420 Sessions on Twitch is gaining quite the following. What was it that got you into streaming? Where do you see the future of Deejaying via online streaming headed in the future?
Thanks! Honestly, COVID got me into streaming. I had not DJed a live Jungle set in over a year due to my move and then we got locked down. I saw no opportunity for me in the near future to DJ one of my favorite genres so I turned to livestreaming. I get banned on FB a lot for other things so I turned to Twitch. I took a break over the summer and then before Halloween DJ Gypsy Kid posted an open schedule for a RAID day w Hardcore Junglists United. I filled in the slot thinking they'd delete me bc they didn't know who I was but the name never got deleted. So I did a show. It went well. They generously have let me keep my timeslot and it stuck. I now do it 3x a week at MWF and am thinking of doing it daily.
Speaking of the internet, how long do you see yourself staying out of Facebook Jail?
HA! According to the metrics no longer than 2 months LOL
Any thoughts you would like to add?
I want to encourage people to try new things. I never took broadcasting, radio or graphic art classes. Trust your gut. Do not listen to others and listen to your heart. I am now 20 years down the line and just NOW finding out that I am an artist and love broadcasting. I love building scenes for livestreaming and making flyers. I wasted a lot of time chasing degrees and professions bc it was expected of me. I was a huge college advocate before. Now I encourage people to just master what you're good at in any way you know how. Be it YouTube, a book, school and apprenticeship, just learn what you like and get good at it. I wish I had known that. It seems so simple but it's not.
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