Up and Coming Filipina DJ Gaby Zarcal on Sound Design and the Inclusivity of the Music Industry
Local DJ Gaby Zarcal
Hi I’m Gaby! I’ve always had an interest for everything vintage and that got me into collecting records at 13 which formed my passion for music and sounds, as well as my love for film and production while taking up Comm Arts that eventually got me hooked into sound design!
A Pre-Pandemic Night Out
HOW AND WHEN DID YOU GET INTO DEEJAYING?
When I was 14 I asked my parents to bring me to Euphoria in intercom hahaha it was a disco in the 70s-80s and they reopened it for one last night and I quickly got obsessed with everything about it. I think the idea of disco, disinhibition and letting yourself go really resonated with me.
I also really missed partying with my friends and I was able to relive those nights by listening to our favorite disco songs we used to dance to and I just had the idea to mix songs for fun but quickly realized it’s something I want to keep doing! How our shared love for music can bring so much people together!
Photographs of Gaby's Grandma
WHO ARE YOUR GREATEST SOURCES OF INSPIRATION?
My grandma, Mom Sol!!! The ultimate cool girl. My record collection started because she was collecting her whole life and gifted me a lot of her old ones. Shes also the main source of my taste in music - Disco! I also got my style from her. I can’t think of anyone else I look up to as much as my Grandma. She really taught me how to embrace myself for who I am and to live life to the fullest!
Record Listening
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE DURING THESE TIMES?
I’ve made it a habit to do something I love everyday, whether it be watching a movie, a show, listening to music it gives me the drive to want to make things myself. Being stuck at home without much to do, I started doing my own meditation of listening to sounds and it made me more drawn to the idea of sound being transcendent, how it helps me stay in tune, how it enables me to feel and connect to higher frequencies.
I think its really interesting because music has the capacity to make ourselves attribute thoughts, emotions and ideas about sound alone and what helps me stay creative is finding inspiration from the things I hear in the nature around me. It allows me to realize that however insignificant we feel, everything is still interconnected!
Gaby's First 1 Hour Mix in November 2020
HOW HAVE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY BEEN SO FAR, AS A NEWCOMER AND A WOMAN?
There are a lot of opportunities the only thing you have to do is try! I was surprised with the overwhelming welcome from people in the music industry, it really is an inclusive space where people regardless of age or gender, who want to create are given the ultimate freedom to do whatever they wish and I think that’s amazing!
People supporting each other in their craft and love for music is what makes collective effervescence happen. As for being a woman, it is intimidating knowing that there aren’t much women in the industry but that only makes me want to work harder in everything I do and prove to everyone that women can do anything they choose to do!
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5 FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIME?
Walking in the sunshine by laid back
Your love by Lime
Ain’t that enough for you by john davis and the magic orchestra
5:01 am the pros and cons of hitchhiking by roger waters
good thoughts bad thoughts by funkadelic
There are a lot of opportunities the only thing you have to do is try! I was surprised with the overwhelming welcome from people in the music industry, it really is an inclusive space where people regardless of age or gender, who want to create are given the ultimate freedom to do whatever they wish and I think that’s amazing!
People supporting each other in their craft and love for music is what makes collective effervescence happen. As for being a woman, it is intimidating knowing that there aren’t much women in the industry but that only makes me want to work harder in everything I do and prove to everyone that women can do anything they choose to do!
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5 FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIME?
Walking in the sunshine by laid back
Your love by Lime
Ain’t that enough for you by john davis and the magic orchestra
5:01 am the pros and cons of hitchhiking by roger waters
good thoughts bad thoughts by funkadelic
Listen to our Kwento playlist curated by Gaby, and visit her on Instagram and SoundCloud.