DJ MISS DADA

DJ Miss Dada brings soulful grooves, funky rhythms and decades of musical passion to the decks.

A lifelong collector and DJ with roots in radio, DJ Miss Dada moves comfortably between vinyl, CD and digital formats – but her love of music remains firmly grounded in soul, funk and jazz.

Whether crate digging abroad, spinning records at festivals or organising her own record fair in Haarlem, music is in her blood.

DJ Miss Dada played at Amsterdam Vinyl Club on:

Meet DJ Miss Dada on:

An interview with DJ Miss Dada

How did you get into DJing?
I started DJing while doing a radio show in Amstelveen focused on jazz, funk and soul music.

At the time, I used to bring my music with me to P60, the venue in Amstelveen. One afternoon there was a jazz concert taking place and, because I already had my collection with me, I started playing music there as well.

Things escalated a little after that!

I applied to DJ at the monthly Hitfeest event at P60 and it turned out to be an amazing experience. That was really my first proper time playing in a club.

I already loved music, but DJing took that passion somewhere new.

Was there a particular moment when you realised you wanted to share your music with people?
I think it came from hearing other DJs perform and thinking, “I want to do that too!”

I had so much music in my collection and I wanted to share it with other people.

The radio show definitely played a role as well. Once you start introducing people to music you love, you realise how rewarding that can be.

You work across vinyl, CD and digital formats – how did that evolve?
I started as a vinyl DJ and then moved into CDs and digital later on. So now I do the full spectrum.

People always say digital is easier, but honestly, the first time I played digitally was incredibly stressful!

I had a Sunday gig at the beach and spent the entire Saturday trying to work out whether my USB stick was functioning properly. I was running between DJ shops in Haarlem and Amsterdam testing it because it simply wasn’t working.

By Sunday morning I was still troubleshooting.

Thankfully it finally worked, but I arrived at the venue with very limited music loaded and immediately got asked if I was planning to play “beach house” or lounge music.

That definitely wasn’t what I’d prepared!

Instead, I played hip-hop because it was the week celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, and people really responded to it. The audience loved it – but the manager thought otherwise!

Where do you usually buy your records?
Everywhere. Record fairs, record shops and wherever I happen to be travelling.

Even when I’m abroad, one of the first things I do is visit local record stores. I was recently in France and bought records by French artists like Cerrone and the trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf.

For me, local music is the best souvenir you can bring home. But, of course, vinyl is also incredibly heavy!

I go to a music festival in Birmingham every year that focuses mainly on funk, soul and jazz, and I always come back with records from there too. I actually skip North Sea Jazz these days and go there instead.

Do you have a large vinyl collection?
I think I have somewhere between 250 and 300 LPs, although I’ve never counted them properly.

These days I actually try not to buy too many records because I want to keep the collection manageable!

What can we expect from a DJ Miss Dada set?
Too many records! I always bring more than I need. But there will definitely be funky tunes, and always with a wink towards soul music.

As long as the music has soul, that’s the most important thing for me.

Tell us about your record fair.
This will be the second record fair I’ve organised. It takes place in Haarlem at Skatepark Haarlem and I’m really excited about it.

Last year we had live DJs, and this time we’re expanding things even further with bands, a rapper, a singer-songwriter and a prize lottery where people can win records and other goodies.

I want it to feel more than just a fair – more like a proper music event and community gathering. It’s going to be epic!

How did you end up organising your own record fair?
Because I’m crazy! No, seriously – I’ve been selling records for a long time and spent years attending fairs with somebody I worked with.

Eventually we looked at each other and said, “Why don’t we organise one ourselves?” So we did.

We later went our separate ways, and now I organise it independently. It’s a lot of work, but I really enjoy creating something for collectors, music lovers and the wider community.

Are there any records you’re still searching for?
Not really. I’m not somebody who keeps a strict wish list – I prefer browsing and discovering things naturally.

Most of the records I once dreamed about owning, I already have.

One artist I especially wanted was Betty Davis – the incredible funk singer – and I’ve managed to collect her records now.

So these days it’s less about hunting specific titles and more about discovery. That’s still the best part.