CATCHING UP WITH HAILEY DUKES
Hailey is an infectious spirit. When she laughs, you laugh. She’s hilarious, positive, and just so real - it reminds me how special human connection can be. Detroit knows her as DJ Father Dukes who likes to feed her crowds with eclectic sounds of techno, funk, hip-hop, house, & jazz. Intuition led her to a workshop for aspiring DJ’s led by the Seraphine Collective and she has been making waves ever since.
You know those nights when you’re really not trying to go out but your friends drag you out of the house anyway? Then you run into that person that just gives all the right energy, and you know it’s about to be a good night? Hailey Dukes is *that* homie. So I thought I’d bring our conversation to The Studio and let our audience get to know her a little better ...
HD: We would always come down to Detroit on the weekends. I’d be at parties in Capital Park - that was rave central, funk night, and North End Studios. I didn’t even have a car ... I was just like getting in the car-(laughs)..and then when I moved here I was still ..getting in the car.
LL: (laughs) That’s still me, I’m always just getting in the car.
HD: Like who’s picking me up? I know you want me there!
LL: I bring the energy, you bring the rides.
HD: I bring the vibes, you bring the rides.
*lots of lol’ing*
LL: So Detroit was this joyful space for you, this was where you escaped to?
HD: Yeah, I mean being from Kent, Ohio - a lot of people didn’t understand what this place was all about. I got along well with a lot of people from my hometown, you know, life was just fine but I knew that it wasn’t for me. I knew I had to leave, I didn’t fit into that mold. So I took off to Eastern for college and spent many nights in Detroit and I was all about it. I was always asking and listening because I wanted to be a part of the scene, I was willing to be taught. Don’t try and hide that you ain’t from Detroit, just own that shit and be forthcoming in the beginning because Detroiters can smell that shit on you! Black Noi$e (DJ & producer) was kind of like my fairy godfather and really let me know what was going on in Detroit, too. So when I finally moved here I knew what was good and had a little network going.
LL: The last time I saw you spinning was outside of Ochre Bakery, you were practicing more and expanding your record collection. What has DJing been like for you during COVID? Do you feel live virtual Dj sets resonate the same as in person?
HD: It’s been interesting. The first person to ask me to do a livestream was Stacey Hotwaxx and she is an icon, idol- I was super fuckin’ hyped about it. She had heard about me through one of her friends and wanted me to spin for Deep Space Radio,a local techno and house music station. It has shows curated by all the og’s; Juan Atkins, Stacey, Carl Craig - that was huge for me. I had to learn the setup for the first time and I threw up some funny lights to simulate a very clubby vibe. I was in the motherfucking zone.
Shigeto and I did a show together this past summer for New York’s the lot Radio. But it was right around the time when George Floyd was murdered and all of the protests started happening, all these feelings were so fresh and we knew we had to figure out how to make our music relevant to the movement. It didn’t feel right to have some happy bop-along type shit. We knew we had an audience that understood our content and may have had expectations for what we typically put out there but not being in the same room as them gave us an opportunity to not get that immediate comeback (that can be negative at times). It gave us the freedom to do something different. So we pulled a lot of vocal samples, speeches, rhetoric, rap lyrics, and layered it with every piece of music we played. We showcased all these different forms of Black artistry, shit that really makes you listen and pay attention to these hallmarks of Blackness. It really had us geeked for our shows in the future and made us really think about how we can continue to incorporate different sides of ourselves into these shows. I don’t ever want to fit into a box, I wanna be my full self up there, get paid and still get love for what I do all at the same time (laughs). Like can’t we do that? We gotta give people that reinforcement to let what’s on the inside out a little more.
LL: Has DJing been a source of healing or joy for you during these times?
HD: I’d love to say yes, I love to play. I think I let myself get to the point where it just didn’t feel fun. I had been playing so much before all of this and I have a day job so it was low key too much. I definitely got burnt out and kinda dropped my records at the door and hadn’t picked them up in a while. I slowed down and started reading a lot more about social issues, non-profits, LGBTQ+, Black literature, films and documentaries. I’ve been doing salsa dancing lessons, too! I’m trying to come out of this quarantine poppin’ ! But after the show with Shigeto it definitely restored my love for it and made me re-realize the power of it to help us reflect and move through difficult times. I love to mix at home and collaborate.
LL: I feel that. We should feel this freedom to experiment with our audience. It’s not just like this put-a-quarter-in-me and Imma play whatever you want me to transaction. You're there to create a specific experience and people can either come along for the ride or not.
HD: Exactly. It’s been a really big realization. I think a lot of people have been doing this type of experimenting at home and I’m interested to see what everyone brings to the table.
LL: How do you feel about the momentum of social media? Do you feel it pollutes movements to like BLM? Do you feel the need to tap out every now and then?
HD: I think social media has exposed so much of our toxic, calculated culture in such a rapid and direct way. We’ve lifted the veil off of some major publications and created our own platform. But with that comes absolute saturation. It can all feel very “shouty”. You just get to the point where you don’t wanna see another resource list of how I’m supposed to think, feel or be spoken to as a Black woman. It burns me out, but in order to be good at my job I have to invest in social media and I have to participate. I have to look ahead and check the temperatures of different issues. I have to find inspiration. I have to participate. It’s always changing, we'll never get a complete handle on it, but there is always more to learn which is cool and exciting. I’m really invested in art and humor and how it's attached to politics and sociology. If I am feeling overwhelmed I try to do my analogue activities; keep my phone in the other room, DJ, pick up a book, ride my bike, listen to music, or cook and drink some wine. We are so tired, our energy is zapped so we have to be intentional about how we restore ourselves at the end of the day.
LL: How do we get people to understand the importance of our arts community here in Detroit?
HD: We are a majority Black community and even though we are producing so much great art it is sometimes publicly devalued because of racist structures that are engrained in our society. There is so much development and urban planning here and art is being used in tandem with these developments, cheapening its power to speak to and represent community in a real way that can remember local heroes, instill neighborhood pride, tell stories of ancestors, make statements, be political, etc. here but it’s like who is doing all this art? I would like to see more art from locals, I want to see more Tony Whlgn stuff!
LL: And who is this art for?
HD: Right. You got these artists coming from across the globe creating art for the audience of the developers. We have to bring awareness to our city government arts representation and do what we can to get them funded. We need more representation and rights for our Detroit creatives. So they can make a living even if they don’t have this big network or resources outside of the city. We are missing out on job opportunities in our own city. There is history here, there is creation here. We need to hand over some safety nets to people, especially now. We need strong representation for our young talent as well. They are so fearless and provocative. They need their chance. If it weren't for these older professionals lifting me up and teaching me so I could better represent myself as an artist, I wouldn’t be where I am today. And that’s the Detroit way with the real community builders.
LL: We absolutely have to listen to our young people! We have to pay attention to their needs and invest in them. They are the future. And we have to continue to lift each other up.
HD: Yes! And we have to invest without fear of what it might cost ourselves. There is the ancient African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child and if they don’t feel the love they’ll burn the village down. We gotta continue to share the love and that love will spread. Let the young kids flex and be cool and weird!
I hope you all enjoyed this conversation as much as I did, much love to Hailey for her time and words. Don’t give up on your art, even if it’s just little by little. Share your art. Share your friends' art. Collaborate. Don’t be afraid of competition. Lift each other up!
Oh, before I dip, I’d like to share some of Hailey’s most recent creations and collabs, click on any of the links below to dive in!
A tender, funky, oozy, and pop-y Spotify playlist for our multifaceted selves.
Bring the club to your home for a little fun & release with Hailey’s all vinyl show played in May for DeepSpace Radio
Tune into her show for NY’s The Lot radio with Shigeto for the rhythmic union of music and storytelling.
Love + more love,
Lailani