by: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
Dominica Sanuye Murillo grew up in Baldwin Park and West Covina, attended high school at Bishop Amat, and graduated from UC Irvine in 2010 with a major in Film & Media Studies, and minor in Digital Arts. Her dad raised her on the Rolling Stones, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Muddy Waters, The Beatles, The Kinks, U2, The Cream, and Eric Clapton. When she was a teenager, her favorite bands included The Aquabats, Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish, Suburban Legends, Catch 22, and Streetlight Manifesto. At UCI, she got into electronic music, and after hearing Deep Dish and Above and Beyond live, became a full-fledged electronic music lover. She also enjoys nature and the outdoors, hiking, music festivals (if she could make this her job, she would), traveling the world, and dogs (she loves them all, especially pit bulls). Her two favorite places include Italy (for the culture) and Ibiza (for the music).
How did you find your way to KUCI? ?
When I was a freshman living in the dorms of UC Irvine, I was flipping through the stations on my stereo and came across the show "Riders of the Plastic Groove" on KUCI. I was instantly blown away with the music Dennis Simms, the host of "Riders," was playing. Right when I thought to myself, What station is this? I've never heard a station play music like this? a legal ID came on that said I was listening to KUCI 88.9 FM in Irvine. I Googled it after I heard that and found out what KUCI was all about and the music they played.
Tell us about your show. ?
Delirium Drop is my two-hour show on every Tuesday night from 8-10pm. The show is centered on many sub genres of electronic music, new DJs, and upcoming EDM (electronic dance music) events in the surrounding area. I always play new releases every week and I am constantly looking for new music and undiscovered DJs to play for my listeners.
Right now, I find that I am playing more electro house and dubstep but every now and then I through in some progressive house, deep house, indie dance, and nu disco. In the past few months I have played artists such as Nero, Bassnectar, Magnetic Man, Lazy Rich, Mord Fustang, Mustard Pimp, Zedd, Felguk, Trowa, Mimosa, Marty Party, Skream, Benga, Dada Life, Feed Me, Filth & Splendour, Chizz Luvly, David Morales, Digital Freq, Eddie Halliwell, Maya Jane Coles, SebastiAn, Pantyraid, Robbie Rivera, Felix Cartel, Designer Drugs, Digitalism, and Azari & Ill. If you are interested in finding out more about my playlists or artists that I play you can check out my blog.
How long have you had a show at KUCI and how has your show changed over the years? ?
I went through the training class in Spring of 2009 and started my show later that year in fall. Back then it was called "Legends of the Dance Floor" and I was on from midnight to 2am. The idea behind the name then was that I was planning on playing music and artists that I thought were going to be music legends someday. At that time, I played more trance, progressive house, with a small portion of electro house. Later on though, I stopped playing trance and started playing more deep house, tech house, tribal house, and funk. As my taste in electronic music had changed, I noticed the sound of my show changed. Eventually, the sounds of electro house, house, indie dance, nu disco, and progressive house dominated my show. By that time, my show had a different feel, a different sound, a different personality if you will, and so I decided to change the name. I wrote down 30 words that I thought encapsulated who I was and what the show was about and I came up with Delirium Drop. I used "Delirium" because I always found myself in a different spiritual state when I listened to electronic music. I felt like I was in a lucid dream where anything can happen, but I awake, so the best way to describe it was a delirium. As for "Drop, that was pretty self explanatory — the build up in a song followed by the epic drop usually with a heavy bass sound. Now when someone listens to my show, I hope that I can provide him or her with a small drop or dose of that state that I always find myself in when I listen to electronic music.
What do you listen to in the car? At home? ?
In the car I normally to the music I have on my IPhone or on my any of my mix CDs; I have tons since I subscribe to DJ Mag. If I�m not listening to either of those then I�m listening to KUCI, KDAY 93.5 when I am in a hip hop mood, 93.5 KROQ when I�m in a rock mood, Jack FM 93.1 for my random mood, KLOS 95.5 for my late night rock and blues mood, and Latino 96.3 when I am craving some Spanish music.
At home, I listen to what I have on my iTunes. I have a little over 21 days of music on there so I basically have everything I like. If I don�t, then I turn to YouTube for help. It depends on what I am in the mood for. Usually, it is electronic music but it can range from blues, old school rock and roll, jazz, hip hop, indie, ska, punk, or world. Overall, I just love listening to all types of music.
Any favorite artists? ?
In the electronic genre: Maya Jane Coles, Nero, Skream, Bassnectar, Darth & Vader, Lazy Rich, Markus Schulz, Ferry Corsten, Dada Life, Swedish House Mafia, Steve Angello, Sharam, Mustard Pimp, Feed Me, Spencer & Hill, Daft Punk, Zeds Dead, Eskmo, and Pretty Lights. I can go but those are the main DJs I couldn�t live without and have put on amazing life shows.
Other all time favorites: Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Etta James, The Offspring, Muse, Battles, Pink Floyd, Muddy Waters, George Thorogood, Aloe Blacc, Eric Clapton, and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Do you do band interviews? ?
I have done interviews in the past but only for Legends of the Dance Floor not for Delirium Drop. This doesn�t mean I�m not open to them but I am waiting to find the right person to interview and do a live set. Ideally, it would be someone undiscovered.
Do you like call-ins? ?
I always love call-ins! I love feedback. I do my best to take requests�my only requirement is that it fits into the show. The only thing I don�t like about call ins is when people want to talk to you for the whole show. I never want to be rude and say I have to go but at the same time callers should realize that we are doing a show too. Besides that, I am always open to calls so if you are reading this and would like to call in on my show, please go right ahead!
What do you especially like about KUCI, and how has the station changed since you arrived? ?
My favorite thing about KUCI is the environment. The KUCI staff is liberal for the most part and very open-minded. This really took me by surprise because I felt that I found a hidden liberal gem in a very conservative city. Overall, KUCI is an extremely loving community and a place where underground music and talk thrives. It will always hold a very special place in my heart.
KUCI is always changing, either with the staff or with music. Since we have training classes every quarter/season, we always have new people coming in to KUCI. These new DJs bring their own taste in music and add it to the KUCI collection. With that being said, with every new DJ, there is a different type of change. KUCI is always open to change, new music, and ideas. For instance, when I started there were tons of indie music shows but now it has seemed to change over electronic music and I guarantee you it will change over to a different genre in the next year. The only change that is bittersweet is when a DJ decides their work at KUCI is done. It is always sad to say goodbye to a fellow DJ but at the same time I know KUCI has helped them move on to the next step in their life, whatever that may be.
What's the most interesting thing a listener has said to you about the show? ?
I have had tons of interesting comments ranging from email, call-ins, Twitter, to Radio Flag. My favorite call in was from a guy who called towards the end of my set. He had said that he worked a 13-hour shift that night and was dead tired and my show had come on during the last two hours of his shift. He said that not only did my set wake him up and make him want to dance, but that I made his last two hours go by so fast and it was the best two hours of his shift. That really made me happy because I altered his mood through my show.
Some of my other favorite comments come from the listeners on Radio Flag. @runaway said �Dominica always makes me feel like I�m in Vegas or Miami.� @sosa said �Tuned into my favorite show on KUCI Delirium Drop w/ Dominica playing that electronic dubstep house music.� @MoneyHoney said � �also really liking Dominica�s drops. Her playlist is money!� I read all of the comments on radio flag and it truly makes me happy that people enjoy my show and the music I play.
Any clubs in SoCal you like to go listen to bands? ?
The main clubs I go to right now for edm include the Avalon, Circus Disco, the King King, the Music Box, Vanguard, Hollywood Palladium, and Sutra. Another upcoming club is the Belasco Theater since they are adding their edm night soon. I am excited to check that out. Other than those main places, if I want to go listen to DJs I like, I go to music festivals all over the West Coast.
Do you have live bands? ?
I have had live DJs perform on Legends of the Dance Floor but not on Delirium Drop yet. It�s like I mentioned earlier, I am waiting for the right undiscovered DJ to play on my show.
Anything we should be listening for during the Fall?
Artists that you should keep an eye on include Skream, Maya Jane Coles, Lazy Rich (check out his podcasts), Sebastian Ingrosso, and Alesso.
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett's son was four when she started "Writers on Writing." He's now 16. She's Orange Coast Magazine's new literary critic, author of Pen on Fire, and has a story in the newish collection, Orange County Noir (Akashic). More at Pen on Fire .
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