DykeChow, aka Valerie, is a Detroit-based musician and “electro-techno lesbo.” She brings a punk rock attitude to the dancefloor inspired by the early 80s NYC nightlife scene and the British Second Summer of Love. After growing up in New Orleans surrounded by the city’s laissez-faire baccanalia, she began DJing in college with the Michigan Electronic Music Collective (MEMCO) at the University of Michigan and moved to Detroit to immerse herself in Detroit's rich dance music landscape. Her exciting style seamlessly journeys between the worlds of acid, house, techno/IDM, synth-pop and italo-disco, and more.
DykeChow's musical storytelling pays tribute to her Khmer heritage and draws upon the nearly-destroyed legacy of the Golden Age of Cambodian rock and pop music of the 1960s and 70s. As a lesbian and transgender artist, her art pushes the importance of queer self-expression through dance and nightlife culture. DykeChow stands defiantly against the capitalist systems that exploit and oppress people and the Earth.
As a selector, she has worked with Detroit’s various queer and underground party crews including, Apocalypse Rave Culture, Dolls Night, SIREN & Pillow Princess, and Oscura. She has featured on lineups with Auntie Chanel, BMG, Cherriel, Dretraxx, Estoc, Joyxci, Kenjiro, Lady Witch, Madeofants, Nick Burgess, Tammy Lakkis, Kiernan Laveaux, Mx. Blaire, Rinbossanova, Sard, Scotia, Saylem Celeste, S4M23, and many many more!
Previous events and venues include:
Detroit:
Club Toilet @ Menjo's Complex
Leland City Club (she was the last DJ to play the big room before the building was shut down)
Marble Bar
Blue Moon Radio @ Moondog Cafe
Paris Bar
Spot Lite
Body Worx @ Temple Bar
UFO Bar (fka UFO Factory)
Elsewhere:
Queer Nightlife Community Center, Brooklyn NYC
Body Mechanics, Austin TX
The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor MI
Nocturne @ The Avenue, Lansing MI
State Street Club @ State Street Pub, Indianapolis IN