(Heart) beat junkies

C-TOWN and Valida

Meet C-TOWN and Valida. To most guys the 5’ 9” former face of Wet ‘n’ Wild could be intimidating—especially since she also kills it on the decks. But C-TOWN (neé Cheyne Nadeau) welcomed the challenge a little over a year ago at the Standard Rooftop Bar downtown when they went head-to-head at the turntables. Who won? Both of them, obviously.

Metromix: Who has the bigger record collection?
C-TOWN: I stopped buying records in 2006, so I think Valida has the bigger collection. In mine, you’ll find Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You" 12-inch and Etienne De Crecy's "This is Ginger Ale EP" with the rare remix of “Happy House” on it.

Valida: I have the original 7-inch pressing of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You."

Where did you meet?
C-TOWN: We went to a Nike boxing event Downtown, not much of a date at the time because Valida was rushing off after to go to another DJ gig.

How would you describe each other’s DJ style?
C-TOWN: Valida’s style is very feminine and very precise. She spends a lot of time with her music and knows the songs by heart. She really knows how to connect with her audience and can take more suggestions than I can I guess.

Valida: Cheyne's style is random and unpredictable; he pretty much plays what he wants to play to the crowd.

Do you ever play clubs together?
C-TOWN: We just played NYE together at the Viceroy in Santa Monica. We had a weekly called Shake & Pop in L.A. too, and we have played PYT and Dance Right together.

If he were a song, what would it be?
Valida: Digitalism’s “Digitalism in Cairo,” because he is all of it: sensitive, mysterious and fierce.

What about if she were a song?
C-TOWN: Madonna’s “Holiday.” She loves Madonna, and when I hear this, I picture her bouncing on the dance floor and smiling from ear to ear.