In a city that dances to its own rhythm, the role of the DJ has always held a kind of mythic power—the ability to read a room, spin energy from silence, and tell stories through sound. But in Miami, where culture is both celebrated and lived out loud, the women behind the decks are doing more than curating parties, they’re shifting paradigms one set at a time.
Take Michelle Leshem. She didn’t stumble into DJing so much as manifest it. Announcing to a few friends in 2009 that she was ready to play, and a week later, stepping into her first gig. Since then, she’s built a signature blend of house, indie, punk, and new wave that’s played everywhere from Art Basel to London Fashion Week. But for Michelle, it’s always been about more than sound. “DJs aren’t jukeboxes,” she says. “Intentionality is everything.”
“Curate your taste. That’s your fingerprint… Point of view and skillset is everything. The rest is just noise.” — Michelle Leshem
This sense of purpose is echoed by Christina Hernandez, better known as Vakdevi, whose journey began not with access, but its absence. Struggling to find gear and gigs, she built her own table (literally) by founding Art Cortex, a DJ academy focused on accessibility. Her initiative “Girls Can Spin Too,” a collaboration with (F)empower, turned the male-dominated myth of DJ culture on its head, opening up space for new voices to thrive. “Starting my own company was one of the most empowering things I’ve ever done,” she reflects.
“From being someone that needed to partner up with people that had equipment to being a fully equipped DJ academy… that was a big moment for me.” — Christina Hernandez aka Vakdevi
Empowerment, in Miami’s DJ scene, often arrives at the intersection of culture and community. Caroline Cardenas, aka Carozilla, felt that firsthand. A spontaneous gig at Technique Records turned into a passion and then a platform: her “Ladies Night” residencies at Dante’s HiFi now spotlight female-identifying DJs from around the world. Her sets, rich with funk, disco, Latin grooves, and soul, pay homage to her Cuban-American roots and to the city’s hybrid identity. “This is a community-driven industry,” she says. “Relationships and reciprocity matter.”
“Music allows us to connect… and I aim to curate sets where we can all do so.” — Carozilla
And few have nurtured Miami’s music community quite like Lolo Reskin. With Sweat Records, it’s not just about the vinyl. She created a sanctuary for sound. A DJ, curator, and historian all in one, Lolo has spent nearly two decades connecting people to music they didn’t know they needed. Her advice to aspiring DJs is simple but profound: “Devour ALL the music. Know your roots. Understand who sampled who, who covered what. The history informs the sound.”
“My entire life has revolved around turning people on to great music.” — Lolo Reskin
That sense of depth runs through Miami’s new generation, too. Miluhska, a Club Space resident with a rising global profile, has brought her voice to dance floors from Ibiza to Coachella. Collaborating with Jamie Jones on the track “La Musa,” she embodies the modern selector: genre-fluid, fearless, and representative of a Miami that’s always looking outward without losing its roots.
Meanwhile, DJs like Hiltronix are championing what makes Miami’s soundscape unique—the bass-heavy, freestyle-drenched rhythms that shaped the city’s underground. She keeps it raw and rooted. “I could care less about an image,” she says. “I’m here to play good music.” The ethos is punk in spirit, but deeply local in sound.
“As a female DJ/artist there are always obstacles. We always have to prove our worth and talent. And you should, it makes me personally try even harder!” — Hiltronix
Others, like Katie Ox and Sol Discos (formerly House of Pris), bring international threads into the city’s sonic quilt. Katie, with her funk-and-soul-infused house sets, balances nightlife with a day job in therapy and education, proving that the selector can be healer as well as artist. Sol Discos, born in Brazil and raised between continents, blends Brazilian bass, Miami bass, and African disco in sets that move bodies while bridging cultural memory.
Together, these women are the connective tissue between sound and city, history and future. Their work is less about the spotlight and more about leading the way. They remind us that music isn’t just something we consume; it’s something we participate in, build together, and pass down. In a city that never stops moving, they’re keeping the rhythm honest, expansive, and alive.
To celebrate this rhythm in real time, we gathered some of these unstoppable women at Caracas Bakery during our Beats Per Mile getdown—a Wednesday afternoon coffee break turned into sonic communion. With cafecito in hand and vinyl spinning under the palms, DJs, producers, and music lovers came together to share stories, swap sounds, and connect beyond the booth.
Here’s our list of badass female selectors to look out for around town, whether at your favorite bar, club, or local festival. Got any other local female badasses we should know about? Hit us up!
Ale Love, Angelica Rose, Angie Lonarc, Ari San, Berrakka, Camila di Marzo, Carozilla, DJ D. Luxe, Eveava, FALYN, Hiltronix, Inbal, Katie Ox, Layla Benitez, Lagrimas de Oro, Lolo Reskin, Mai Iachetti, Miluhska, Michelle Leshem, Nikita Green, Sol Discos, Sister System, Tiffy Vera, Vakdevi
Photos by Val Chaparro.
