Interview+photography by Jorge Perezchica
Since its opening eight years ago, Bart Lounge, a dance and nightclub in Cathedral City, has been a dedicated supporter of the local art and music scene. Case in point, over a weekend, I attended HOUSE XL presented by The SevenSix — a stage which showcased ten DJs in a single night. The show afforded me an opportunity to listen to an eclectic range of electronic music. I was discovering most of the DJs for the first time, including Magali Cabrera, aka Bad Gal Gali.
Bad Gal Gali’s journey into the world of DJing began during the challenging times of the pandemic in 2020. When the world came to a halt, she and her mentor, Axel Alatriste, brainstormed and sought creative outlets for their shared love of music. Together, they immersed themselves in the art of DJing and music production. As restrictions eased, Bad Gal Gali secured her first gig at the popular local music venue, Bart Lounge — and proving an invaluable learning experience that fueled her passion even further.
While music has always played a significant role in her life, Bad Gal Gali initially explored her creativity through dance. From a young age, she trained in various dance styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and musical theater. However, as life unfolded, she made the decision to focus on school, temporarily setting music aside. It wasn’t until later that she rediscovered her love for performance, realizing that DJing could be the avenue to channel her musical energy. It was a decision she made without regrets and never looked back.
Behind the beats of Bad Gal Gali lies a thoughtful preparation process and attention to detail. From selecting the perfect tracks to refining the visuals, she is dedicated to delivering an experience that pleases not only the ears but also activates all senses. By harmonizing the sounds and visuals, Bad Gal Gali strives to create a unique performance that leaves a lasting impression on her listeners.
Her aspirations extend beyond the local scene, as she dreams of taking DJing around the world. Bad Gal Gali envisions connecting with like-minded individuals who share her passion for music. In the long-term, she aims to establish a strong personal brand that unites all the bad gals who resonate with her unique style and vision.
SOUND UP is part of a Coachella Magazine ongoing DJ series.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Coachella Magazine: You ready?
Bad Gal Gali: Yeah.
CM: Introduce yourself and tell us about your background in music.
BGG: Hi. So I’m Bad Gal Gali, a girl DJ that plays the house, Latin house, tech house, disco, all the groovy vibes. I have been playing live for about a year now. I just hit a year in February, so that’s exciting. And I want to just branch out and play more Spanish, play bigger areas, play different locations as well. That’d be cool.
It started as a quarantine thing. So when we were all shut down, me and Axel (Alatriste), the DJ that taught me everything. We’re just like brainstorming and seeing like, how can we do this? And so we started learning how to DJ, learning how to make music, and once everything opened up, we got our first show at Barts (Lounge) and that was super exciting.
CM: Were you born and raised here in the Coachella Valley?
BGG: Yes, born and raised in Palm Springs. I graduated from Palm Springs High School and I’ve been in the valley ever since. I like to travel a lot though.
CM: Did you grow up around anyone who was musical in your family?
BGG: Yes. Well, actually my mom, bless her. So I love my mom. She put me in dance. I was doing ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, musical theater, since I was five — with my oldest sister and my younger sister. And we did that up until my first year of college, until I was maybe about 19, and I stopped that. I had to work on school fully, and I stopped doing music for a while. And then I realized, “Okay, I don’t have to be performing dance, but I can be performing — DJing is a different way.” So that’s when I was like, “I love music.”
CM: Do you sing or rap?
BGG: No. I could like beat box a little bit, but not really. I’ll make a beat. I’ll dance, but I don’t sing.
CM: You have a good voice though.
BGG: Thank you. Not to like harmonize, but I could fake it till like, I make it probably <laugh>.
CM: What’s your go-to drink when at a coffee house?
BGG: Refresher. I love coffee, love a good dirty chai latte, but I would pick a refresher, an energy booster, watermelon, pineapple refresher like that or something before.
CM: Have you been here before (Cafe La Jefa)?
BGG: I’ve never been here before. Thank you for inviting me. It was really nice. It’s super cool.
CM: You grew up in the desert where the biggest music festival in the world takes place. Did you go to Coachella when you were growing up?
BGG: Not till I was out of high school for sure, but I mean, Coachella is so big, everyone knows about it. And it was just like, I was so eager to try to just see what these influencers and artists and everything, what they’re doing there. So it was super cool. It’s super cool to see the hype and the buzz around it all. But no, I didn’t start going till about a couple years back.
CM: Who was your biggest inspiration as a DJ?
BGG: I’m all about the female influence. So AlunaGeorge was super cool when I was in high school. And then like, I’ll take it back to like Kelly Uchis for some Latin. But now that I know what I’m learning and now that I keep growing — Diplo all the way, I should never have slept on him to begin with. But he’s exceptional and he produces a lot of music too, as well as the talent he brings. Djing is super cool. So he’s someone I look out for all the time now.
CM: How do you prepare for a set?
BGG: I feel like I prepare a lot. If I know I’m playing for about an hour, I usually need about 40 songs. So I’ll get maybe 50 songs ready, and then just freestyle that once I’m on stage. But I’ll have my list, I’ll just prepare my deck, I’ll prepare my visuals. I think it’s important that it’s pleasing to see, and also for all senses are activated, you know?
I feel like it’s pleasing that way. I wanna make sure it’s pleasing to see and also pleasing to hear as well. I don’t like to wing it. I like to make sure that whoever contracted me, I’m giving my full performance, giving my best shot.
CM: What’s going through your mind when you are DJing?
BGG: Oh my gosh. Nerves. Nerves all the time. Nerves. But then I’ll look at my deck and I’m just like, “No, you have good music that people want to dance to and that’s what it’s all about.” People just wanna dance. You want to curate that vibe, if that makes sense.
CM: What can you tell us about your mentor Axel Alatriste?
BGG: Axel he is a very bright, great upcoming DJ here. He will go far and yes, he taught me everything I know. We’re trying to grow and be something bigger. He’s taught about five of my closest DJ friends and he is our sensei. He’s our mentor for sure. Axel Alatriste taught me house. I want to be the Latin part of it that I get thrown, if you will. But yes, Axel is the whole inspiration towards it.
CM: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your journey as a DJ?
BGG: Just be yourself, be who you want to be. You don’t have to explain to anybody. The most important thing is just that self-expression.
CM: What was the biggest challenge starting out as a DJ?
BGG: The failures, I guess, you know, “This probably won’t work.” Long term thoughts that you get or the “What if not everyone likes certain music I’m playing.” I feel like our valley isn’t very accustomed to house — houses are very universal genre, but when it comes to our Coachella Valley, I feel like it’s more of a Spanish population. So house isn’t really accepted all the time. It’s a little challenging to get someone who doesn’t like house to stay for your whole set and still dance, you know? So that’s my goal.
CM: When you’re playing a show with a group of six or more DJs, does that make it more intimidating or do you feel more comfortable?
BGG: I wanna go with more comfortable. It is intimidating because they’re so talented. Everyone I work with all the time. I learn from everybody, but it also makes me more comfortable because they know my failures, they know my struggles and they also know how to support and we all know how to help each other. So definitely more comfortable because we’re all one family when it comes together on that stage. We all want one thing in common — and this to make everyone dance.
CM: How did your stage name come about?
BGG: Rihanna is “Badgalriri.” So, Gali was my nickname for all of my life. My mom is also Magali, I’m Magali, but at family parties she was Magali and I was Gali. So Gali has always been my name since I was born. But “Bad Gal” started after high school, actually when I turned 21. I love Rihanna, have loved her ever since in high school. On Instagram, she’s “badgalriri” so I was just like, “I could be ‘bad gal.’” <Laugh>
CM: How would you describe your style or sound?
BGG: I would say I’m just full of range. I do play what will get you to dance, but I also will surprise you in my DJ sets. So in one word, maybe just the range I have. But definitely “girly.” I could go hip hop, I could go a little Spanish. I’ve tried going a little techno, that’s a little hard, but I respect it and I appreciate the people that do.
CM: What was it like when you were first starting out?
BGG: So when I first started, they told me “You have your first show in a week.” So it was The SevenSix, Omar (Czar), really good promoter, really nice. And Michael Murphy, the owner of Barts (Bart Lounge), they gave me that handout and they’re like, “Look, this is your first show.”
And then after that, it just started falling in order. It was almost like it was supposed to happen right then, because if I would’ve delayed it any longer, I would’ve just been procrastinating on something I’ve been loving ever since.
CM: Is this something you do part-time or full-time?
BGG: It is part-time right now, unfortunately. I love it though. It’s something I wanna do every day, every day, no matter where it is. It could be a pool party, it could be a bar, it could be a club, it could be on a hill, on a mountain. Like I wanna do this all the time. I love it. I’ve always loved music.
CM: Where do you see yourself 5 to 10 years from now?
BGG: Playing at huge festivals, playing all over the world, getting my name out there, just meeting so many more like-minded individuals that have so much to teach me. In five years I plan to have a brand, a brand of all the bad gals that want to join me. <Laugh>
CM: Who are you most excited to see in this year’s Coachella line up?
BGG: Frank Ocean <laugh>, only because he’s been gone for so long. I’ve loved Frank and I’m taking my youngest sister there. It’s gonna be a memory. I can’t wait to fully captivate with her, but Frank Ocean. I know it’s not house, but I have a soft spot for him. <Laugh>,
CM: How would you describe yourself in three words?
BGG: Courageous, creative, and captivating
CM: What do you love most about DJing and the music industry?
BGG: I love the ability to create, the ability to accept everybody’s creative point of view. That self-expression. I love that no matter what genre of music you listen to, you will have that self-expression and it’s really nice to have that one thing to lean on when, if anything else were to fail. Music is something anyone can enjoy and feel a certain way to, you know, that love, that love that it gives.
CM: When you’re DJing, how do you go about reading the audience?
BGG: I feel like to be a good DJ, you have to be able to have that crowd control and to read that audience, you know?…Essentially you wanna get something that everyone’s like vibing to, everyone’s dancing to. And that goes with the preparation. You’re not DJing for just yourself, you’re DJing for a crowd. So you wanna be able to understand that. If you see people leaving the floor, maybe switch it back to something that can get everyone back on, you know? That crowd control is really important.
CM: Do you DJ with vinyls or a just mixing board?
BGG: A mixing board. I have a RX3 Pioneer. It’s really nice. I love her. I just got her myself. That’s when I knew like, “Okay, I want a DJ for real.” When I bought my own deck, I was like, “I’m going to DJ for real.” I want to practice every day with it because I wanna be full-time.
CM: How do you balance the creativity with the business side of DJing?
BGG: It is a balance, but it also reminds me to just not sacrifice. So if I’m dealing with a businessman that is trying to diminish my dreams, which thank goodness has never happened or diminish my vision, I have to be stern. I have to be stern with what Bad Gal Gali is. I have to be stern with what her image is. So I don’t think I would negotiate that. I think I would just, I need to be me and upfront and personal. This is me and this is who you’re hiring. So it’s more of a, where my view goes, if that makes sense.
CM: Is there anything in the Coachella Valley that you would like to see more of?
BGG: Yes, live house, live DJs in the valley. Live music. Just spread love, spread the creativity, live fashion shows. I have a good eye for fashion, creating art, paintings, all that.
CM: What kind of music do you get the most request for?
BGG: Bad Bunny, Latin, Spanish music all the time. We get a lot of Spanish, a lot of cumbias, Shakira, sometimes some random like Bruno Mars, if you will, but more Latin. That’s what I’m telling you. This Valley is very Latin based and I respect it. I understand it, but let me give you a little bit of house with it so you can dance and vibe with. Vibe on my scale too.
CM: Do you see DJing as mainly a male dominated industry, and does that ever make you feel intimidated?
BGG: A hundred percent, yes. I really do feel that way. It used to intimidate me, but now I take it as there is more men than females in this industry, so I’m gonna be that one female that blows your mind. I’m gonna be that one female that you’re like, “Okay, she is better than most males,” if that makes sense. I want to be that.
There are female DJs, especially out here and love to all of ’em. They’re really creative, really nice. But when you are dealing with multi, I think for the last HouseXL, I was the only female on that lineup. There was 10 DJs and I was the one girl. That day, I didn’t feel intimidated at all. I was like, this is what I need to prove to myself. I’m that one girl. So that one girl is gonna stand out before those other 10. And they all did great. They’re all super good DJs, super talented. But I just wanted to be able to be like, “Look, now you won’t forget that girl DJ that played, which is me.”
CM: What was your experience like growing up in the Coachella Valley?
BGG: Very quiet. It’s a very small valley, very small world. I feel like, I still have yet to experience a lot. So I travel a lot that way. I can see how the other half lives, but just very quiet. I was just honestly just work, school and dance. I was just living at my dance studio until my twenties.
CM: How old were you when the pandemic hit — 21?
BGG: Actually 22.
CM: So did that disrupt your career plans in any way?
BGG: No. If anything, it helped me push my career more. If anything, it helped me really get into DJing. It helped me really get into my creative side. I was at a company, nine-to-five based job, if you will. And this pandemic definitely helped me get more creative. So it didn’t really disrupt that because I was already like done with the club scene, done with going out like that. It was more of “What am I gonna do for my career? How am I gonna keep growing? What do I need?”
CM: At what point did you feel ready to be DJing in front of an audience?
BGG: My third show, <laugh>, my first and second show, I did not feel ready. Very nervous, still had much to learn. And then after my third show at Bart, I realized, “No, this is something I’m going to do. So I’m going to get good at it and I’m going to pursue it.” And it’s something that I have no regrets in doing.
CM: Is Instagram the best place to find out more information about you and your music?
BBG: Gonna be absolutely a hundred percent badgalgali. My Instagram will definitely tell you all my updates, all my shows, where I’m going next, what I do on my daily basis.
CM: How are you at marketing and promoting yourself?
BGG: Everything you see on my Instagram is me. Me and my friends share my vision. So they’ll help me take pictures, they’ll help me with captions, they’ll help me with editing.
CM: Have you made friends with other DJs in the local community?
BGG: Definitely, yes. I feel like every DJ I’ve came across within this valley, we both support each other. There has been no rivalry, if you will. Like everybody is just, we all have one dream and it’s just to get people to share love and to dance. So I appreciate that about all the DJs here.
CM: Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it.
BGG: Awe, thank you. Thank you for having me.
