Celebrating Splash House, A Decade of EDM Music

interview  Jorge Perezchica
photography  Mayo Pollo

Meet Annie Flores, a local DJ known by her stage name Femme A, who made her mark in Coachella Valley’s music scene a decade ago. With a background in open format tunes and a passion for electronic dance music, she recently captivated the audience at Splash House‘s 10th anniversary. Annie’s unique DJ name reflects her identity as part of the LGBTQ+ community, a moniker that resonates with her personal essence as well as her artistic expression. Her musical lineage is influenced by her musically inclined grandpa, her father’s percussion skills, and her mentor V Fresh, who guided her early steps into the world of DJing in 2012.

Femme A’s journey is intertwined with Splash House, having witnessed its growth over the years. At the festival’s 10th anniversary, she skillfully embraced her tech house sound and opened for Maya Jane Coles. With a playlist tailored to the event’s atmosphere, Annie’s surreal experience at the Air Museum venue was a blend of nerves and exhilaration, connecting her beats with the crowd.

Looking ahead, Femme A aims to take her music global, while fostering a community among DJs and music enthusiasts in Coachella Valley. Her journey reflects the evolving DJ culture, emphasizing authenticity and connection. As Femme A continues to make her presence felt beyond the local scene, her beats are bound to resonate on dance floors worldwide.

As of this writing, Femme A is crafting original tracks for her highly anticipated EP, slated for release by the close of 2023. Read on for the Coachella Magazine interview.

Coachella Magazine: Introduce yourself and tell us about your background as a DJ.
Femme A: My name is Annie, and my DJ name is Femme A. I started DJing here in the Valley 10 years ago. I started doing open format music and then I realized I had this deep love for electronic dance music and that’s kind of led me to where I am today. 

CM: Were you born and raised in Coachella Valley?
FA: I was not born and raised here, but I’ve been here since 2005.

CM: How did you choose your your artist name?
FA: I’m part of the LGBT  community.  I chose something that would not only represent that but also represent me as being a woman and the feminine energy that I bring to my Dj sets. Also, Women in the LGBT community would totally get what I’m saying. I kind of had to pick something quickly for a flyer, those were the first few things that came to mind. Femme and then “A” as representing my first name. The name has stuck ever since.

CM: Did you have any musical mentors growing up?
FA: I guess I would say my grandpa was very musically inclined and my dad played percussions. He would play the drums, but never as a professional. And then I had a mentor when I started learning how to DJ. That’s a guy that goes by the name of V Fresh. And so that was back in like 2012 or so. 

CM: You’ve been to Splash House in the past, right?
FA: I’ve been to Splash House. I’ve never been to the afters. I think probably like nine years ago was my first one.

CM: How did you prepare for Splash House?
FA: They just confirmed like a week before the event, so I just started getting my music and getting this idea of how the after party would be, and knowing that I was gonna be opening. I kind of originally started off with new disco and then I changed it to a tech house thing, but I guess I kind of just imagined it in my mind and then built my playlist and separated it in three different sections.

I’m a huge fan of Maya Jane Coles. So when they gave me the option of picking Friday or Saturday, I looked up the lineup and I was like, “Oh my God.” It’s amazing that I could pick to open up for her. But right now my sound is like, more tech house and techno. So I really wanted to include one of my remixes that I just finished. But it’s more of like a after 2:00 AM sound, but not really necessarily any artist. I guess I wanted to include the sound that I’m going for right now which is a tech house sound. 

CM: Tell us more about your experience at Splash House.
FA: It just felt like a surreal moment. Of course I was nervous and I think let my nerves get the best of me, but I tried to just have fun with it and I tried my best vibe with the people who were there. I saw a few of my friends. It was amazing to see the support that I had there. A little crowd from the Coachella Valley that had seen me DJ other places around town. 

CM: How did you approach creating the set list for Splash House?
FA: Lately I’ve been doing like underground stuff, like warehouse parties in LA but pretty much, I just envision the type of event. And then I’ll go for what I think is appropriate. So something like an underground warehouse is gonna have a different sound to maybe like a Splash House afters, ’cause it’s kind of a cross in between, like mainstream and underground.

CM: Do you have any ritual before you hit the stage?
FA: Usually I’m like prepping the whole day. But I try to do yoga if I have something like a big event. I try to do a little bit of yoga earlier in the day, and breathing exercises. And then pretty much just like positive affirmations, positive thinking like “It’s gonna be good.” I try not to get so psyched out even though that happens sometimes, but I think it’s normal. 

CM: How is the Air Museum different than other venues that you DJ’ed in the past?
FA: It was cool to see the stage. It was very hot, very warm. But then again, most of the time in a warehouse, I’m very sweaty. So it was amazing to be in the desert. It was amazing to be in Palm Springs because I got to see so many people that I know out here.  

CM: What’s next for you after Splash House?
FA: I have something cool coming up. It’s called Space Taco. It’s in a few weeks in the beginning of September. So they’re like a well-known collective in the Inland Empire. So that should be fun.

CM: What’s the music scene in LA compared to the Coachella Valley?
FA: I feel like the music scene in LA there’s so many DJ collectives and there’s so many places, so many underground parties. In Palm Springs not so much. So I would like to build on the community here. And that’s one of my goals too, is to bring everybody here and build a community. 

CM: How has the DJ culture evolved over the past decade, and how have you adapted to the changes?
FA: So there’s so many. There’s like millions of thousands of DJs. And so many new DJs ever since the pandemic and so many new producers since since 2020 because we were all locked in, right. So I’ve seen it even before that just kind of evolved. And electronic music has become more popular and techno music has become more popular and having collectives in each city has become a thing too. So I think that’s pretty cool because that kind of gives DJs a chance to kind of build a community with a team of people.

CM: Could you share some insights on the camaraderie and networking you’ve built over the years? How have these relationships contributed to you success as a DJ?
FA: Definitely. I feel like when I first started, I really didn’t have a sense of community. It was kind of more like, “Oh, this new DJ.” I didn’t really feel accepted in DJing. But now since there’s so many DJs that are in the Coachella Valley, especially after me, I feel like people in a sense look up to me if they’re just starting out here. So I felt like I kind of have built a little bit of community and DJs as friends.

CM: What does it mean for you to be on the lineup celebrating Splash House’s 10th anniversary?
FA: When I got the email, I was so excited. I was like, “Oh my gosh.” And then, the fact that I got to open up for Maya Jane Coles was like a cherry on top because I’m a huge fan. I’ve been a huge fan.

CM: What advice would you have to artists looking for a career as a DJ?
FA: I would say, try and build a community. Try and be friends with other DJs and see other DJs as not competition. See other DJs as like, these are your friends. You never know who is gonna be where in like five, 10 years. So be cool and be friends with other DJs and just hustle. Do it because you love it. And just start building your social media. Of course, practice your skills too, like use your ears to practice DJing. Maybe get a mentor and community for sure.

CM: What do you love most about being a DJ and the music industry?
FA: I love connecting to people. I love that music can bring people together and I love that. That’s what I love the most, that connection between people to get that message. I love receiving messages, you know, like my DMs on Instagram or whatever, people message me and say like, “Oh my God, this was amazing.” So if you can connect to somebody, doesn’t mean you’re gonna connect to everybody. But if you get that connection between music, it’s like a soul to soul kind of music to music connection, if that makes sense.

CM: And where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years?
FA: In Europe. <Laugh>, No, I definitely see myself DJing out of the country for sure. 

SOCIAL: @ femmea_official
LINKS: Femme A DJ