Photo by Emilee Asa
Before they drop a single beat, Syracuse University juniors Madeline Wolcott and Tannah Hines baptize themselves in spray-on glitter. It's a ritual, and it's where the brand-new DJ duo gets its name.
Together, they are “bodyglitter,” the house DJs of Nights at Cage, a rebranded DIY venue in the fenced-in lot behind their apartment complex. They host themed parties on weekends, each featuring different SU student DJs, but one thing remains constant: Wolcott and Hines open every single show.
Wolcott and Hines met freshman year through their shared major, fashion design. Neither Wolcott nor Hines had DJ’d before this summer. After their friends joked that they should start, Wolcott got a DJ board in July and taught Hines everything she’d learned when they returned to campus.
“I was scared at first, but then I was at the frats and thought, ‘This guy failed out of fashion design. He can't sew a pair of jeans, and he can DJ,’” Wolcott said. “If a frat boy can do it, you can do it.”
Hines described the newfound duo’s signature sound succinctly: cunt.
"It's smooth, feminine, fierce. It makes you want to dance. It makes you feel powerful and hot and sexy,” Wolcott said.
Some students may remember similar parties at the complex under the name Cage Collective. Wolcott, a current tenant, relaunched the venue this semester with her roommates, facing the pressure of rebuilding its following with a new name, a new Instagram account and their first performances as a duo.
“A lot of cunt people come to Cage. It separates out the type of people, not in a bad way, but it's a specific crowd that's drawn, and they actually appreciate what you're bringing," Hines said.
Wolcott said one goal for Nights at Cage, which she now helps run in a scene previously run by men, is representation of women DJs.
“That's another thing about this new era of Cage—I'm trying to bring in as many girl DJs as I can," Wolcott said. "I just feel like we deserve girls in the booth. They do so great, I love them, and I think the crowd really responds to them. And where else are you going to see them?”
When Hines and Wolcott discuss what it is like being beginner DJs, both agreed, anyone can do it—more or less.
“Maybe this is a hot take, but everybody should. Well, maybe not everybody. Girls should DJ,” Hines said.