Mary Droppinz has been catching the eye of labels all over. That’s no surprise to those that know her. She lives by a simple truth: music is an out-of-body experience. The artist’s fascination with rhythm began when growing up in her native Omaha, Nebraska as a result of her father’s seasoned skills as a drummer. She quickly started on the piano and carried that musical influence all the way to her current home of Los Angeles.
The artist recently teamed up with vocalist, Rowa, for a blistering breaks track “HOT PANTS”. The track is fused with acid and electro sprinkles for the ultimate escape into sound forthcoming on Insomniac Discovery. With upcoming bookings at Dirtybird CampINN, Lucidity Festival, a headline show at the Monarch in San Francisco, a continued residency at Discopussy in Las Vegas and more, Mary Droppinz is on direct course for the moon! The artist now shares more about her upcoming single and stellar ascendancy within the electronic and digital music universe.
Hey Mary! Welcome to 6AM, how’s this year and Los Angeles treating you so far?
Stoked to be here! This year has been going good so far, letting the creative juices flow while balancing with some self care.
What first got you hooked on electronic music, and when did you know you wanted to pursue it as a career?
When I saw Steve Aoki play in Cancun and went to Coachella in 2013, I thought the energy was so epic, I’d really been missing something like this in my life is what I thought! I decided to pursue it as a career in 2015 while watching a woman DJ for the first time and realizing it is possible. Being from Nebraska I hadn’t been exposed to dance music culture so moving out to California really expanded my mind. I listened to emo music and my dad’s favorite oldies at home.
How would you describe your mixing style?
Unconventional, ambitious, and energy boosting.
As technology becomes more advanced, I think it’s important to remember that in person connection is what keeps our species alive.
That’s what it’s all about, music is about bringing people together
Tell us more about your Twitch channel. What do you think is the biggest difference when you perform in person vs. when you perform online?
Playing on Twitch was the best thing I could have done when the pandemic hit, it gave me an outlet and also connected me to a supportive community that loves my music. It’s a really cool experience performing online, I highly suggest at least trying it, you never know who you can impact with your music and vibe. The difference is when I’m on twitch I’m engaging, sharing more about the songs I play and my life on the mic. When I’m performing in person, it’s all about sharing myself through music and dance only. Nothing beats the real thing. As technology becomes more advanced, I think it’s important to remember that in person connection is what keeps our species alive.
What’s your most memorable show to date?
That’s so tough, every show has a special memory. Most recently I’d say Desert Hearts New Years Day Rave in San Diego!
What’s the inspiration behind your forthcoming single, “HOT PANTS”?
I wanted to give tribute to the OG breakbeat pattern that I used called “Hot Pants”. I want to put breaks back on the map, especially from a woman’s perspective here in America. I was also inspired by the operative vocals in Papua New Guinea by the Future Sound of London and I felt that my girl Rowa could nail it perfectly in her own unique way like she did. If you know me you know I love my 303 so of course there was going to be acid in there. Ultimately, I wanted to approach this track with a techno edge highlighting breaks as my percussion. All of it combined really created this heavy hypnotic spiritual experience, which is what music is for me.
I refuse to be boxed in as an artist.
Don’t expect the same thing from Mary Droppinz, she serves heat wherever she goes and whatever she plays.
What’re you looking forward to most in the future?
I’m looking forward to DJing more festivals and embedding myself into the culture on a deeper level. Also to collaborate with artists around the world and see what beautiful music we can make together.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I’d just like to say stay locked. I’ve got more music coming out in the next few months that are genre bending but all still have my energy. I refuse to be boxed in as an artist so you can always expect something fun, fresh and different at my shows that are based off my feelings or curation for that particular party.
