ATMOS SOUNDS: Ebb King

We had the pleasure of chatting with Ebb King, a DJ from DC who has made a name for herself with her exceptional taste in music and ability to provide the perfect vibes for any occasion.

With a deep passion for music, Ebb's love for the art form started at a young age, thanks to her music historian father. We delved into Ebb's musical journey, the impact of DC on her sound, her earliest sneaker memory, creating the perfect playlist, and much more. 

WHAT INSPIRED YOUR LOVE FOR MUSIC?
My love for music is in my DNA. My dad is a BIG music head, almost like a music historian or something. I can’t turn on an old song without him giving me the full historical breakdown of the artist, the song, the production, etc. He always tells me how I was 4 years old in the backseat rapping every single word to Lil Kim’s verse in “Get Money” LOL. I knew a lot about music at a very young age, and I think that’s apparent in my DJ sets because I love playing the throwbacks that I grew up listening to.

HOW HAS DC IMPACTED YOUR TAKE ON MUSIC?
Being a DJ in DC has definitely expanded my musical palate. I’ve had the privilege of spinning at a lot of cool parties where I’m encouraged to try new things and take risks with my song selections. There have been times where I’m apprehensive about playing a song at a party because it may be too obscure or because no one’s ever heard it before, but I’ll take the risk and people will love it. That just goes to show how this area has a really good ear for music.


WHAT IS THE SOUND OF THE CITY?
The city is in a really good era right now where you can pretty much find a party to fit any vibe or sound. Whether you want to hear rap, disco, house, afrobeats, funk, UK garage, gogo..there’s something for everybody here.

EARLIEST SNEAKER MEMORY?
I had a friend in college who was well-known for his sneaker collection. My sneaker knowledge in college didn’t go too far past SB Dunks and classic reeboks lol. I remember asking him to take me to the mall so that I could get my first pair of cool sneakers. We went to PG Plaza one day and paced through every sneaker store in there. We ended up deciding on the Bordeaux 7’s as my starter pair. CLASSICS. I still have those shoes. They are so beat up now, but I’m never getting rid of them.

WHAT GOES INTO CREATING A GOOD PLAYLIST?
The main ingredient for a good playlist (and for everything else in life) is intention. You gotta think.. “What am I making this playlist for? For the ride home late at night? For the shower? To get me in my feels?” Once the intention of the playlist is determined, everything else is easy because you know what you’d want to hear in those specific situations.

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THE RECORDS YOU’LL PLAY DURING A SET? YOU CARRY A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY IN PROVIDING THE VIBES.
I’m not gonna lie, I still get extremely nervous before most gigs and I’m not sure if that feeling will ever go away. But I think that’s a good thing! It means that what I’m doing is important to me. I always want people to be having the time of their life when I’m spinning. With some events/parties, I have an idea of what the crowd will want to hear - but you really NEVER know. I’ve learned to trust my taste in music enough to know that the people will most likely enjoy what I’m playing, but ultimately I like to just read the room and get a feel of the crowd, and choose my songs from there.

IF YOU COULD LISTEN TO A RECORD AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME,WHAT
WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
Wow, this question is so good. I had to dig deep. I’m going to have to say “The Party and the After Party” by The Weeknd. Did anyone else’s soul leave earth when they first heard that song? All 7.5 minutes of it.

WHAT’S YOUR CURRENT ROTATION LOOKING LIKE?
I’ve been in my oldies but goodies bag lately. Music from the 70’s-80’s was soooo good. Evenlyn “Champagne” King, Luther, The Whispers, Michael Jackson - nothing has topped that time period. And the songs were so long back then. Verses, hooks, bridges for days. They don’t make songs like that anymore.

WHO ARE SOME ARTISTS, OLD OR NEW, THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
I could be here all day with this question, but some artists that I’m really into right now that everyone should know about are Yaya Bey, Don Toliver, Mereba, and Cleo Sol, and Durand Bernarr.

 

Check out the playlist below that Ebb King cooked up.