The best part about Pickathon is discovering something new and special, and every year we’re coming up with awesome new experiences tucked into the woods at Pendarvis Farm! For a little while now we had been featuring some of the best DJs in the Northwest and beyond. These DJs are real-deal vinyl connoisseurs and every DJ spinning at Pickathon is spinning new and vintage vinyl records. And vinyl from all genres of music! We’re talking older reggae and dancehall, Cumbia and Latin dance music, and lots of the sounds we love at Pickathon like country and soul. The intimacy and warmth of vinyl is the perfect fit for Pickathon’s aesthetic!

Last year, we expanded the DJ program even more, focusing on creating DJ dance parties at select Pickathon spots (and designing awesome backdrops for these DJ excursions)! In 2023, we’re expanding again, bringing in an even more diverse crew of DJs curated by Portland’s own Rachel Good, aka DJ Stonebunny. “Portland has a really cool vinyl DJ scene,” she says, “and this feels like a celebration of Portland’s music community in general.” DJs at Pickathon this year can be professional DJs who spin at spots all around the city, or some come from public radio as well. Crucially, as Rachel points out, “a lot of our DJs are also musicians as well, both past Pickathon performers and hopefully future Pickathon performers from local area bands.” And they’re also Pickathon fans! “Almost every single one of this year’s DJs has reached out to say how excited they are about the live performances this year,” Rachel says, “and the coolest thing is that everyone has been excited about different acts.” If Pickathon is all about discovery, then Pickathon DJs have always been the ones at the forefront of finding the newest, hottest bands! 

Get to Know a Few of Your 2023 Pickathon DJs:

–Wayward Girls Soul Club – a collective of female DJs and collectors of rare soul and R&B based in Portland OR.

–Bri Dennon – Portland DJ, avid vinyl collector, and host of Day Dreaming on Portland’s Jazz Radio, KMHD

–The Country Co-Op – Portland’s premier country music DJ outfit 

-MoodyTwoShoes –  From the psychedelic garage to new wave and left field underground disco and punk, Moody leans into traveling the sounds of vintage rebel hearts with a sprinkle of more modern misfit gems too

–DJ Aquaman – best known for his legendary night- SOUL STEW Fridays at The Goodfoot, and drumming in THE DANDY WARHOLS. His DJ sets range from dance floor 60’s soul/funk and disco, to obscure bluegrass + country 45’s

–DJ Queen Amygdala – DJ Queen Amygdala is a Portland-based all-vinyl DJ and synth musician in local bands The Black Doors and Nate Wey & the Infinite Drifters. Her sets are fueled by energy and passion for danceable synth sounds across genres such as Italo, new wave, dark wave, goth, industrial, post-punk, EBM, Hi-NRG, synth-pop, electro, disco, and more. 

–DJ Maaxa – DJ Maaxa is a Portland-based turntablist, writer, radio host, and music anthropologist. Invested in intergenerational music-making, she is joined by her ten-year-old son, Serene, who will be making his debut at Pickathon this year.