VALERIE CALANO
Seattle’s DJ Explorateur (vinyl enthusiast Valerie Calano) has been a key figure in Seattle’s thriving underground music scene as a DJ and curator. Her knowledge of psychedelia, electronic, new age, ambient music, funk, jazz, and other genres has led to gigs with major acts like Animal Collective, Faust, and Loop, as well as compiling playlists for Seattle’s Bumbershoot. In 2013, directors of the EMP Pop Conference acknowledged Explorateur’s expertise by asking her to participate in a panel discussion about record collecting, and she was included in Eilon Paz’ 2014 book Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting. She was a co-producer of Hypnotikon Festival, and currently produces Rare Air, a unique event at Seattle’s Q Nightclub showcasing live ambient music, DJs and immersive visuals. She is also a member of the dark electronics collective False Prophet, resident DJ on Hollow Earth Radio’s Yonic Boom show, and a member of Seattle’s TUF collective. A seriously dedicated DJ, she is never not striving to increase her awareness—and procurement—of life-changing music.