With over 14 years of experience Soni Ceron has become one of the most recognized djs in the underground electronic music scene in Mexico.
When she moved to Mexico City she started to earn a prominent position in the underground scene, performing at various respected parties, festivals and underground clubs in the city, as well as in the United States playing at places like The lot Radio, Output in New York, The Standard Rooftop in LA, Winter Music Festival in Miami among others, sharing dj both with acclaimed international artists.
All this has led her to represent México in the international music scene as the first Mexican woman to perform on Boiler Room.
The following years she launched her first EP with Concret called Borders and became part of the interactive live act Concret/XYZ with the Italian producer Mateo Q-pha and Mexican visual artist Error 1322.
Currently she is resident dj and part of Galaxie Nites, one of the most prominent house parties in México.
Hey Soni. Thanks for joining us! Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background, maybe where you grew up and what first got you interested in electronic music?
Hi I am Soni Ceron, I grew up in a city an hour away from CDMX called Pachuca. My first time hearing electronic music was as a teenager when I attended to a rave in the woods near home, I remember that I was in shock wondering what was going on, it was incredible for me; I think it was one of the first massive raves that happened in Mexico. It was a big deal, it appeared days later in the local newspaper saying it was an out of control party lol. Since then I started to be interested not just in electronic music but also in all the cultural movements around it. Later my friends started to play so I asked them if I could practice with their players and months later I bought mine and this is how I started.
You are living in CDMX, how did this city influence you musically and personally?
CDMX has made a big influence on me and my music, since I moved here I have known a lot of people and have taken pieces of them that seemed to fit on me and my personality musically and culturally.
Personally, to move here felt as if a curtain had been lifted in front of my eyes and changed my perspective of life in a good way and musically I am always excited to listen to fresh and different sounds, I know and love different kinds of music because of the diversity and cultural richness that I am exposed to every single day. On the other hand there are a bunch of amazing Mexican djs and producers on an international level playing always at different clubs, most of them my friends, that inspires me to keep on working.
Can you tell us a little bit about your party series GALAXIE NITES? How did it started?
Dam Vera wanted to start a party to invite new talent and some of the djs he used to play with back in the early 2000 in a place called Galaxie, imagining what the club would sound like 17 years later. When he and Danesholme found a bar that was called Bucardon they knew that was exactly the place to do it.
Since then it has been almost 8 years that they have been hosting the party around clubs in Mexico and even in venues in Europe. I joined as a resident dj 5 years ago, after being booked to play at Danesholme’s birthday party, in which we had an instant connection.
Which artists made the biggest impression on you lately and why?
They are a lot lately, is difficult to mention just one but I think Shkema is the most recent that I listened to and thought was interesting, some of his tracks are structured in a very different way, with sounds and genders that I have listened to separately, all mixed together in one track that make sense.
What’s your preferred method for finding new music—do you still enjoy digging around in dusty crates, or do you prefer to buy online?
Actually I started buying just digital tracks because it was easier to me, but now I prefer and enjoy more digging around for vinyls, I want to start my own collection and I think it has something special, like handcrafted in the process, also you pay more attention to each track and put special value. Even though I think both are very important, one process is more practical and the other more sentimental.
How do you approach a DJ set? Do you plan what you will play, or do you decide spontaneously?
Just at the time I started to play I used to plan, because of the stress and nerves, but always ended up changing the order or adding more tracks when I felt the party wasn’t the mood of the set, so I stopped planning sets, I think the most important thing is to know your music very well, to have it classified right to be able to improve depending on the venue, people and mood.
To know your music is everything, also to me it is very important to try new tracks each gig, so you can see how they work on the dance floor and then you can take mental notes of them.
Can you tell us about your mix and what the idea behind it was?
My main idea was to mix the tracks that make me dance and feel good, just to have fun, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did when I recorded it :)
What do you have up your sleeve for 2023?
For this summer 2023 I will be in Europe, so I am planning to play at some clubs, I will be announcing when they are 100% confirmed. I also want to be back at the studio producing some music soon.