Vanessa DeWilde - Bio

One of Toronto's top female DJs, Vanessa DeWilde has been causing a commotion on dancefloors for over ten years. This hip, personable and seasoned mixtress has spun at countless parties in Toronto and Montreal at a variety of well renowned venues, including the Guvernment, Sky, Club V, the Roxx, Revival, and Lot 332. In addition to being established in the club circuit, Vanessa also performs at several corporate and private functions per week. Some of her clients include the AGO, HMV, Pepsi and Lavalife, to name a few. Miss DeWilde specializes in house but her lifelong passion for all music has fortified her ability to deliver a blend of Rock, Alternative, Funk, Hip-Hop, R&B, Top 40 and Salsa when the event calls for such.

Vanessa strives to compile sets which are eclectic, fun and fresh, and puts a lot of effort into locating new tracks which haven't already been hammered by every DJ in town.

"What really turns my crank is a nice blend of funky house, old school hiphop, hip-house, dance-rock, electro and nu-retro," she says with a smile. "I enjoy it all. My father worked in the music industry and our entire basement was stacked with every kind of record you could think of. It was legendary. I left Barbie to the wayside because all I wanted to do was play with records, while pretending to be a radio host."

Sure enough, Vanessa has realized at least two of her aspirations. For nearly three years, she's been hosting the Vanessa DeWilde Show, a popular dance music radio show broadcast on Toronto's Energy 105.1 FM. Additionally, Vanessa writes scripts for radio and television and works in the voice-over industry.

That's not to say Vanessa has always lived her dreams. "I've been everything from a security guard to a bingo hall runner. I realized several years ago that I had no choice but to work with music for a living because I know more about it than anything else in the world. And...it's my first love. I opened a dance music record store about 10 years ago, and while I didn't make a fortune at it, it was at that point that I realized I wanted to play the music more than I wanted to sell it. "

"I'm certainly not saying that deejaying is an easy way to make a living, " she continues. "I've watched the dance music scene change radically over the last 10 years. Toronto is a haven for self-proclaimed DJs, many of whom boast their own unique sound. Yet when you go to the clubs, everyone's playing the same stuff. In a lot of ways, dance music culture has grown exponentially, and I'm glad so many people are getting something out of it, but consequently it's also lost a lot of its originality and underground flair."

Tune in to Energy 105.1 FM every Thursday night at 10pm EST for the Vanessa DeWilde Radio Show. For nearly three years, this popular broadcast has been taking listeners on an entertaining and educational trip around the diverse and wonderful world of electronic dance music.

Partial Venue List:
M Lounge, Montana's, Lot 332, Hooch, Chino, Li'ly, Revival, The Stone Lounge, The Guvernment, Lobby, Cobalt, IV, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, NASA, Dragonfly, Steam, LeVack Block, Venice, The Carlu, Beba Lounge, The Roxx (Barrie), Sky (Montreal), L'Assemoir (Montreal), Harbour Castle Hotel, Buddha Bar, B-Side, Alto Basso, Crosstown, Slacks, LeVack Block, The AGO, The Warehouse, Volume, Club 254, Jukebox Live (Pickering), Sugar, Pussycat Club, Mockingbird, Volume.

Partial Client List:
Pepsi, Air Miles, Art Gallery of Ontario, Allstream, Expedia, Savoire Faire, Animal Alliance of Canada, Magna, Ryerson, Parkroad Massage, Rutgers, Universal Energy, Rogers, Toronto Marlies, Toronto Dance Salsa, TD-Canada Trust, Royal Bank, CIBC, Price Waterhouse, Lick's, Meniscus Events, HMV (voice-over), Venice Resto-Lounge (voice-over), Century Room (voice-over), Energy 105, various cruiseship parties, weddings, fundraisers and private events.

Radio Networks:
Global Groove Radio Network (1999), Club 246 Radio (no longer affiliated as of 2005), Energy 105.1 FM (2006-present)