- An incredible mix that captures the energy—and the love—that makes the Jersey Club queen one of the best DJs going.
- "I'm evolving into a new phase" is how Newark producer and DJ UNIIQU3 described her last EP, adding that Heartbeats would "let my fans get to know me personally." But that EP was really only the tip of the iceberg—there's more to UNIIQU3's personal relationship with her fans than a record release. She holds seminars to advise women, people of color and LGBTQ people on how to make a career in music, and runs the PBNJ events with Baltimore's BMore Than Dance collective. She also hosts a monthly NTS radio show, Club Chronicles, and another series, Club Queen Radio, for New York's SiriusXM.
Community and connection are at the heart of UNIIQU3's self-proclaimed evolution. As part of her recent tour of Europe, she contributed a Club Queen Radio mix to longstanding supporters Psychotherapy Sessions, before playing at their club night in Bristol this past February. The mix—which is now exclusive to Bristol-based Noods Radio—comprehensively captures her sincere relationship with music as well as her broader artistic vision.
You get the sense that UNIIQU3 is trying to get her audience to appreciate the significance of what she's playing. ("These are all rare club cuts. I hope y'all know that," she says at one point.) A quick glance at the stories of some of these artists suggest she also has a deep respect for who made these tracks . Some of these songs come from musicians who, at one point in their career, felt ostracised or undervalued.
Leonce, who hails from Atlanta, said in an interview with RBMA Daily that no one takes artists from the South seriously. Baltimore singer and producer :3LON told Loud & Quiet that they tirelessly shopped around their music to no avail, before eventually releasing it themselves. And Montreal beatmaker Jaymie Silk used to make music for rappers, but was often uncredited. As someone who spoke to Crack about how important collectives like BMore Than Dance have been to her—making her feel welcome and included—UNIIQU3 is paying it forward representing other artists who dare to be different, and have struck out on their own.
These artists' songs also provide the mix's obvious highlights, partly because their contrasting tones mirror the recent changes UNIIQU3 has made to her own music. What was refreshing about Heartbeats compared to her earlier records was how it paired the familiar unabashed sex drive of her verses with more romantic new hooks. The tracks by :3LON, Jaymie Silk and Leonce add a similar tenderness. :3LON's voice on "Quantum Leaping" glides through the breakbeats for an early, heartfelt peak. Jaymie Silk's remix of Rosalía's "Bagdad" speeds up the flamenco singer's voice into a giddy falsetto, quivering around a deep baile chug. It's a masterclass of a mash-up, made all the more seductive thanks to Leonce's remix of "Cater 2 U” that precedes it, with tantalising chimes and an "I just wanna fuck” refrain.
Although those remixes and vocals give the mix its softer edges, everything boils over into rowdier sounds towards the end as UNIIQU3 revs up and starts to let go. Songs fade out before resurfacing again amidst a barrage of familiar Jersey club samples (gun shots, bed squeaks, DJ scratches) and turn the mix into a swirl of rapid-fire sounds. UNIIQU3's own "Touch" gets a considerable boost thanks to this red carpet treatment. Surging bass, rattling percussion, stuttered pads and a host of samples all bleed together for a transition that makes the song erupt onto the stage. Listening to "Touch" in isolation makes it sound quiet in comparison—and that's saying something.
A DJ mix like this represents all the facets of her artistry (community, connection and energy) better than any official release. UNIIQU3 told RA last year that she was considering doing "JUST live sets" in the future, featuring her rapping, vocals and dancers. And with her, a DJ set, a live performance—it's all kind of blurred together. When she performs, she dances, she raps, she sings, she spins. She even sprays mist at her fans out of a cartoonish gun. With an artist as vibrant as UNIIQU3, an official release feels like only a snapshot of her genius relative to the sum of her work. While you'd still have to see her live to get the whole experience, this remarkable mix goes a way to painting a brighter, fuller picture of everything there is to love about the Jersey club queen.