DJ Of The Issue: SURA

Þura Stína or SURA is Reykjavík’s hip-hop DJ queen. Known for her killer sets, performing with Reykjavíkurdætur and keeping the crowd jumping, SURA was an easy choice as this issue’s DJ. Find SURA playing sultry R&B and funky hip-hop at Loftið on August 5 and Prikið on August 12.

When did you start DJ’ing?

I started in 2012 on a Wednesday night at Dolly. I was asked to DJ by my boss and took the task very seriously. I prepared for a long time but still didn’t realize the snowball effect the gig would create. It was super fun and really busy and shortly after that I found myself doing a back-to-back DJ set with one of my friends Andri Hrafn, playing my favorite hip-hop music to a jumping crowd at Prikið. After that there was no turning back.

What styles do you play?

My main styles are fresh new hip-hop and R&B, but also disco, funk and old school hip-hop. I consider myself a hip-hop DJ, although I keep challenging myself with all kinds of different gigs and music.

What’s your favourite Reykjavík venue to play?

There is no place on earth like Prikið. Despite it being my comfort zone both music-wise and because of its atmosphere, nothing could ever beat the feeling of the jumping crowd, the people and the lights. My monthly gig there is as SunSura with my dearest Sunna Ben.

What kind of gear do you use when playing?

I’ve been a Traktor girl from the beginning. My newest controller is a Traktor S2. I also have my five-year-old Macbook Pro which seems to only want to DJ since it doesn’t work so well with other softwares, so I use it solely for that.

If you were an audio effect, which one would you be?

Probably one classic Reverb.

What kind of crowd is the best crowd in your opinion?

A happy, dancing crowd is the best. However, I like weekdays and “early on” gigs where I can build up the vibe and get the crowd going. I like getting people who haven’t necessarily come to party to end up dancing. My crowd expectations are rather hyped at the moment though since I just came back from a tour around Europe with the queens in Reykjavíkurdætur, where we performed at Roskilde in front of 10,000 people. Shout-outs to my girls and Sunna Ben who I share their DJ slot with.

What are your five essential tracks of the moment?

“Fed Up” by Sturla Atlas, “Glowed Up” by Kaytranada ft. Anderson .Paak, “Crime Riddim” by Skepta, “Loftsteinn” by Emmsjé Gauti and “THat Part” by ScHoolboy Q ft. Kanye West.