New Orleans native and disc jockey Musa Alves describes herself as a “Brazilian-Redneck half breed,” but she’s also a rare sight performing at this year’s BUKU Music + Art Project — a woman.
Alves is one of few female artists on the 2015 lineup, but that’s not stopping her from showcasing her talent in full force. 
She has split her time DJing between New Orleans and New York for the past 12 years, though Alves got her start in visual arts. Both of her parents are musicians, but she focused her time on graphic design, photography and painting until she brought her work to New Orleans with “Jock Se Bloque,” a ’90s-themed dance party. 
“It was right after Hurricane Katrina,” Alves said. “I felt like the city was hungry for something like that, and we didn’t have anything like that before.” 
She said the event was more about partying and less about DJing, but it was a good starting point. Alves learned to DJ after she was already booking gigs as a DJ, which led to her exploration of how to be technically sharp rather than just party savvy. She branched out from ’90s music and developed her own identity.
Alves said her musical influence stems from a variety of styles, including Italo disco, funk, soul, Brazilian bossa nova, New Orleans bounce and French house music. 
Prior to her appearance at BUKU this year, Alves has performed at several festivals across Europe DJing for rapper, Spank Rock. Their first show was at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, but since then, they’ve opened for the European DJ, Boys Noize, in 22 cities. 
As a female in a male-dominated industry, Alves said success doesn’t always come easily. Women have to work harder to earn respect and acknowledgement for their hard work, instead of their looks and sexuality. While she said she believes there’s support for women in the industry, it’s nominal compared to the support men receive. 
“No matter how hard you work, how many festivals you play or how many ‘friends’ you have in the industry, you’re either sexualized, fetishized or treated like a groupie, and it’s really hard,” Alves said. “I think only just now am I starting to get out of that box and into a box of my own.”
She said she advises any females looking to break into the music scene to not let the male-dominated industry intimidate them. If they pursue their career for the right reasons, it will show. 
“If you love the music and love what you do, that will speak volumes for itself,” Alves said. “Also, have fun with it.”
Alves said her fans’ appreciation of her hard work makes her career worthwhile, especially when fans send her letters telling her how much they enjoyed her set or what a great time they had. 
It’s all about making a difference for Alves. She said she’s grateful for all the traveling she’s been able to partake in throughout the years. 
Alves also said she’s excited to celebrate this year’s festival in her hometown with some of her friends who are also playing this weekend — TV On The Radio and DJ Windows 98, better known as Win Butler of Arcade Fire. She’s also looking forward to seeing artists Jamie Jones and Benoit and Sergio. 
For the future, Alves is talking with Pulse Films about creating a documentary-style series chronicling what life’s like in the industry from the perspective of a woman. 
“It’s something I’m feeling very passionate about,” Alves said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to talk more about it in the future. They’re brilliant, and I really love what they’re doing.” 
Musa will perform on BUKU’s Back Alley stage on Friday at 5:30 p.m.   
You can reach Greta Jines on Twitter @TheGretaJines.

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