THE GROOVE COLLECTIVE with FLY HENDRIX

“Fly Hendrix is keeping it 100 on the low. She doesn’t care about the spotlight and prefers to make moves behind the scenes. The word on the streets is she’s doing great things for the culture and community. Fly Hendrix is a DJ, and the Founder & Executive Director of Soul City Movement. She lives and works between Brooklyn NY, Los Angeles CA, and Cape Town, South Africa. 

When you enter her garage in Silverlake the first thing you notice is her massive vinyl music collection with a focus on World beat. We walked upstairs to the apartment and I was immensely impressed by her stylish home. This woman is the full package, kind, beautiful, generous, talented, and living her best life.

TERRENCE SANDERS-SMITH:  How does it feel to be living your best life? To be your own woman with no one having power over you?

FLY HENDRIX - Hi Terrence, thank you for inviting me into this collective of soul rebels. Truly honored to be here and be witnessed by you. My best life?! It takes work for me to think of it that way, it is the truth-I am living a beautiful life and I am deeply grateful for it.  Each day I work towards being present with my best self and from there how we can make this life better for ourselves and others.

I believe that’s the source of all that is good. My gut reaction to that assumption that no one has power over me is a deep response. And yet, I can say, it’s true. There is no other human being on this planet that has power over me. It’s liberating - to be empowered by the wisdom of the natural world, uplifted by my community, and inspired by music. In short, it feels amazing to be free and doing what I love to do knowing the universe has my back and I am forever a student. 

TSS - Tell us about your name, Fly Hendrix.  

FH - Fly Hendrix is an aspiring superhero. The core of my identity is rooted in my child self. I could even call my child self a modern they/them, but it was 1992 and I was a weirdo girl doing boy things navigating a gender limiting society. At the end of the day, it was never about gender for me, I was fine with my gender, I wasn’t fine with the expectations and limitations that it came with. I wanted to do my thing and not be bothered. That seemed impossible at the time so I faked being a boy as much as I could to slip through the cracks and be treated equally and allowed to do all the things my boy friends and my brothers were doing. That shit worked half the time, ha. At a certain point I realized, since I was so committed to being me, my mission was also to shake shit up for everyone else. Because that is what being me did, it challenged people with a different reality. It still does. 

When I tapped back into this child self a few years back, we had entered a new proverb era and I recognized Fly as s/he-r (ref: Saul Williams); S/he is a grown ass woman, harmonizing with masculine and feminine energy, inside and out. These energies come forward freely as I, Jess Cross, continue to express my truth in this world, beyond the boxes. Fly Hendrix is a very integrated version of myself: past present and future beautifully connected. A peaceful warrior of the light. 

The name itself came through a classic page flip. I flipped to a random page of this book I had been carrying around about a woman’s journey through Egypt. It was called - The Initiation- and the page I flipped to was describing the God “Horus-Fly” who was said crosses space to create new worlds. That really resonated with me and what I was and still am doing in the world, traveling far and wide moving between cultures and sharing them with one another through the music to somehow create something new. A new energy. Something diverse and more human. I shortened Horus Fly to “Fly because I had heard Erykah Badu refer to her daughter as Fly on the 1993 live album and I always thought that was a dope name for a girl. Hendrix came a bit later. I added Hendrix because I felt like s/he needed a last name and Jimi always resonated with me since I was a kid. His music and his identity (that I could see) was inspiring and relatable to my life experience. He was original, he was spiritual, he was black, he was blues, he was rock and roll, and he was tender. He cared enough to break the rules. 

TSS - Why DJ? What was it about music and the audience that attracted you to become a DJ?

FH - I did not aspire to become a DJ or anything music related. In both instances when the door opened, I was asked to walk through it, I couldn't  refuse. I always loved music. My dad is a singer on the low. He sounds like Ray Charles. My mom was a DJ and worked at a record store in Santa Rosa called Rainbow records. She had an amazing record collection in our house growing up. I was touched by music from an early young age. Music made a strong impact on me from infancy. Whenever I would cry as a baby, my mom would put on Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (on vinyl) and I would stop crying and go to sleep within a matter of moments. I saw a VHS recording of it once and it was miraculous to watch.  Music has always been in me, and the leaders that were around me could feel that. They believed in me, so I believed them, and walked through the doors. And here I am, still walking. I ended up dedicating my life to music, so I suppose we were all in the right to believe.

Fast forward to 2011 in South Africa, people wanted to hear my musical taste and asked me to DJ. We started a vinyl party in 2012 in Cape Town cuz’ there wasn’t one. To me personally being an entertainer was never about being in the spotlight. That was the downside to the whole thing. I used to get sick before every performance. It made me nervous to share my heart and soul up there with people. Still does. I do it because it was clear to me it needed to be done and I was the one chosen to do it. Like a higher calling. Then once you’re up there the magic happens and it’s like nothing else. I spin records because it heals me and everyone around me. The sound brings all the elements together. I spin records because I love music and I want to honor it by facilitating its greatest and most pure expression. I love the visceral experience of connecting with the energetic history. That one record that has been played on so many dance floors over a stretch of time, in so many places.  I enjoy playing records, it’s always worth my time. I also enjoy the limitations of selection. It drives me to be more creative with the mix. It also brings everyone together not having access to this never-ending stream of music. It’s quite grounding. At the core of the conversation, it’s all about me, the music, the space, the audience, and God.

TSS - What DJs do you consider influential? Do you consider music a form of therapy?

FH - Interesting, I have a folder in my iTunes that is called “influences” and it is a mixture of both famous people and my peers. Pierre Estienne, Kyle Hall, Jay Daniel, Harvey, Omar S, Orazio Rispo, Tomas Station, Rich Medina, Virgil Abloh, Theo Parrish, Moodymann, Kaytranada. The list goes on. I feel like I have been influenced by various people’s taste in music over the span of my life. Starting with my mom’s record collection. DJs introduced me to dope music, but I’m very influenced by musicians, producers, and sounds. A few DJs are inspiring to me, while the music and the musicians are the actual influences, although I do appreciate how some DJs move through the music. But most of the DJs I am influenced by are producers. 

Music is absolutely a form of therapy. In more ways than one. I’m on a plane right now suffering from an emotional family hangover, blasting Stevie Wonder ‘Songs In The Key of Life’ and I’m feeling better than any conversation with a Therapist. Sometimes the relatability of the track; its lyrics, melodies, and the frequency even; can enter a person in some type of way that brings the feeling that we need to feel to understand whatever it is we are struggling with. I think it’s love or some resemblance of love. Could be anger, sadness - all the things connected with love. Love as a feeling not an idea. Music can be intellectualized but I think the real power of music is in how it makes us feel. It’s an expression. More times than not, we are hurting because we’re holding on to an expression that we can’t realize and release into the world. And then someone makes a song about it and boom - we can tune into it; we can let it go, that’s the healing. To be able to feel an expression of love (truth) in some capacity brings forward healing with it. I experience that a lot with music. Sometimes I can’t relate to a cuz’ I haven’t tapped into that feeling yet. And then later in my life, I hear it again and it touches me different. Because I relate to it differently. The deeper I relate the more healing I feel. 

TSS - What’s your life’s motivation, passion and what drives you to action? What mark do you want to leave on this World? What will be your legacy?

FH - My life motivation is to be liberated in every way and to inspire others to liberate themselves. One of the first quotes to deeply move me was Bob Marley: “Emancipate Yourself From Mental Slavery, No One but Ourselves Can Free Our Minds.”  This resonated with me. I aligned with the idea of it. But then I wondered how do I do it? How do I free my mind? Once I made some headway in that mission, my motivation became about facilitating that for everyone in every way I could. Whether it’s a party, a conversation, whatever. To walk with that sense of aspiring freedom and help to create positive change in this world through individual and collective liberation. Be myself and hold space for others to be themselves. Truly. 

My passion is art, music, and money. I love money. I love working with it. I love exchanges. I love abundance. I love freedom. I love experience. I love connection as well. I have a passion for working together with people, not because I must but because I want to. It makes my life better working well with others. 

I also think there is some importance to the artistic experience to know suffering. I can’t say I haven’t suffered in my life. I can’t say I haven’t known poverty, among other things. There’s a deeper exploration there but I am at the place where I believe I can have both. I believe it’s something about being able to bring more resources back into the art community in the right ways. Artists should not be so financially strained to create something that the world needs. I want them to have more ownership of their creations so that they can thrive off their own work. This should already be happening.

I am driven to action by inspiration and activated by social change. When I feel moved by positive energy it literally propels me forward. I’m inspired by other people’s creations. Some people’s inspirations are infectious. Ultimately my greatest drive is inside myself. I can get ignited by what’s outside of me, but it really feels like the core of it, the source, is in me. I am always dancing around it in some way. My best days we are dancing together, in perfect unison. My legacy will be sound. Perhaps space as well. 

TSS - Tell us about the Soul City movement's mission and purpose. Who benefits from this movement and what community does it serve?

FH - I  established  Soul City straight out of college as a 501 (c)(3). It was the action behind the theory of my dissertation which concluded that one of the few spaces we must break the cycle of colonial cultural centrality is the arts. I declared its power to be the fact that it’s a universal language, it’s safely confrontational, and although it has always played a part in the conditioning of humanity, it’s also the place where we can break free and often do, from limiting beliefs. It is where I broke free. I had to deconstruct myself before I could help anyone else. Secure your mask, before helping others, as we say. But, and, also, 'you can take a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink'. Think of Soul City as the movement to water.

I could not have reached this understanding without my education and thus I believe as strongly in education and the youth being the future as a space to work on deconstructing social, political, and economic conditioning and mental wellness. The mission of Soul City took me years to home in on because the roots were so deep. So, I just started doing the things between here and South Africa and then the mission became clearer. We are here to support artists, to support youth, to support community, and create a bridge that brings them all together to facilitate creativity and cross-cultural connection. It’s a movement that celebrates art, education and ultimately diversity as a catalyst for positive change. 

The programming at  Soul City is much like the concept of master class before master class came about. We would target a dope artist, some up-and-coming pros and some celebrities, all equally talented and inspiring artists, and we would help them with whatever project they were currently working on. Whether it was money, platforms, resources, or ideas. Whatever support they needed to complete a project, in exchange for them working with us to design a workshop curriculum based on their creative process.  On the flip side we then target youth from multiple sides of the tracks with a need for self-expression and we put them all together and run it. The results have been incredible. Everyone grows.

Soul City targets creative communities in the cities we work in, but we also serve the global community by spreading the message through the content we create and the stories we tell. In the arts, everything is connected. There are only 12 notes. Primary colors are the base for any color. And yet the combinations seem limitless. Songs remind us of other songs but no one song is the same. Humans too- We all have organs. We are products of our environment with a story to tell- art and music is the same and often they go hand in hand. We work to maintain and utilize this beautiful relationship between humanity and the arts by supporting artists, mentoring young people, and building community around all of it.  

Soul city is a Movement. It has wings. It can Fly.  I strongly believe that art is one of the few spaces that we have that is truly universal with the ability to change the world. 

TSS - What is your connection to South Africa? Tell us about your experiences with the culture, people, and country.

FH - South Africa is one of my greatest loves. It’s a very romantic place. The people in South Africa are beautiful. The crowds are wonderful, the right ones of course. When it’s diverse and not segregated, the parties are amazing. When we can successfully bring people together people of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, classes, and bridge the gaps in a harmonious way, the shit goes off. Vinyl Digz did that. We did that. Everyone is grateful and happy and in the moment.

The culture in South Africa is truly diverse. Especially in Cape Town. You get this great mix of people in a highly sensitive environment that is fresh off Apartheid which only ended in 1994. The air is still thick with a legacy of oppression and discrimination but also a sense of freedom. There is a lot of wealth in SA, so it draws a lot of people from all over Africa to come and work. And then SA itself has a lot of different cultural influences that all come together especially in Cape Town. Then it’s a stunning environment so it also has a lot of tourism and a thriving media production scene. Put it all together and you have a whole lot of different types of people in one small city and everyone is partying, Hard. They’re like ‘let’s work it all out in these streets.’ I had some of the most fun in my life in those early SA years. When I left SA for the first time I felt part of a community and ready to build something that could both sustain and spread the energy we were cultivating there which we later did.

TSS - Where did you grow up? How was music introduced to you as a youth to become so influential in your life? What was it about the sound and the feeling that resonated with you?

FH - Cue “Getaway” by Earth, Wind and Fire.  I grew up in the Bay Area of California. More specifically Marin County. It’s the beautiful land on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. It’s also the beautiful land on the other side of the Richmond Bridge from Oakland. That crossing is my personal favorite. Especially at sunset.  Marin is a very entitled place, but also, it’s old money. It is very grounded in its wealth, and I appreciate that for what is it. The wealth is grounded by its nature. The greatest natural force in our area is Mount Tam. There are ancient redwood tree groves scattered around. It’s truly a magical and majestic place. Jimi was always there taking acid. I think the track “Wind Cries Mary” was written about Mount Tam, I’m not positive, but I think so.  I have been many places in the world, and I can say with certainty there is no place like home. 

I mentioned earlier about my mom’s record collection. I also mentioned how when I was a baby the song ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ calmed me down in miraculous ways.  I grew up with the sound of music around me in a very devoted way. Neither of my parents worked in music but they both had a passion for it, a true love. My older brother was also a super talented singer and musician. I say was, but he still is. Growing up, he was always performing but now he’s also a great photographer. But yeah, he sang, he rapped. I always admired him; he opened doors for me to safely peer into and play around. I looked up to him and he was always blasting good new music. We would listen to music in the car. Mostly hip hop and soul records. I think I was introduced to music by everyone in my family in different ways.  I also went to schools with excellent music programs. I think the educational programs really set the tone for music to become such an integral part of my life. 

Music has always inspired a feeling of like… freedom. The sound of music comforted me, and energized me, helped me tap into my emotions and explore and release them. Music always said what I needed to say and helped me feel what I needed to feel. 

TSS - What’s next for you on the journey?  

FH - I am currently working towards a global movement with sound. I have been exploring all the ways I can honor my music, expand it, and connect people more deeply to the sound frequencies. Especially nowadays, the sound is so saturated with so many layers of compression with streaming. People think they know the sound of music, but few do. I feel like that is part of the reason it’s undervalued in our current market.  I have spent the last few years organizing and digitizing my vinyl collection, which is stored between Los Angeles, New York City  and Cape Town. I spent 15 years traveling the world, playing, and digging for records. Discovering the soul of a city by following the music. Record shops are like a center point for culture past and present. Once Covid hit I ended up meditating and organizing music more than anything else. Everything about the last couple years for me has been foundational. How to build a strong base for the music and the vision and myself to launch from. To bring quality sound to the people. All these beautiful records I have collected over the years, they need to be played in a way that people can really absorb them. We need to gather around these sound frequencies. Everyone is honored in this way. The people, the artists, the music, and the source. Then we can all heal together. (Music is therapy.)

The other intention is to inspire this community of creatives that have a high-level impact in the world. The people in LA are creating things that are going far and wide, and I want these people to be inspired by soulful sounds and positive energy, even if it’s a  rage.  This night is meant to introduce the community to music known and unknown in a way they wouldn’t normally get a chance to hear it, so they leave feeling inspired. There is music that was created to uplift, also to clear out stagnant energy. Again, music is therapy. 

Next stop on the journey is Kingston, Jamaica where I am working with a dub master sound system builder named Uncle Ronnie. We met in Dubai when I was the first to play on his system for Sole DXB. Lee Scratch Perry played on the system the next night. Ronnie and I got on well, he asked me what I do in the world, and I said, “I honor the music.” He said, Call me,” and I did. We are currently building a system for my music festival in South Africa. I see it as an art piece. Faith 47, a noted South African muralist, has agreed to paint the system. You can expect more info on this project next year. For now, I am playing systems between LA and NYC, working with artists to help expand their sounds by introducing them to music in my collection, digging around the world and planning the  2025  music festival. There also may be a few African re-issues on the way, and a comp of South African Kwaito tracks that need to be heard. Really depends on the collaborations. 

TSS - What advice can you give to my daughter and all the girls and young women who want to DJ and live their best life?

FH - My advice is to know your music. Always play the music that moves you and know that music well. Also, the more organized you are with your music, the easier DJing will be. 

In terms of living your best life - that is an attitude. Work on yourself daily, don’t take things personal that are not meant to be personal which is the majority of anything coming from another human. Connect deeply with nature and harmonize with it cuz’ nature knows how to live its best life. Stay humble. Give as often as you can. Set strong boundaries with people that don’t make you feel good more than 50% of the time. Honestly you should be surrounded by people that make you feel good at least 80% of the time. Good is subjective - good bad is a thing. Trust yourself. Be positive but not too wishful, stay grounded in your decisions. Spread love. Be kind to animals. Know that there is good money and bad money. Bad money belongs to nobody and will only leave you with an L (lesson), where good money is sustainable and matches your value. Take care of yourself every day. Approach life with passion and gratefulness. The seed of your purpose is in your heart and flows through every chakra. Pay attention to your body. Prioritize healthy eating whenever possible. And don’t be too rigid in anything, flow. And don’t flow too much, be consistent. Find a balance. Understand that astrological charts have layers - you don’t know yourself as just one sun sign and thus can’t know anyone else for what you see on the surface. Until you know someone, and they know you, opinions don’t matter. Forgive. 

TSS:  Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with us. My soul is in anticipation of hearing you spin in person.

FH: Thank you.

Fly Hendrix Upcoming Gigs: El Prado residency Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Check IG for confirmed dates.

 CONTACT: http://www.flyhendrix.com/