Every DJ needs an alias. Or two. Casey Minatrea settled on DJ
Beyonda, a moniker that in a few short years has become synonymous with
all things good and true in Portland music. Best known for gracefully
hustling her way to the top of the mountainous heap of Portland
DJs—if you have not heard, everyone is a DJ—with her
fascinating knowledge of obscure soul music, and just about everything
else. Minatrea at times dons another alias, Beyondadoubt, as a
Southern-groomed DJ with a penchant for dropping massive slabs of
sweltering down-home hiphop (like if her usual alias simply popped in a
pair of gold fronts).
Minatrea’s gradual rise from mere turntable jockey to household
name—even to those unaware of Portland’s vibrant dance
scene—began in February 2002. “I thought I would never leave
Memphis,” she explains via email, en route home from spinning in New
York. “Once I realized that I would be stunting my personal growth to
stay home, I started my maneuver westward. I moved to North Portland
particularly because it reminded me the most of home; I couldn’t wrap
my brain around neighborhoods of only white people.”
She cut her teeth as the live DJ for the female emcees of Siren’s
Echo, other DJ gigs ensued, and thanks to a tireless work
ethic—seriously, try not running into the omnipresent
Minatrea, with her various genre-specific nights, support of various
indie bands, and spinning at various private events—she became
the de facto, if possibly reluctant, face of Portland DJ culture.
Working—as any good DJ should—to become a by-proxy
representative of those who occupy the dance floor, Minatrea (as
Beyonda) balances the familiar with the alien; just as likely to drop a
hint of guilty pleasure Top 40 hiphop as she is to dust off some lost
45 of thick Southern soul. Proof that her work behind the decks is far
more essential than that of the casual record-needle novice can be
witnessed at her weekly soul night, the aptly titled “I’ve Got a Hole
in My Soul.”
The night is in its fourth year as the hotshit dance
destination, where Beyonda’s deep catalog of beloved/lost/forgotten
soul recordings sets the mood for the most dance positive of
environments. It also acts as a rare listening session for recordings
that feature—but aren’t limited to—the stylistic charm of
the Stax and Hi Records catalogs.
“I started that night for myself,” explains Beyonda. “I had these
records that were burning a hole inside me, and I needed to hear them,
and hear them loud. When I finally found a spot, it didn’t matter if
only 30 friends came; it was for me, and for them. Through word of
mouth the night grew, and so has the music.”
As for introducing unheard soul singles to a city that was once
known for not dancing, Beyonda’s never had trouble unhinging the
crossed arms of even the most rigid cynics. “Portland is a rock ‘n’
roll/punk town, and ’60s soul has a direct link to these genres.
There’s this attitude to it and this tug on your heart when you dance
to it. There isn’t an over-commercialized image or a stigma attached to
soul, which translates into why you can feel free to lose yourself, and
your paranoid composure, in it.”
As for the—in order of importance—grind and bump of
Beyondadoubt, where she’ll partner with New Orleans’ Brice Nice, she
says, “We delve deep into some Southern party genres—we really
hit the New Orleans sound, Memphis, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia ([the
music from] Decatur is a personal favorite)—basically, it’s a
night where you turn around and get thanked by your own ass.”