Synergy between people and music is a quintessential element to the dance floor. Twists of the mixer control knobs and scratches of the platter allow DJs to conjure a harmony for a liberated soundscape.

Thanks to El Paso’s live music ecosystem, clubs, brunch spots and rave warehouses across El Paso are strengthening the link between the dance floor and its audience.

Though in an era where “almost anybody can be a DJ,” fresh faces to the DJ scene face the crux of making a name for themselves. In a field where male DJs swamp the scene, up-and-coming female DJs face an extra tide of difficulties.

For local DJs, Venus Amor (n1nt3ndho333) and Anali Sanchez (La Flaquita), these problems have not hindered their ability to break out.

With less than two years of experience, both Amor and Sanchez have made synthesizing community and music second-nature, individually achieving success and becoming part of the live music scene. 

Immersed in music from a young age, Sanchez entered the DJ world with a strong foundation. She began playing piano around eight-years-old and eventually changed her college major from engineering to music.

“I would joke when I was in school like, ‘Oh, my ears are bleeding,’ because we had to do so much theory and sight reading and ear training,” Sanchez said.

With a familiarity in music, Sanchez said she thought the shift to DJ-ing would be easy, but it proved not to be.

“At the beginning, for me, it (was hard) to put the songs together and not make it sound super bad,” Sanchez said. “You see DJs that put one song with the other, which I feel is the art of DJ-ing, but it’s not possible in every song you do.” 

But with a musically trained ear, Sanchez was able to grasp the concept quickly and had her first gig within a month. In November 2024, Sanchez debuted at Prickly Elder, a local bar nicknamed “grandma’s house” for its retro decor.

“I had a lot of fun, and people seemed to like it,” Sanchez said. “And honestly, after (Prickly’s), it was just one gig after another because people just started inviting me.”

Because it was well within her music taste, Sanchez easily found her DJ niche in Latin music. Since then, Sanchez began to grow her craft as a DJ, even opening for electronic duo Disclosure in October 2025 – a feat that allowed her to expand to genres outside of Latin music.

Previously, Sanchez said she was strictly “Latin-core” but has expanded to play genres like house and cumbias. But at her core, Sanchez enjoys Latin the most; a genre Amor recently started to delve into as well.

Being influenced by the queer nightlife scene in El Paso, Amor started her DJ journey in May 2025, initially starting with techno and trance music. Though Amor said she never played “outside her bedroom” until September 2025, when a friend invited her to play at a party.

“I was able to play in front of a lot of their friends, and a lot of them were very straight, male, so that’s a very difficult audience for me to maneuver,” Amor said. “But I remember at the end of the set everybody was like ‘Oh my god, you were so good,’”

These words of encouragement boosted Amor’s confidence, which allowed her to find her way into local lineups and collectives.

Now after about seven months of DJing, Amor said she’s enjoyed the full-circle moments she’s had by transitioning from an audience member on the dance floor to being the DJ up on stage.

“My favorite show has been my debut at Prickly; it was just a whole 360,” Amor said. “Those are like the first bars where I started going out, that I started finding these DJs, and finding these people that were just so creative and full of passion and for music and doing what they love.”

As a DJ, Amor said her loyalty lies with the audience and dance floor.

The “energy and vitality” provided by audiences is a similar sentiment shared by Sanchez.

“As a musician, or as a DJ, having the support of people that say, ‘I really liked your set,’ makes you feel like you’re making people happy,” Sanchez said.

Together, they are creating space for female empowerment in a male-dominated DJ scene.

“Don’t you think it’s crazy that there hasn’t been a lineup of women,” Amor said. “But I can name you three lineups that today are full of men.”

In late February, Prickly Elder welcomed the two DJs into “grandma’s house” in a purely female lineup.

Skate company Last Supper and collective Futch, brought Amor and Sanchez together on stage for the first time in “4 ur pleasure.” With female DJ Coquito Papi included, the three DJs celebrated a night dedicated to, “lesbians, queer femmes, studs, butches, dykes, futches transwoman and any non-binary royalty.”

The all-female line up debut was reflective of efforts made by Amor and Sanchez, as well as other local female DJs, to etch their name into El Paso’s music scene.

With hopes of creating a new wave for female DJs, the two agree their success is firstly attributed to audiences.

“At the core, it’s not about the DJ, it’s about the dance floor,” Amor said. “Sometimes I want to show off these tracks as a DJ, but I’m like no, you guys (audience) are dancing to this, so, I’m going to keep playing this because it’s not about me.”

So, despite being Amor and Sanchez being early in DJ-ing careers, the two are curating a welcoming dance floor in El Paso open to all.

Sofia Sierra is the editor-in-chief of Minero Magazine and may be reached at [email protected].