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Sexuality, passion, and unrelenting fight are just some of the traits that makeup the aura surrounding DJ $hortness (aka Rynita McGuire). From her childhood in the system to breaking free and discovering the rave scene of California in the late 90s, shes a 29 year old woman determined to become one of the biggest DJs in the country. All her life shes been on a mission to prove to the world that no one, no matter how they look, is ever what they seem.
DJ $hortness was born in 1977 with a birth condition called Arthrogryposis. This rare physical disability makes the joints in her arms and legs incredibly stiff and the grip in her hands a bit weaker. To compensate for the lack of reach or ability to grip, she taught herself to use her mouth for a lot of things, including painting and DJing.
Rynita has been into music her whole life. Her mom plays guitar and I started singing with her at a very early age. This musical introduction spurred her to explore further into how she could express herself through music. She always wanted to be in the music industry in some capacity. When she was about 7, she got her first tape deck boom box and started making mixed tapes of her favorite songs from the radio. She even mixed the trax or put them in a set-list order to convey a message of her feelings at the moment. From then on he seeds of $hortnesss future DJ-dom had been planted.
The edginess that is now so visible in $hortness persona grew from her unrelenting desire as a girl to prove she was more than a wilting flower. Despite my disability, Ive lived my entire life like any other hard core chick. I did everything all the other kids did. Sometimes I think I pushed the envelope even further in an effort to prove I was just as tough as or tougher than anyone gave me credit for.
In 1999, Rynita met one of the biggest influences of her musical career, Dave Albers. He was just starting to DJ. One day he came over with a brand new set of turntables still in the box. He set them up at my house on a table so I could reach them. Then he showed me what buttons did what, gave me a handful of records, and left. Dave knew that by leaving it in the room - something I was obviously interested in - would make me want to try. And he was right. That night I played on his turntables all night. I didnt sleep a wink. I use a wooden kitchen spoon in my mouth to turn on the lights and things in my house that I cant reach. So I grabbed that and figured out that I could use it to reach all the buttons and knobs that were out of reach for me. It was so exciting! I was doing the very thing I dreamed of doing at age 7, but even cooler than a radio DJ because I was using turn tables. $hortness is now an experienced spinstress working her butt off in the cutthroat, dog-eat-dog world of DJing.
Shes come a long way since her days of spinning with a wooden spoon. I use a bendable typing wand mouthstick that I ordered from a rehab catalog now days. The wooden spoon was a good springboard, but it just slid across the records. The mouthstick has a rubber tip so I can back cue, scratch, and torque the records. It grips the records much better too. If you cant do any of these things you cant spin vinyl.
DJ $hortness headlined her first party in December 2000. She drew such a huge crowd that night she was quickly catapulted into a high-demand performance schedule. She started playing as often as 4 nights a week. Only 6 months after her debut she was scouted my C-Pop Media to play the largest free music festival in the world, The Detroit Electronic Music Festival. So she played 2nd Stage DEMF 2001, followed by many other huge events and festivals such as Electro Rock III.
DJ $hortness spins some of the phatest electronic music in some of the hottest places in the country. "I have completely stepped outside of the disability box and am now doing something totally hard core. Im fulfilling my childhood dreams." She usually spins a mix of house music and breakbeats. "My sound pallet has a very sexual sound," she adds. "The thing that makes all DJs different from one another is that they put who they are into their music. You get to feel a little piece of their soul for the hour or so theyre on the ones and twos. My sexuality is a big piece of my soul. Im a lover."
"DJing to me is the ultimate form of self _expression. Music and creating things are deep in my soul. I love sharing a part of me with the world. When Im up there doing my thing Im more than that girl in the wheelchair. Im a frickin human being with talents and passion. I make people stop and think."
"This is definatly a hard core job for a hard core girl:
GO BIG OR GO HOME!"
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