Story by: Liesel Schmidt

More than just a small-town event DJ, Lanie Fern, or “DJ Lanie B” as she prefers to be known, has some serious international cred to her name—and she’s brought it to the DC area. “I started deejaying in Doha, Qatar, for an international audience,” Fern explains of how she broke into the industry. “I was living and working there for over three years. Then, in 2018, I started learning how to deejay and began playing at boat parties, private parties and a club. When I moved to the Bay Area from Qatar, I started playing more bars, clubs and restaurants as well as events. When the pandemic hit, I was unable to work. I was doing weekly radio shows in the UK, US and Ibiza, Spain, to keep doing what I loved. I even did a guest spot for a radio station in Belgium. The radio shows gave me global exposure for my one-hour mixes every week, which was really exciting to see that people were listening from all over the world.”

Clearly, Fern is passionate about her work, and that passion has translated to success and bookings for a slew of incredible events. Naturally, with the industry being as competitive as it is, Fern must set herself apart and has done so quite effectively. “What sets me apart first and foremost is being female,” she says. “How many female deejays do you see in lineups at music festivals—or anywhere? What I’m also good at is playing music that people love. I mostly play what is popular in Europe and big cities in the US—house music. For the people who want to hear their favorite pop music, I have a house remix that is even more high-energy than the original renditions. I also play deep house—also known as chillout or lounge—which is perfect for private parties or wine bars where you just want some nice background music that isn't overpowering. Because I love world beats, I also play Afro house and tribal as well as Latin and reggae. For the lovers of old school, I love to play disco and nu-disco, which is new music with that disco feel. Other genres that I play are melodic house and techno. Each DJ has his or her own unique selection of tracks or way of mixing, and that's what people should look at before booking.”

For more information, visit her on Facebook at facebook.com/djlanieb315.