Maggi “Magglez” Nagel Drops Her Debut Mixtape “Ta!k Back.”

Maggi “Magglez” Nagel is a local up-and-coming DJ who loves spinning upbeat pop and hip-hop. Feeding off the energy of her crowds, Magglez spins at Drinkers Tavern in Old City every Friday and hosts her own party called “Blank Stare” every Sunday at Ortlieb’s in Northern Liberties. She’s working with Regina GUN$ Garcia and dropping her debut mixtape (see below). She spoke with our Derrick Krom.

Where are you from in Philadelphia and what do you love about the city?

I’m actually originally from South Jersey, a really small town in Cape May County. I originally moved up here for art school and I just loved the whole vibe of the city, especially being from a small town. There’s so much energy and so much more to do.

How did you first get into DJing?

Well, I was working at a bar in Center City and a couple of my coworkers just kind of suggested it, knowing that I go out all the time. They were just kind of like, “Oh yeah, you’d probably be a good DJ. You love to go out, you love to dance.” It just kind of planted a seed in my head and then I just started doing it. One of my coworkers taught me the basics until I met Regina “GUN$” Garcia and then she showed me more of all the technical stuff.

Regina “GUN$” Garcia has kind of been your mentor, right?

Yeah, for sure.

How has she helped you become a better DJ?

Well, she’s basically taught me pretty much everything I know—how to mix songs together, how to work the turntables, how to hook everything up. She’s been a big help and I have a lot of respect for her. She’s really good at that. One of her passions in life is to just teach young women or females in general how to DJ.

DJing is kind of, at the moment, a very male-dominated genre. Do you think that will change in the future?

Yeah, I definitely think there’s something huge going on with the female DJs right now, especially with people like Regina who are so passionate about making sure that there are more females involved in the scene. She’s working with me and a bunch of other girls so I really think that within the next five years there’s gonna be something big happening for female DJs.

What do you think makes a good DJ? What makes it an art form?

You have to definitely interact with the crowd and see how they’re feeling. It’s all about that. As long as the crowd is feeling you and you’re feeling the crowd then it’s gonna be a good time. I always like to make sure that the crowd is having a good time and sometimes if it’s a popular song that everyone knows I like to bring it down at a certain time and everyone is screaming the song. It’s kind of cool because they forget for a second that there are other people around.

How did your debut mix Ta!k Back come together and what did you enjoy about that process?

Well I guess, since I’ve been DJing for a year now, I kind of just wanted something to put out to let people know what I’m about and what I like to hear. It’s just a fun mix for my girlfriends to listen to when they’re getting ready to go out or whatever. I had a lot of fun making it. I just think that people take DJing so seriously and I think it should be more of a fun thing. You’re dancing at a club. It shouldn’t be so serious.

What are your future plans? Where do you see yourself a few years from now as far as DJing?

Right now I definitely just wanna get out there and do some more gigs and just have a lot of fun with it.

What do you think the future of DJing looks like on a wider scale?

Who ever knows with the way technology is advancing now? There could be robot DJs five years from now for all I know [laughs].