🎀 No stre$$ just j0y 🎀

“I’m an angel of the nightlife”

🎀 Where does Joy CXI come from??

So I am a computer gamer & I play bad games like league (well I used to) - now I play path of exile or starcraft occasionally. Pretransition I was using the name chip a lot so in game it would be chipjoy as my monica. Then I took acid & after my 5th trip, I was like okay you’re transgender, so I changed my name to joy.

I liked how my soundcloud name still had a smiley face, so it turned into Joycx (like my own version of xd). The exclamation point is the i, & cxi also translates to 111, so angel numbers. I’m an angel of the nightlife.

“Then I took acid & after my 5th trip, I was like okay you’re transgender, so I changed my name to Joy.”

🎀 What got you interested in djing? u have a very unique genre that you mix with

When I would play video games I would listen 2 Gartex mixes a ton. Listening to hard techno while gaming is kind of like the core for the username - I want it 2 sound good in the club & at home with speakers.

I think theres a lot of perfecting small habits - when I listen back to a mix every little detail matters & sticks out to me. I want nothing to stick out. I embrace imperfection as an art in all my work though, there will always be a mistake - I mean - you are playing with water, but I want the imperfections to enhance the mix. 

🎀 How did you go from techno to the genre you have now?

I think most of my influence is rooted in community. I was partying in Chicago & a lot of what they were playing was hardcore, gabber & weird techno.

I don’t think I ever left that era, that’s where it started.

When I moved back to Detroit it was techno & house, but theres a lot more space & a lot more visibility. Community is embedded in our culture - the rebellious nature of hardcore diy isn’t necessary out here because there is no reason to rebel - there’s more community.

There’s these trans girls called transphonics & they got a warehouse & set up all these lights - diy does still exist here it’s just less hardcore.

I was always trying to figure out how to bring hardcore into techno, they clash so easily, so I just put them together & it worked out. 

“Community is embedded in our culture - the rebellious nature of hardcore diy isn’t necessary out here because there is no reason to rebel”

🎀 What’s one thing people can do to make the scene & diy a better place?

The issue in the diy scene here is that there aren’t enough girls, & also racism. They’re not outwardly racist but their activism is performative. These bands will get on stage & be like fuck ice, free palestine, everything we are supposed to say, but then they don’t make space for new black people - they don’t give them visibility. There isn’t enough done in practise to show their support. 

In terms of the scene in Detroit for me it is so important for me that here’s enough visibility, community & an abundance of aid & support. The hardcore scene is just very affordable & accessible for everyone. 

🎀 You’ve done your own diy showcases with such a unique lineup, live cellist, grindcore, trance, hardcore; what inspired that kind of arrangement? 

So my friends & acquaintances came out from new york city & they did a hardcore show with a lot of electronic elements. I thought it was so cool & crazy how there were different genres in the show. I wanted to copy the formula & make it an expo.

I feel like there’s all these different avenues of detroit culture that are not shown together - I wanted them to get proper visibility as a collective, an experience. Hardcore is quite gatekeepy in detroit, they’ll exclusively listen to that genre. I listen & go to lots of different genre events, jazz, nightclubs, hardcore, noise shows - I am all throughout this city. I’m in all these spaces & taking pieces from each space I go to. I wanted an experience that encapsulates that. A community for everyone who likes everything - it’s not just a show but an immersive art piece.

That’s why I called it melt pot. People describe different neighbourhoods with a lot of communities as melting pots so I was doing that with music. & I mean - ice is tearing our communities apart so we really should be trying to integrate & build a community.

“ice is tearing our communities apart so we really should be trying to integrate”

🎀 We’ve seen a massive erosion of trans rights in the UK, what can you tell us about the trans experience & everything you are advocating for in detroit?

I feel like there is a growing erosion of trans rights in the United States as well unfortunately. Michigan is very fortunately a blue state. The erosion of trans rights isn't happening as quickly as in places like Kansas. The trans experience in Detroit is very very very midwest & has a large variety of diverse experiences / backgrounds. It’s not an insular or echo chambered experience like bigger cities in North America.

I am advocating to bring the punk back into nightlife. I want to make nightlife a punk fun space for trans people. & I'm focused on curating spaces that feel open & positive for others to be themselves. We have enough big venue busters! We need to bring back DIY Punk fun for trans people & electronic parties.

🎀 It’s obviously a very concerning time atm, as a queer, trans, POC woman how are you feeling & what kind of support would you look for from others within our community internationally?

I find that I'm looking for trans communities that are very positive & upbeat. I feel like there's enough jaded & scared energy in the heart of our community. When I discovered sweet, kind people, who are down to party in a curated positive space it felt like treasure. BUT WHEN I FOUND IT out in NYC last weekend I’m telling you it brightened every corner of my heart 💞

🎀 I mean the community you have with dolls night seems really special & a safe space. How did that come about? 

I saw this party called dolliday, super cute. I went & there were so many goth trans people - like this has never happened. In michigan there’s literally no emo people & now I’m at this sexy grunge bar with these trans people & it kinda threw me for a loop.

Dolls night was only open for almost a year & I submitted a dj application. They had me out a couple times & then they made me the resident - they took me in, they’re like my family. Dolls night have been playing a lot of niche detroit techno & electronic stuff recently - the rule is every person they book has to be trans, no cis people. It’s really good to create a safe space, & a good vibe.

Dolls Night is typically at a bar or a club! It will feature two guest acts + the resident act (me for 2026). There is a clothing swap area for people to find gender affirming clothes for free / no cost. Typically on an average night, dolls night will be PWYC / Donation based, I feel like that helps everyone come together & assess the vibes. For safety measures usually someone affiliated with Dolls Night will kinda patrol the bar or club in a green vest just in case somebody needs help or assistance on the dance floor/in the bar.

🎀 Yeah definitely, that sense of community & celebrating that is so important. What would you say your vibe or aesthetic is? 

My aesthetic is really high fantasy but also anime. I think it depends on what i’m working on - 4 parties it leans to more anime & early internet. I draw more from the kind of editing that was around in 2020, where they edit themselves to be fantasy characters, looking unreal. I edit my eyes to be more anime & dolly, but I don’t really care about a certain look i just wanna have fun. 

🎀 What do you do in your free time, we love the friendshiplovejoy project, what’s that about? 

It’s a project where I get 2 talk to people that I don’t typically talk to - people I love. It’s really like a check in text when you haven’t spoken to someone in a while - but in the form of art. an artistic check in. We meet up & I bring notecards so that people can do easy little doodles, it’s so cute. Everyone I loves thoughts are just in art, & I put mine & my friends side by side.

I love all forms of art & creating, it’s all cute. I’m kind of like the fool - I love tarot!

🎀 Is that your favourite card? do you draw any tarot? 

I draw some yeah - the fool is my favourite I’d say right now. I think it’s beautiful because it encourages me to live & think as I am & as freely & innocently & stupidly as possible.

It symbolises beginnings & innocence & foolishness. I feel like innocence in adulthood is a curated skill - as an adult you have to try & find that whimsy again - its more rediscovered & embraced.

I try to have an innocent perspective on everything. Like with social media, I just have innocent fun posting at parties & looking cute but there’s a lot of stress that comes with it feeling like people are judging. It’s harder to be fun & make meaningful connections. In real life is much easier.

🎀 Do you get stressed when it comes to djing? & do you have a pre-show ritual to help the nerves? 

Yes, I meditate before. I just sit for 15 to 30 minutes in silence - there’s no real silence but just sitting in the moment. I let it be silent to give a contrast to the loud - the last thing I want is to be stressed out when djing. Djing kinda feels like customer service - I’m giving the audience energy. We are all here 2 have fun so I’m gonna act like we are here to have fun in an innocent silly way.

🎀 What are your musical new year goals for 2026?

To put out my own music for sure. I only have scraps & demos at the moment but I’m building up to something which is exciting. I’d wanna make trance or techno stuff with lots & lots of noise. Also to play out of town once or twice, I’d wanna play in new york again - I haven’t played since 2020 & it’s so cute to play at. 

🎀 What kind of message would you wanna convey in your music?

i don’t want a message - no lyrics, no message. A message is hard there’s a lot to say, it’s best to say nothing & let people interpret it how they want. I just wanna have fun with it - no stress, just joy!  

💞 Yapper: xviolet.202