Heritage Series 01: Perez the Bully

Written by Lauren Bryant

Born and raised in Tottenham, DJ PBully uses her platform, Junglicious, to create much needed space for Black talent in the British rave scene and bring their sound to the forefront. From breaking down barriers of entry to the Electronic scene, to building for the next generation, meet the woman behind the decks. 

You’re getting booked left, right, and centre. What’s been your favourite collab so far? 

It would have to be a back-to-back with @selectacee. We did a set at Twisted FM for PrettyTwistedLive. The last half an hour we were just doing Jungle and DnB, two songs each. 

I love djing with her. She’s incredibly talented and I’ve learnt so much from her. But, we also balance each other out. When I’m sat there concentrating, she’s got the energy in the back. Everyone says we’ve got mad chemistry. 

You build and are a part of a lot of all-female line-ups. But, djing remains male dominated, with a lot of women still reporting discrimination and lower pay. What’s it like being a female DJ today?

Being a BIPOC female DJ is already challenging, but in the Electronic Dance Music scene, it’s even tougher. DJing is still a male-dominated space, and unfortunately, some male DJs don’t always take female DJs seriously. There are so many of us spinning Jungle, DnB, House, and more—we’re out here putting in the work just like the guys. We just want the same recognition and opportunities to be front and centre.

We have to graft to get where we want to be. It’s a pill I’ve swallowed. But, it does affect a lot of women in the industry.

My friend Jolie founded @sexyladymassive and hosts women-only raves. It’s to encourage women to feel safe but also to put them at the forefront. 

What made you create your platform, Junglicious?

There was a gap in the market, and I filled it. No one is doing what I’m doing in the UK for the Electronic scene. That’s facts.

In 2021, I started going to a lot of raves but it was only towards the end that I realized the line ups weren’t diverse and neither was the crowds and I wanted to make a change.

Junglicious changes that. It’s a community. Anyone can DJ for us. I want to put Black DJs and MCs at the forefront: “Are you going Balamii? Oh what, you DJ? Come with us”. So people see who you are. That’s the point. 

How does Junglicious represent the future of the rave scene?  

By creating Junglicious, and other people doing stuff like it, that’s the change that needs to happen. If you’re not gonna create a platform for us, we’re gonna create our own, otherwise we’ll be sitting here for years. It’s about building for the next generation, our children even, and giving them more role models. 

The Junglicious logo is the silhouette of a photo that was taken at Represent radio featuring a few of the crew members. When it comes to Junglicious as a collective, even if it isn’t me that blows up, I just want for at least one person in my group to.

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