NEW ORLEANS — There are a lot of new things you can expect from French Quarter Fest this year. Between the expansion into Spanish Plaza, new food vendors, and artists making their debut, there is a lot to see this year. Including a brand-new DJ stage.
"I’m a good 34 years in playing these songs and trying to make people shake their butts," said Roger Dickerson.
Dickerson aka DJ Raj Smoove has been DJing since he was in the 8th grade. Now, he is on the French Quarter Fest Board. He played a huge role in bringing this new stage that, exclusively features local DJs, to life.
Dickerson said, "I definitely think it’s going to be a good addition to the French Quarter Fest lineup just because you know it’s a party, and what's a party without a DJ?"
When it came to finding a sponsor, PosiGen Solar jumped on the opportunity.
"Hearing Raj Smoove and his plans for how he’s curating this was really inspiring for me. We thought that this could be something really unique," said John Ross with Posigen Solar.
This year over a dozen DJs will be making their French Quarter Fest debut, including Jessica Simmons but you can call her DJ Jess.
Simmons said, "I was like wow OK people are noticing me, that’s what he said to me that my name is out there in the right circles to the right people that they thought 'OK well we want to put Dj Jess on the first lineup of DJ's.'
"Seven years doesn’t seem that long compared to some of the other DJs that I know," she continued. "So, I’m excited to just be considered for it."
DJ Jess and Raj Smoove both said having a stage that puts a new corner of New Orleans culture at the forefront is huge.
"They’re tapping in now! There’s more to the culture now and it’s just different people that you can highlight," said Jess.
Smoove said, "To get a spot in a festival like that where traditionally hip-hop hasn’t necessarily been accepted or invited; to have our own area carved out where we can claim it as our own, and be in the mix of everything, you know is a testament to the art form itself."
Smoove kicked things off on the stage Thursday night. DJ Jess will be one of the ones to close out the festival on Sunday from 12:50 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.