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Enraptured

DJ Rap spinning at Foundation

Who: DJ Rap

What: Foundation

Where: Garfinkel’s

When: Tuesday, Feb. 15

Tickets: $15

The DJ/electronic music production world is what you might call male-dominated, and the sub-genre of jungle and drum ’n’ bass is a step beyond that.

The realm of hardcore drum ’n’ bass is an undisputed testosterone-fest. It’s boys that like to dance to it, boys that create it and boys spin it.

The She-Ra Princess of Power in this Masters of the Universe world is DJ Rap, a.k.a. Charissa Saverio.

Hailing from East London, Rap is often tagged as one of the hottest DJ/producers in her scene, which superficially applies to her model good looks. But her hotness goes well beyond the babe factor. Rap has been ruling it at the decks for a decade and is often mentioned alongside fellow U.K. drum ’n’ bass pioneers such as LTJ Bukem, Grooverider and DJ Hype.

Rap made a name for herself as a producer and talented mixer in the early 1990s, which led to the start of her own label, Proper Talent, in 1994.

In 1997 she rose from the underground and signed a major label contract with Sony subsidiary Higher Ground, home to luminaries Grooverider and Leftfield.

Since the release of her Higher Ground debut Learning Curve in 1998 – a recording lauded for "fusing pop sensibilities with an underground production ethic" – the artist has juggled a growing mainstream profile as a singer and songwriter with a dedication to her Proper Talent roots.

"My relationship with drum ’n’ bass has always been like the one you have with your childhood friends; there are occasional crap periods but something will always happen to bring you back together and make the friendship even stronger," Rap states straight up on her website.

"From as far back as I can remember, my goal has been to sing songs to huge audiences but if someone would have asked me 10 years ago if DJ-ing with drum & bass would open those doors for me – I wouldn't have believed it."

DJ Rap spins at JnB Productions and Dirty Beats Records weekly Foundation club night this Tuesday at Garfinkel’s. Tickets are $15, available in advance at Dirty Beats.