Contact DJ Tay
I love DJing Bachata, Salsa, Merengue, and mixed Latin nights combining the three. If you’re interested in having me DJ at your event, email me at fortheloveofbachata@gmail.com.
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Bio
Rooted in her love for authentic Bachata, Jessica Taylor, widely known as DJ Tay, has formed a community of like-minded individuals that support and spread appreciation of dance. In 2010, Jessica began social dancing in Pittsburgh, PA, mainly Salsa but quickly she fell in love with Bachata too (her love for Merengue, Bolero, and Kizomba would come later). She became addicted, and traveled to other cities to learn more about this style. In 2013, she became a promoter to invigorate the dance community and provide a safe space to learn and grow. Since that time, DJ Tay has been pushing the boundaries of Bachata music and dancing in her regional community, encouraging dancers to learn and appreciate a variety of styles of Bachata, but with a special focus on the roots and origins. Her company, For the Love of Bachata, began as a simple effort to share new Bachata music with her community on a Facebook page, but since has grown into socials, festivals, and DJing. Her bi-annual festivals attract national and international talent and social dancers who crave an authentic learning experience. She also promotes various outdoor events and collaborates with the Pittsburgh dance community that she calls home. As a DJ, Jessica’s vision is to play quality and diverse music to not only delight the ears of listeners and dancers, but also to expand their knowledge of the musical genres. She plays with the energy and feeling of the music to motivate dancers to stay on the floor all night. This is a technique she uses with Bachata, Salsa, Merengue and Bolero music. She is constantly investing her time to learn more about the dance and music as well as her money to build a collection rich enough to delight even the most experienced of dancers.
Achievements
Jessica DJs at her For the Love of Bachata festivals and has DJ’d at other events all over North America. Some of the more notable of these events include the Baltimore Salsa and Bachata Congress, The DC Bachata Congress, Bachateando Miami, and the Seattle Dance Experience. In March 2017, Jessica was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by the International Ambassador of Dominican Arts for her dedication to the development of Bachata in her community.
DJ Reviews
“Jessica is a rare talent in the sea of bachata DJs out there. Rather than going along with trends and sounding just like everyone else, she takes it upon herself to thoroughly research and understand the music she plays and genre of dance it pertains to. She possesses another rare trait that’s supremely valuable in this scene: she’s a skillful dancer, event organizer, and DJ. Because of this, she’s uniquely qualified to fully understand what dancers enjoy as well as being a complete and responsible professional.
My favorite thing about Jessica is that she’s one of just a handful of DJs in the entire scene who truly understands authentic Bachata music, whether it’s old or new. While everyone else is busy playing the same hits in the American charts, Jessica knows what’s good coming out of the Dominican Republic. This results in amazing musical journeys during her sets–songs that make sense with one another with a sensible progression rather than an English pop remix followed by “Asesina” or another transition of such jarring nature.
I travel to many places around the world to enjoy social dancing and Jessica is among my top choices for Bachata music. Her Salsa game is very strong too! Through the years I’ve seen her expand on this part of her DJing with the same drive, patience, and care that she used to get her Bachata game on point.
So if you’re looking for someone that really has it together both in professionalism and quality of work, you cannot go wrong with Jessica!”
“Jessica is the embodiment of the music she loves so much, her sets are a treat for any good bachata music lover and she is absolutely a necessity in any Latin event!”
“Her music never lets down!! Good songs, good vibes, and always some Dominican in the mix! :) 5 stars!”
“Beautiful person inside and out with an ear for music, great DJ talent and an open mind and heart who tries to always accommodate her clients needs! 💞🎼 5/5 Stars 🌟🔥”