LA native Juliet Mendoza initially came up in the club music scene as a dancer at age 13, but made the switch to DJing because, as she tells it, no one was spinning the kind of house music that she liked. Now she’s making music of her own: Mendoza’s debut EP, Juju Love, is out next week on Defected Records subsidiary Nu Groove.
Mendoza’s exclusive FREAKS ONLY guest mix previews a track from the EP (among other tasty cuts), showcasing a sound that skews toward deep, soulful house with an ear to the sound of the ’90s. She talks with host Travis Holcombe about her musical origins, creating the EP, and the new label she’s launching this summer.