SELECTRESS IRIELA
Iriela is a DJ, producer and futurist set on bringing people together through the power of music. Selectress Iriela began her journey on reggae radio in Boston in the nineties on 88.9FM WERS, and toured the world since, launching her production company, music festival and international nonprofit organization/ tech company. Her deep house track “No Sleep (Till NYC)” debuted on the Traxsource AfroHouse Essentials chart with music video views climbing by the minute. Iriela regularly assembles all-star teams on her productions, from hundreds of performers she booked for her music festival, Culture Fest International, to a collaboration including Lady Starlight, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest and Amp Fiddler on an upcoming project with her conscious tech company, Second World. Catch her on screen as a host on New York Fashion Week Style 360 and actress on the Poundz webseries – and check out her recent interview and live DJ set on the Sway in The Morning program on Shade45 channel on Sirius FM. Iriela served as Kingston Entertainment Correspondent for IRIE FM Jamaica, and actually had a role in the reissuing and release of many rare Studio One records for the Heartbeat label. A big highlight for her was appearing on the recent incarnation of The Arsenio Hall Show, and being invited to play on friend and legend DJ Scratch’s Scratch Vision program! Selectress Iriela performs alongside artists like DJ Spinna, Louie Vega, Breakbeat Lou, Just Blaze and legends Chaka Khan, The Wailers, Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals and more.
As a filmmaker her first feature film is a decade deep in production around the world, “Reggae Revolution” features interviews with a who’s who of the genre including everyone from Sly and Robbie, and Mad Professor to Mutabaruka.
Selectress Iriela spins on behalf of her global mission with her edutainment group, Second World (www.second-world.com) which itself was inspired from her love of music and her research in international development in Jamaica- where she lived in Kingston. To bridge the gap between the so-called “First” and “Third” world, Iriela founded her production company to combine the power of media production, musical events and fairly traded art empowerment to uplift and edu-tain all. She is the founder / producer of the interactive media and music festival, Culture Fest International ethical global events. Iriela is an original member of Boston’s Toneburst Collective and credits her work with the boundary pushing collective as a big influence in her interactive event production approach. To this day Iriela works with experimental pioneers like turntablist DJ Darryl Hell and groundbreaking event, Beat Research in Boston.
Memorable DJ gigs range from playing an all vinyl 90’s reggae set to find DJ Kool Herc standing next to her in the booth with his approval, spinning at a film premiere at Lincoln Center, rockin’ an outdoor dancehall in Maroon rebel settlement Accompong in Jamaica- to DJing an underground club in Berlin. Iriela has played on some of the best sound systems in the world such as Analog BKNY and at the hottest parties like Deep Space with François K, Funk Box with Tony Touch, Mobile Mondays! all vinyl party, and venues such as Cielo, Output, and respected mainstays like Nell’s and CBGBs in New York City.
With twenty five passionate years in the industry, Selectress Iriela looks forward to more music releases, production and writing. Iriela prides herself in producing events and music which booms with the force of that classic Jamaican sound system – the original “club” experience – and a special reminder that this is our collective heartbeat – the irresistible beat of the drum.
Selectress Iriela sees music as “. . . a revolutionary force like no other. A universal vibration uniting us all.”
