I started this series back in 2013 when I went through my first serious heartbreak and around the time I was just learning how to DJ. I used music to reflect on my past relationship and create something beautiful out of the pain.
As I continued through life and other romantic relationships, I learned how to create stories and themes with these mixes, getting more and more personal with each release. And while I haven't gotten much better at the whole dating thing, the mixes show my growth, vulnerability, and DJing expertise throughout the years.

HeartBrokeBeatz - The Series

This mix will
give you the chills.
make you hurt.
&think of someone.

Photo by Desirae Kiani
Design by JulietteGoubert.com

HeartBrokeBeatz - Round I

HeartBrokeBeatz (https://soundcloud.com/djsillysyl/heartbrokebeatz?in=djsillysyl/sets/concept-mixes) was one of my first mixes that I uploaded to Soundcloud about a year ago. At that time of my life, the emotions expressed in those songs represented how I felt pretty much every day last summer. Sadness seemed to follow me like that dumb cloud of depression I saw in those Zoloft commercials. I was the one who ended the relationship, but it still pained me to think of him “kickin’ it," as he put it, with one of my former friends. I was sick of the heartbreak having power over me, sick of not being able to listen to songs I once loved that now only brought back painful memories. I pulled together music that we listened to together, songs he posted on passive-aggressive Facebook statuses, and made what I considered to be a pretty damn good mix. I didn’t really know how to DJ, didn’t even know what beat-matching was. I was determined to learn though, and HeartBrokeBeatz was just the beginning.
 
Now I find myself one year later, heartbroken again, over someone else. And of course, music was a big part of our relationship. I had actually made her a mix CD for her birthday of songs that reminded me of us, but I never gave it to her; instead they fueled the beginnings of this mix. Every track that gave me the chills, every track that made me want to cry, I threw on here. And with a bit more technical expertise on the DJing front, I produced HeartBrokeBeatz - Round II. I even got it released on my friend’s label in Africa, @ProjektEuro (http://www.mixcloud.com/projekteuro/projekt-euro-essential-mix-6-silly-syl-290614/).
 
I now realize that heartbreaks are an inevitable part of life. You always take that risk when you let someone new into your life. But what’s important is the ability to take whatever it is that’s causing you pain, make it beautiful, and then push yourself forward. That’s the mark of a true artist.

Photo by Desirae Kiani
Design by JulietteGoubert.com

HeartBrokeBeatz - Round II

Love, sex, drugs, whatever your addiction may be, a Relapse can happen to the best of us. We know that it’s wrong and that we should probably stay away at all costs. But temptation is difficult to resist. You feel like you’ve never felt before; and yet, the feeling is all too familiar. I created this mix to describe the crazy spectrum of emotions involved in my Relapse. I’m still hiding behind the lyrics and music of others, but somehow, that feels safer to me than using my own voice. You’ll find new releases from Logic, Devon Baldwin, G-Eazy, Fei-Fei, and FKA Twigs, along with some throwbacks from Amtrac, Giraffage, and Rihanna. The lyrics meld together into a stream of consciousness about longing, indecision, sex, regret. Maybe you’ve never felt this way about anyone else. Maybe you’re not supposed to.

Artwork by Trevor Polk

Relapse

Welcome to the third installment of the HeartBrokeBeatz series. 
This mix is painfully honest.
It was difficult to create.
Although the story may involve a boy, it’s not about him really.
It’s about my experience of falling for a fantasy, through my eyes...and my voice, along with @cardlinaudio, voicing the male counterpart. I can’t thank him enough for helping me bring my creative vision to life with his resonant and emotional vocals.
If you’re ready to hear my truth, open your heart and press play.

tracklist:
1. What We’ve Got ft. Flint Eastwood - Manatee Commune
2. Feel Good ft. Daya (OXILO Remix) - Gryffin & Illenium
3. Ohhh Baby - Flamingosis
4. Valley - Tom Misch and Jordan Rakei
5. Attached - Mickey Blue
6. snapchat (rad cat remix) - surfclub
7. caught up (feyde edit) - Kameron
8. Dft - Sakima
9. Are We a Thing? - Titus
10. 1 Night (feat. Charli XCX) - Mura Masa
11. Golden (TRAILS Remix) - SAINT WKND ft. Hoodlem
12. High (EDWYNN x TIKAL Remix) - Jesper Jenset
13. Beg (Prince Fox Remix) - Jack & Jack
14. more than I can give (feat. David Blank) - Kharfi
15. You Might Be (feat. Lils) - Autograf
16. Miss You (Vince Remix) - Clean Bandit ft. Julia Michaels
17. Crave You (feat. Giselle) - Flight Facilities
18. Nostalgia (Remix) - Victor Perry & Ryan Lee
19. Cruisin’ - Ronin
20. Maniac - Jhené Aiko
21. Cruise Control (Prod. by GLACEAZUKA) - Nu Lighter
22. Bliss w/ JEIVOS - Ftureable
23. Echoes - Solstis
24. Kerala - Bonobo
25. I Still Feel You - Dabin
26. Night 1 - ta-ku
27. Apologies - EHALE
28. ID
29. Lover I Don’t Have To Love - Bright Eyes
30. ID
31. esc (su na Remix) - BASECAMP
32. I Met This Boy - B JYUN
33. Roses - SAINt JHN
34. Blame - KYLE
35. Think Bout Me - Ebhoni
36. Bambi - Jidenna
37. Somebody Else - The 1975
38. Love Me Better (feat. Ariel Beesley) [Love Thy Brother Remix]
39. ID
40. Like It’s Over (feat. MNDR) [Howle Remix] - Jai Wolf
41. self control - stefan
42. At Sea - 3 Roses
43. Come and See Me (Cover) - SVNAH
44. Dusk - Kiran Kai
45. summertime sadness - calfana dreams
46. Idfc - Blackbear
47. firefly - zynn
48. Suits You - Jackum
49. invictus - sir john william
50. Conjure (feat. Floyd) - DOJO!
51. Shot for Me - Devon Baldwin
52. Boss - Pettros
53. Cowards - Raleigh Ritchie
54. Have You Ever (Brandy Flip) - KMB

HeartBrokeBeatz - Round III (feat. CardlinAudio)

CONTACT djsillysyl at gmail dot com for bookings.

A few months after making her debut on her college campus, SILLY SYL got her professional start with mobile DJ company DJs of Boston in 2014 spinning at sports bars and weddings.  She later moved to the Bay Area to immerse herself in the queer nightlife scene with aspirations of playing nightclubs in support of her favorite electronic music artists. After learning how to spin on a controller, she quickly learned the ropes of Serato control vinyl and CDJs, making her extremely versatile both with hardware and musical genres.

She held down residencies at the Castro's beloved Q-Bar, at UHaulSF Parties for Girls who like Girls and San Francisco Pride. In 2018 she made her debut at 1015 Folsom nightclub in SF in support of Sosupersam.
All the while producing a weekly radio show in partnership with LA-based Traklife radio to share deeper soundcloud cuts with her international internet fan-base. And in the nightlife scene, she racked up supporting slots for massive touring artists like Tokimonsta, REZZ, Channel Tres, Dillon Francis, Sam Feldt, Snakehips, The Knocks.

In 2019 she collaborated with Bonsai Collective (spuke, Sasha Rome, Capshun) to bring UK-based @Complexion to his first headlining US performance for a sold-out show.

SYL continues to bring her eclectic sound to venues like 1015 Folsom, The Midway, Phoenix Hotel, F8, Monarch.  With a few international performances under her belt in places like Mexico City, Guatemala, and Dehli, she has her sights on continuing to captivate audiences in the Bay Area and worldwide.