DJ SushiLor Brings the Party to Milwaukee and Beyond

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DJ SushiLor brings the eclectic party to Milwaukee, recently being voted as one of the top five finalists in the Shepherd Express MKE’s Best of 2023 under the “Club DJs” category. As a touring open format DJ with 13 years of experience, Sushi prides herself on the versatility and diversity in what she plays. Highlights of her career have been performing at Summerfest, Pridefest, House of Blues Chicago, Pabst Theater and most recently Riverside Theater. Additionally, she was on the Milwaukee Bucks DJ team for their 2019-2020 season.

Born in Thailand and raised in Milwaukee, SushiLor came up in the hip hop and R&B communities, beginning her career as a hip hop artist at the age of 14. By the time she was 20, she recognized the difficulty of being a successful artist without a team and proper financial support. “I figured that if I became a DJ, I could play my own music,” Sushi explains. “That was why I transitioned over, and it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

She got into the clubs right away with her first gig being Ladies’ Night at Club Bari in Downtown Milwaukee (now Bodega Nightclub). This was an opportunity to play her music for the crowds; however, Sushi's gigs picked up so fast that she decided to stop making music entirely in order to focus on DJing full time. “It’s like a job where you move around but stay in the field,” Sushi describes her pivot.

Variety of Styles

With her Pioneer DDJ-1000SRT controller, Sushi plays a wide variety of styles but particularly enjoys incorporating music of different cultures into her set. “Lately I’ve been playing a lot of Hmong and Laotian music,” she said. “That has come about because in the past few years, there've been a few new Asian venues that have opened up, which there weren't a lot of when I first started. It feels great to see that.”

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DJ SushiLor is a frequent performer at spots like La Cage, Victor’s on Van Buren, Allure MKE and Xankia. “I love that there’s more venues and businesses now that are attracting people to the city of Milwaukee,” she notes. “It’d be cool to see more special events like themed parties or guest DJs happening in the scene.”

Sushi is a member of the international collective Core DJs Worldwide. She has traveled to perform in states such as California, Texas, South Carolina, Michigan and Minnesota, and credits Core DJs for helping expand her network beyond Milwaukee. “It’s good to see a different group of people who are excited to see you as well,” she affirms. “People do show you love when you’re local, but the support from people who don’t normally see you is very heartwarming.”

Her dream is to perform at major festivals like Rolling Loud and EDC. She also hopes to travel for more gigs in places like Atlanta and California.

The next step in DJ SushiLor’s career has found her getting into producing and making her own pop music, which comes full circle because it means playing her own music for crowds again. “I’ve been mixing other peoples’ music for a while, but I truly believe that making what is authentically me will help take my music to the next level,” she contends. “My next project will be to release my first single as a DJ.”

To get in touch, email DJ SushiLor at @sushilorbooking@gmail.com or follow her on Instagram @sushilor. Visit her website at sushilor.com.