Head Spins: DJ La Trice

Whoever said models can't cut it on the decks obviously never met model DJ La Trice. Featured in campaigns for Nicole Miller, Pantene, Ed Hardy, and Converse, and found on the cover of glam rags such as Pasha, La Trice definitely has the kind of look folks want to know better. But don't think for a moment that this long, tall beauty is just another face with a Serato.

Born in San Diego and raised in Wichita, where the "Lineman" still seems to be the only thing of note, La Trice made her way to Miami five years ago. The original intention, she says, was to break into the modeling scene. And within weeks she did just that, signing to Target Models International and facing up for some of the biggest brands in the business.

La Trice also began dancing, first for fun and then eventually for profit, shaking her money-maker at every hot spot in town, including Mansion, SET, Cameo, and Mynt. It was while La Trice was dancing away the nights when she got the big idea to begin spinning.

But, like I said, this chick doesn't just play model DJ; she's a model DJ who knows how to play. And that's because she takes the craft seriously. Before La Trice even set foot behind a booth, she made sure she knew what she was doing.

Initially, La Trice apprenticed at Miami Beach's own TheWomb.com, where a collective shared its knowledge and owner John Westley gave her room enough to find her way. Then, on a six-month intercontinental romp, La Trice parlayed an onslaught of daytime bookings in Milan, Marbella, Naples, and Madrid into a whirlwind of nights setting side-by-side with some of each city's best head spinners. It was during a set at the Colonial, in Marbella's Puerto Deportivo, when La Trice finally decided she had the skills to kick it back home.

Upon La Trice's return, Westley immediately signed her to his Model DJs Agency and booked her into Lincoln Road's Enso. Eighteen months later, she's still there, hustling forth her blend of "funky disco house" for the Saturday-night bustle. There you can hear her hold sway with the kind of rejoicefulness not experienced since disco had its heyday.

If modern-day flashbacks such as Freemasons' "Love on My Mind," Natural Born Groove's "Candy on the Dancefloor," and Secret Service's "I Feel What" don't propel you to a whole new dimension, think of what they'll do once you get a glimpse at who's putting 'em into play. Just don't look too hard, 'cause this is one model who'd much rather be heard than seen.

DJ La Trice's current top five:

1. "Fruit Machine," the Ting Tings

2. "You Make Me Feel," Anna Grace (Bimbo Jones Remix)

3. "Black & Gold," Sam Sparro

4. "Beggin'," Madcon

5. "Back Off Move Away," James Curd