Staying grounded
Local "wilderness" DJ Ellie Ellis on cultivating her own sound

Ellie Ellis, aka DJ Specific Heat
For this week’s “Between the Beats,” I sat down with the infamous Ellie Ellis, aka DJ Specific Heat. A native of Durango, Ellis has carved out a reputation as Durango’s de facto wilderness-based DJ, playing deep and dark house music sets on remote BLM land and in Durango’s hottest night spots alike. I recently sat down with Ellis to learn more about her journey as a PhD candidate by day and DJ and event curator by night.
SS: As we’re having this interview, you’re preparing a final draft of your dissertation, which is up for defense soon. Tell us a little bit about your research.
EE: I research agriculture and climate change, specifically regenerative agriculture practices that can help mitigate the impacts of climate change. I study how practices like no-till cropping and cover crops can help store carbon in the soil and remove it from the atmosphere.
SS: Tell us a little bit about your journey into DJing.
EE: I started in college. I’ve always been a lover of music, especially electronic music. In college, there were all these women’s music nights, but there were never any women DJs. I thought, “You know, I feel like I could figure this out.” So, I borrowed equipment from friends and pieced together some really sloppy sets. And I really loved it. During COVID, I was working at Open Sky (Wilderness Therapy). When the lockdown started, I felt like I needed a new creative outlet. That’s when I decided to buy my own DJ equipment and started throwing events in the wilderness for the Open Sky community. It allowed us to gather in a way that was safe, outdoors and socially distanced. Things just kind of blossomed from there.
SS: Describe your growth as a DJ in terms of the music that excites you.
EE: When I first started DJing, I felt a lot of pressure to play music that would appeal to everyone. A couple of years ago, I played a set in Fort Collins that I wasn’t very prepared for, and I decided, “You know what? I’m going to play exactly what I want to play.” It turned out to be one of the best sets I had ever done. I was feeling the music so much more, and people were introduced to a sound they hadn’t really heard before.
SS: What’s the central identity of the parties you like to throw, outdoors or indoors?
EE: I love creating platforms where people feel empowered to contribute their own creativity. We often hold open mics or craft fairs where people can bring things they’ve created to sell or trade. We also like to end events with community shoutouts – recognizing all the great things people in our community are doing, whether related to music or something entirely different. A couple times I’ve had people come up to me after events and say, “I’ve never felt that welcome at events like this. But having you on stage as a really welcoming, female-bodied person just makes me feel like I belong.”
SS: What’s on the horizon for you, in terms of upcoming events and DJ gigs?
EE: I’ve got a couple of Snowdown events coming up. The first is at Gravity Lab on Jan. 25. They’ve planned various fun events related to climbing. There will be black lights, music and playful competitions throughout the day. That’s from 5-10 p.m. Then, the following weekend, on Feb. 1, I’ll be DJing another black light party at Esoterra Cidery. It’s going to be Candyland-themed, with body paint, I think.
SS: I’m curious – are there any lessons that soil has taught you, whether in the academic world or in the wilderness, that you’ve been able to bring to your DJing?
EE: I came across this project by some researchers in Sweden called “The Sounds of Soil.” They placed highly sensitive microphones at different depths in the soil profile and recorded the sounds of soil life – all the unseen organisms living beneath the surface of the Earth. I think the connection there is that I hope my music and the energy created through events help bring unseen voices to the surface. I want my music to unearth emotions, whether it’s a connection between two people, a positive vibe within a community or even grief and sadness. I hope the music and energy cultivated at these events help give a voice to things that might not otherwise be expressed.
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