Midori McSwain is a rarity in the hip-hop world: a female disc jockey. On campus she is simply known as Midori, but outside the Evanston bubble she goes by DJ Dooski.

McSwain, who sports a vintage Michael Jordan crewneck sweater and trouser sweats with a tri-colored waistband, sits at Peet’s Coffee & Tea with her MacBook by her side and describes her weekends as a blur of on- and off-campus parties and downtown clubs.

But McSwain says it’s not all about the parties.

It’s about the music, the style and the DJ culture. A culture that she believes needs to be talked about, especially when it comes to issues like sexism. When she gets behind the turntables, she says she lets her music do the talking. “I personally think women have great taste in music,” the Communication junior says. “We have an ear for sounds and melodies that go together.”

Music has always played a part in her life, says McSwain, who grew up listening to hip-hop. But it was the DJ subculture that piqued her interest.

“I was really intrigued by their mystique,” the Detroit native says. “They’re mysterious-they don’t really say much, but they have control over everything that is going on.”

McSwain became entranced by the job, but she never thought it was something she could do, until she saw DJ Beverly Bond spin tracks at a Rock the Bells concert. “I saw her and I was like, ‘this is something that I could do too,'” McSwain says.

She spent the summer saving up her money from teaching tennis to purchase all of her DJ equipment. Her mom was firmly against it and thought it was just a phase-and an expensive one at that-but she has since come to accept it, “because I’m making money,” McSwain says as she laughs.

Despite working in a male-dominated industry, she says she’s never been discriminated against. In fact, she admits being female gives her a bit of an edge. “It’s almost become more of a novelty because it is so rare, especially to be a DJ in hip-hop,” McSwain says.

But McSwain doesn’t want her gender landing her gigs.

“I’d rather you hire me because you like my craft,” she says.

McSwain also finds time to participate in A&O Productions and For Members Only while working towards a double major in communications studies and African American studies, as well as a minor in Asian American studies.

What does the future hold? She hopes to go to graduate school, write a dissertation on female DJs and eventually teach hip-hop studies. But DJing will always be part of her life. “You can’t have a party without a DJ,” McSwain says.