DJ Linda Lowell (Trancegirl) passed away in June 2013.
By: Lauren Walleser/TRT Assistant Editor—
BOSTON, Mass.—DJ Linda Lowell—otherwise known as Trancegirl—spun at the annual ESME Women’s Block Party, part of Boston Pride, for 17 years before passing away unexpectedly June 10, 2013. According to producer and promoter Harry Collings, this year’s Block Party will be dedicated to her.
“She had amazing energy from the moment she was on spinning her vinyl,” Collings said. “She really related well and interacted with the crowd through her music, and you could see that she would just build it and built it, and no one was ever disappointed.” [pullquote]“She had amazing energy from the moment she was on spinning her vinyl,” Collings said. “She really related well and interacted with the crowd through her music, and you could see that she would just build it and built it, and no one was ever disappointed.”[/pullquote]
COLLINGS, who produces the ESME Women’s Block Party along with LesbianNightLife, said he could not remember the event without her.
According to her autobiography, Lowell began DJing when her roommate’s boyfriend would leave his equipment at their apartment, and she would stay up all night practicing. Eventually, she spun for the Boston Super Skaters at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade, and went on to have many jobs at nightclubs throughout the Boston area, including Nicely Nicely’s, Bobby’s, Buddies, Indigo, Somewhere, Quest, Greystones, Gertrude’s, Xposures, Zon, Divas, Wet Bar, Venus, and Friend’s Landing in Haverhill. Her mixes played on local radio stations, and she even won a Boston competition to attend the DMC mix contest in San Diego, where she introduced the audience to House music for the first time. She also DJed for San Diego Pride.
“Music is a universal language, one we all understand,” LOWELL wrote. “I spend 40 hours a week finding the best music around the globe.”
Carrie Lynch, Lowell’s partner of 19 years, said Lowell was an exceptional person who was hard working and very dedicated.
Photo: Courtesy of Carrie Lynch, DJ Linda’s soul mate.
“She was very intelligent and knew so much about everything,” said Lynch. “She was one in a million and my soul mate.”
In addition to DJing, Lowell was also a gardener, skier and birdwatcher, as well as a golfer and president of the Ladies League in Chelmsford. She was also a town meeting representative, belonged to the Lowell Sportsmen’s Club, and worked for Spotlight Risk Services as a chief quality officer.[pullquote]“She was very intelligent and knew so much about everything,” said Carrie Lynch, Lowell’s partner of 19 years. “She was one in a million and my soul mate.”[/pullquote]
“When Bobby’s closed, Harry Collings asked her to DJ the ESME Block Party,” Lynch said. “She prepared months in advance and when Harry would call her to catch up about the upcoming Pride, the butterflies would start.
Lynch said that Lowell loved being a part of the LGBTQ community.
“She was a part of it and she considered it a family,” she said.
DJ Andrea Stamas will spin at this year’s event, and will be DEDICATING THE PARTY to Lowell along with Collings.
“DJ Linda Lowell and the Esme Women’s Block Party were completely synonymous to me for many years. You just didn’t have one without the other, and you came to expect that same great energy each time you attended,” said DJ Stamas. “Professionally speaking, she has served as an inspiration for me in the way she managed to captivate the crowd with her music and keep the party at a frenzied, fabulous level throughout!” [pullquote] “DJ Linda Lowell and the Esme Women’s Block Party were completely synonymous to me for many years. You just didn’t have one without the other, and you came to expect that same great energy each time you attended,” said DJ Stamas.[/pullquote]
According to DJ Stamas, she will do her “humbled best to step into those shoes and entertain this crowd of ladies (and a few gents) in the same way she did all those years.”
“You could tell just how much Linda loved her job and I want people to feel that from me, too,” said DJ Stamas. “I hope I not only make her proud, but earn that same love and support from her fans. We are also encouraging everyone to WEAR SOMETHING ROSE colored as that was Linda’s favorite color!”
And then, there are other ways of honoring Lowell.
“I suppose people can honor Linda just by thinking about her on Pride day,” said Lynch. “I believe she’ll be looking down and smiling.”
The ESME Women’s Block Party will be held Saturday, June 14 from 2 to 7 p.m. in the alley at 1 Boylston Place in Boston. For more information, visit www.lesbiannightlife.com.
[Editor’s Note: When we heard of DJ Linda’s passing, we felt we owed it to her work and legacy to have one of our own write a story to honor her life and remember her.]
