SCENE SERENE

dj . curator . writer

OVERVIEW: Brooklyn-born, Scene Serene specializes in deeply curating experiences that weave together DJing, music journalism, and community connection. Serene is the creator of two event series, The Music Nerds, a social + listening club for Black music lovers, and Serene Sessions, her residency celebrating the many shapes of modern alternative R&B. Additionally, she calls on her journalism background to document and publish editorial previews of her listening experiences via her Substack.

GIGS: Serene is currently accepting gigs for speciality R&B sets AND open format multi-genre mixes, incorporating hip-hop, dancehall, R&B-pop, soca, afrobeats, and house music.

EXPERIENCE: Serene learned the foundational elements of DJing at the Scratch Academy in New York City, and has played at the following venues: Pianos, Red Pavilion, Selva, Saint James Libations, The Se7en, Cafe Kitsuné, Miss Barb’s, Market Bar, Brooklyn Wellness Club and a host of private events, from business launches and anniversary events to birthday parties.

HIGHLIGHTS: In 2025, Serene was featured as rising in music on Substack and Black Women Spin’s “DJs you should know.”

CULTURAL MISSION: Cultural preservation. As a native New Yorker of Jamaican and Southern African-American heritage, Serene grew up in a multi-cultural hub built by working-class people of color who defined culture for themselves and influenced the city’s identity. Serene desires to carry on that spirit of DIY organizing in her DJ and writing practices alongside the current generation of creative New Yorkers.

Scene Serene’s work integrates her 15 years of music journalism experience with DJing and community connection to foster slower, meaningful, and intentional appreciation of music. By integrating these skills, she is innovating accessible living music archives that encourage active participation and consider the spectrum of personalities and moods of her participants.

At her experiences, human curation and communal exchange are at the center of music discovery and enjoyment.

As cultural consumption speeds up and algorithms dictate our listening habits, her work reminds us to slow down and reflect on the depth and humanity of artists past and present, popular and underground, across media and environments.

SOCIAL: Substack, IG, Soundcloud, TikTok

“As consumption speeds up and algorithms dictate our listening habits, her work reminds us to slow down and reflect on the depth and humanity of artists past and present, popular and underground, across media and environments.”