In Session: The Black Madonna

The Black Madonna was the DJ Of The Year in 2016. As the year came to a close, she graced the cover of Mixmag and cemented her status as the world's leading selector. It was a turbulent 12 months in and out of dance music but, as always, in the face of adversity, the music managed to bring joy, happiness and a sense of release to millions and The Black Madonna remained an unflinching beacon of hope throughout.

As the dust settles, the first In Session mix of 2017 comes from the woman herself. It's the mix that she recorded for the cover of the magazine and is a lesson in powerful house music. It's a finely-crafted snapshot of what she does in the club, the kind of set that's her earned her the reputation of one of the most popular, endearing and damn right talented selectors on the circuit.

Her crowning as the DJ of 2016 shouldn't come as a surprise, although to her, this achievement meant a lot. A hell of a lot: "Well, it just doesn't seem real yet. This was a dream that was almost too big to dream."

The Black Madonna, real name Marea Stamper, is the definition of a grafter and she's never taken the easy route – because for her, there wasn't an easy route. “It was one long, extended attempt. Years of DJing a lot of fifty-dollar parties. Or no-money parties,” she recalled to Louise Brailey during her recent Mixmag interview.

Having grown up in Kentucky, it wasn't until 1997 that Stamper taught herself how to DJ and through a call up that lead her to Chicago, she began her quest. "Oh, I was chasing all my heroes, definitely," she says. "By the time I got to Chicago, Paul Johnson was my favourite DJ. I was very aware of the constellations within that city – I loved Derrick Carter, I loved DJ Heather, I loved Boo Williams, Terry Mullan… those were the people I grew up trying to emulate in Kentucky”

From there her DJ journey began and through years and years of hustle, The Black Madonna started to emerge. She started to work at legendary venue Smart Bar in 2012, taking an anti-establishment approach to curation and inviting a mix of straight, gay and trans DJs to become residents at the club. She's also drafted in gay party Men's Room and instigated DAPHNE, a series of workshops, talks and parties held at the club during Women's History Month. She's now the Creative Director of the club and still calls it home, whether she's in Chi-Town or not.

As a Smart Bar resident alongside the likes of Derrick Carter and the late, great Frankie Knuckles, she honed her ability to join the dots between spanky house, rolling techno and deviant disco. Her upbeat style caught the ear of promoters and curators across the globe and she's since rocketing into a fully-fledged touring DJ. These days, her sets are blistering exercises in how to roll out tunes so joyous and danceable that there's never a frown in the room.

And let's not forget that she's a very capable producer. The diggers among you will also know all about her productions: lush, spacey excursions on Argot or vibrant, invigorating workouts via Stripped & Chewed, for instance. She's also notched 12"s on The Nite Owl Diner and Home Taping Is Killing Music and her discography so far is a go-to for anyone looking for on-point and uplifting underground dance music. Her track 'He Is The Voice I Hear' landed in the Top 100 Tunes Of 2016 and her debut album is imminent.

We, along with the rest of the world, love The Black Madonna and her recent cover mix was a fantastic addition to the Mixmag ranks. For our first In Session of the year, we felt it right to showcase her mix to the world. We want to start 2017 as we mean to go on; with an abundnace of hope, love and a good fucking dance. Expect tracks from Peggy Gou, Matrixxman and Donato Dozzy, and be prepared to fall in love with Marea Stamper all over again.

We Still Believe.