Cue Point is a series in which artists illustrate the early dance floor experiences of producers and DJs. Following editions with Shanti Celeste and Turbo Island and Willow and Will of Pomona Studios, this time Amsterdam-based artist Chad Bilyeu depicts Carista's early party and DJing experiences in Rotterdam.

Carista was working several jobs and studying when she started going to parties. She was living in Utrecht at the time, so she'd take the train to Rotterdam and crash at a friend's house or get the first train home.

Crossing the famous Rotterdam bridge was an early memory of those trips.

Carista remembers a night at Rotterdam venue Club Zonder Concessies called Strange Fruit, with Flying Lotus playing his first Rotterdam show. She hadn't heard soulful sounds in Utrecht before—she was used to hearing mostly techno and Top 40 music. The experience was refreshing.

Carista also saw DJ LeFtO play at RoTown. The party was full of warm, soulful grooves, with LeFtO playing a mix of broken beat, house and hip-hop, including one of her all-time favourites, "SpottieOttieDopaliscious."

This led Carista to start digging at Amsterdam's Distortion Records. Piles of records were sprawled out across the shop. It was organised chaos.

In 2010, Carista found out about a mixtape contest being held at Bird. The winner would get the opportunity to play at the club and win a free pair of sneakers.

Carista won the contest. She was nervous—it was her first official gig with a big crowd—but she had fun. During her set she noticed Guido, who helps programme nights and festivals at Bird and around Rotterdam, nodding his head. Carista could tell he was feeling her selections, especially a Dego record she played.

Guido started to book Carista regularly at Bird, including warm-up slots for live bands like Submotion Orchestra. She continued juggling her studies with DJ sets at local bars and low-key parties, and her DJ career was in motion.

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