French Quarter Fest debuts DJ stage

Among the new aspects at this year’s French Quarter Festival is a stage dedicated to New Orleans DJs spinning a range of genres, from hip-hop and electronica to Afrobeat and Latin styles. It’s a welcome, if belated, focus on the important place those party-starters, vibe-curators and trend-setters have had in New Orleans music. The PosiGen Solar DJ Stage is at the foot of Canal Street, along the river in Aquarium Plaza, and will feature 24 artists across the festival’s four days. Many of those performers are making their French Quarter Fest debut. On the lineup are several DJs who are well-established figures in New Orleans hip-hop, including Raj Smoove (5-6:20 p.m. Thursday), EF Cuttin (12:50-1:50 p.m. Friday), Captain Charles (6:40-8 pm. Friday), Westbank Red (3:30-4:40 p.m. Saturday) and DJ Poppa (5-6:20 p.m. Sunday). Performers like Kelly Green (6:40-7:50 p.m. Saturday), Antwigadee! (3:30-4:40 p.m. Sunday), DJ RQ Away (6:40-7:50 p.m. Sunday), Legatron Prime (5-6:20 p.m. Friday) and her Where My Girls At? party collaborator DJ Jess (12:50-1:50 p.m. Sunday), Spin Griffey (11:10 a.m.-12:20 p.m. Sunday) and Saint Amethyst (12:50-1:50 p.m. Thursday) have become contemporary favorites in New Orleans for their creative mixes that span hip-hop, electronic dance music, R&B, rock and...