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From Cassette Tapes to Queerly Beloved: My 20-Year Journey Behind the Decks

  • Sarah Mac
  • Nov 18
  • 8 min read

A long one, but it's my story. Grab a coffee. ☕


It Started With Cassette Tapes

I was that kid recording songs off the radio onto cassettes. Then burning CD's for friends (shoutout to LimeWire and my illegal downloads—sorry, music industry). I'd spend hours curating the perfect playlist for every party, putting songs in a very particular order, sometimes even writing timestamps on the CD case.

"Play this at 9pm—that's when they'll want to dance."

Looking back, I was an event manager from an early point without even realizing it. I understood something crucial: a party needs a build-up. You don't just dive in. You set a mood, you create a journey, you read the room.

I was far too planned. But honestly? That kid sitting in front of the computer obsessing over track order became the foundation of everything.


2006: DJ School in St Kilda

I took what little money I'd saved and enrolled in a DJ course at a school in St Kilda. Eight weeks learning the basics on CDJ's and vinyl. I'd make the trek into the city an extra night each week when the decks were free, just to practice.

At the end of the course, we had a "performance exam" at Circus in Prahran. Eight of us, mostly techno and heavy house heads. Then there was me—the commercial one who loved R&B, Ministry of Sound classics, and pop tracks that got everyone up.

I was one of two girls in the class, and I went first. It felt a little bit like "let's get the cute kid with the cute music out of the way first." I was on at 7:30pm. They had me start before they even let anyone in the building.

Six songs. Two on vinyl, four on CDJ's. The one track I remember? "Release the Beast" by Breakwater—that cool 1980 track Daft Punk sampled for "Robot Rock."

My friends arrived halfway through and treated me like a god. Out of everyone in that class, I felt like they looked at me as if I wouldn't last very long. Just some kid who wanted to play their music.

Plot twist: I think I may have come the furthest.


The Hustle Years

After "graduating," I started DJing friends' and family's birthdays, 18ths, 21sts. I'd hire equipment from a place in Boronia—collect it first thing Saturday morning, take it home, practice for hours, then head to my gig.

I was probably terrible. But I knew how to select music and could always get a dance floor going. I charged a few hundred dollars, which barely covered equipment hire and my time. To be honest, I probably lost money at the start. But I didn't care. I loved what I was doing.


Early engagement around 2010
An early on engagement party. With some big cheap Shure headphones on my head, I'm surprised I could hear anything.

The Investment

Eventually, I invested in my own gear. A Quest sound system (God, it was heavy), two Pioneer CDJ-100's second hand, and a Nexus MXM06 mixer. I felt on top of the world.

I spent countless hours in my parents' upstairs lounge practicing. They probably got sick of me leaving my equipment out all the time, but I'd regularly come back to it. I had a little book where I'd write instructions for myself: tempo, timecode of when to come in, when to come out, what effect to add.

There were very few effects back then. My favorite was the "jet" effect. It sounded the coolest.



Word of Mouth & Wedding Gigs

As time passed, I practiced more and picked up more private gigs—all word of mouth. I even got to do someone's wedding. I'd arrive with my equipment and CD cases, ready to go. I wish I took photos back then.

I got really good at R&B, pop, and house music. Ministry of Sound was everywhere, and I loved going to music festivals, so playing those tracks was a real thrill. The funny thing? You'd play the song off the Ministry of Sound album and had to mix out before the pre-mixed transition came in. I'm sure I sounded terrible.


Female DJ with CDJ100's and Numark Mixer - outdoor wedding reception
One of the few early photos of me DJing. This was a friend of a friends wedding in their backyard. CD's ready to go. Two cheeky sausage rolls on the sub, and this must have been peak emo side fringe era.

The First Break: Somewhere Bar

A few years in, a DJ friend introduced me to a Melbourne legend, Daniel Toop. Dan was building residencies at venues across the city and kindly gave me a shot behind the decks at Somewhere Bar on Chapel Street on Thursday nights.

I was the opening DJ. I kept coming back, but very quickly realized my pre-planned sets weren't going to work anymore. People started requesting songs that weren't in my carefully crafted runsheet.

One night, I tried to follow my book with all my pre-set times, but requests kept coming. I was forced to mix things on the fly and trust my gut. It came with a rush of adrenaline and a lot of freedom.

After that night, I never pre-planned a set again.

I stuck around Somewhere Bar for a few years. We turned Thursdays into an R&B night, and it helped me grow my skills massively. My CD wallet grew quickly too—I'd write down requests and if I didn't have it, I'd come back with it the next week.

Despite playing R&B all night, I'd always finish with "Bennie and the Jets"—the kind of track that people know, but also says "get the hell out."




The Name Game

I always hated having to come up with a DJ name. I just wanted to be called Mac, but how many people know a Mac?

For the first few years, I went by MacAtk—it was my car number plates, a 21st birthday gift from friends. My brother designed me a logo based on the Chomp Bar. I thought it was pretty cool.

But once I started playing football, my nickname around the club was Lil Mac. There was already a Macca, and she was bigger than me, so I became the micro version. I took it on as a DJ name, and it stuck.


DJ MacAtk logo, used early 2010's
If you know me, you will understand that this is very much on brand for me...probably even still now. Thanks Ben.

Finding My People

Things started to take off. I was working during the week in a TV studio and DJing most weekends—sometimes in venues around the city, sometimes at private events. It was great fun, but it was very "straight," and sometimes I felt out of place.

It was really fun at first, especially when my friends would come along. It didn't feel like work when we'd party together. I've never been a big drinker, but I got a natural high from seeing the crowd and my friends enjoying themselves.

After a while though, my friends stopped coming to gigs. It wasn't a priority for them anymore, and sometimes it just felt like work.

I hustled at clubs and venues regularly from around 2010-2019. Bridies O'Reillys, The Richmond Club, and The Bridge Hotel were on regular rotation for years. I remember DJing Saturday nights at The Bridge Hotel—8pm until 3am, all off USB's. It was long, loud, and I was exhausted by the end. My ears would be ringing for days. It wasn't good. Those were the kinds of nights where you were just working hard to stay ahead of the game.

It wasn't until I was given the opportunity to play at some of Melbourne's queer events that I really began to feel comfortable in my own skin. I played at nights that no longer exist: Lick, Bling, Thursday nights at Alia.

The difference was night and day. Suddenly, I wasn't just getting through a shift—I was connecting. I was working in a TV studio, playing football, and DJing. Life felt pretty good. I was also tired a lot, but the queer gigs? Those filled me up instead of draining me.




Friyay at Frannies

In 2014, a new monthly night started on the north side of town: Flannys on Fannys @ Frannies (Francesca Bar). Eventually, it changed from a Sunday session to Friday nights and became Friyay at Frannies.

I became a resident DJ as it grew incredibly popular. It was the new northside queer night, and we were establishing ourselves well. Hosted at various times by Chloe & Keeley, and Maddy, it turned into a fortnightly event.

It felt like home for a long time. With a fun dance floor vibe, I really found my groove and felt like I could be myself. I was a regular for a good 5-6 years.



Caravan Sounds

By 2018, I was ready to do something different. The apprenticeship was well and truly over. I had plenty of gigs and was a reliable DJ who could fill a dance floor. Long gone were the CD cases—I wandered around everywhere with my USB's (though I kept some CD's in the car as backup, just in case).

I took an idea to my friend Casey: a caravan DJ booth. I was sick of carrying heavy equipment into venues all the time and thought if you could just pull up and unload right there, life would be so much easier.

Casey was an events pro, and we'd been friends since high school. We knew we wanted to work on something together, and Caravan Sounds was born.

Together, we built a brand that was something completely different. I was the social media guru and DJ; Casey was the logistics queen and way better at admin than me. Despite being hit hard by COVID, we created something really cool and memorable for people once we got going. With me in Melbourne and Casey in Adelaide, we were able to reach two states and turn heads.

In 2023, Casey was in high demand, and I decided to take on Caravan Sounds solo, turning it into my main gig. I kept Melbourne running and took the second caravan to Darwin, where it really took off.



Why Queerly Beloved Exists

It's been almost 20 years behind the decks. Hundreds of weddings. Thousands of gigs. I've watched so many people celebrate their most loved-up days, seen romance bloom on dance floors in clubs, watched dance floors pump... and also die.

But what I've always loved more than anything was playing for my community. The LGBTQIA+ community. It was the place where I could feel safe and be myself. Not dress up for a wedding and try not to look "too gay" just to blend in. Not wonder if I'd be questioned or judged.

It helped me turn into the person I was meant to be and become more certain about it confidently.


One day, I was chatting with a same-sex couple who were interested in booking me. They mentioned they'd been to a wedding expo and felt like outsiders. Still. In 2025.

Immediately, I knew I had to make it easier for people to find me—and other DJ's in my community. Because from my experience, clients relax a little more when they feel safe and know you're "one of them." The guard comes down, and it feels like you are talking to a friend.

That's why Queerly Beloved Entertainment is here. It's here specifically for the she's, he's, gays, and they's. It's here so you can find me easier, and I can love every single celebration I do because I'll be amongst friends.




 
 
 

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