Austin’s DJ Cassandra on Her Next Career Move and Championing Local Creatives
Austin’s preeminent party starter finds purpose in building community bonds
Cassandra Shankman is not “just a DJ.” It’s a phrase that gets thrown around constantly, and sure, holding down the decks as DJ Cassandra at some of Austin’s biggest events over the past few years is what she’s known for. The craft has propelled her into prestigious spotlights at ACL Fest, South by South by Southwest and Austin City Limits’ 50th anniversary taping, where she warmed up the audience for Willie Nelson, but it doesn’t represent the depth of her artistry or define her as a person.
“This isn’t just some DJ project, this isn’t just some rinky-dink thing that I’m going after… this is real,” says Shankman. “I have to make music. I’ve never felt that feeling, and right now, it’s composition at the University of Texas, which led coming from finding balance, mental and physical balance. I’m finally on a wellness journey that I’ve never been on in my life.
A big aspect of this journey in 2025 will include Shankman taking time away from playing live to write and produce her first album of all-original compositions, featuring not only her finely-tuned beat production, but also her adept instrumentation — primarily piano, which she’s played since childhood — plus a cast of other collaborators from her lifelong musical voyage.
It has been a multidimensional odyssey that started in earnest while studying music composition at the University of Texas, which led to working as a film orchestrator, including on several Terrence Malick movies, and eventually becoming one of Austin’s most in-demand DJs. In March, it all culminated in her win for Best DJ at this year’s Austin Music Awards. Shankman — the first female to nab the accolade — credits the win to the support of her fellow creatives.
“I think where I’m at is only because of my community,” she says. “That’s my award, and that’s everybody’s award. I couldn’t have done it without the people that have been on my journey.”
She cites that uplifting sense of interconnectedness as not only the driving force behind her choice to become a DJ, but also as the thing that sustains her in the face of burnout and depression, a struggle Shankman is candid about. After all, it’s still a job, and the grind of the past five years, which has included a cumulative 900-plus gigs, has taken its toll.
“DJing nonstop has really triggered a lot of stuff because of the crazy high-highs and the adrenaline that affects your brain and health… but it’s also the thing that really heals,” explains Shankman. “That’s what I think I’ve really learned — it feeds me. It just feeds me to keep going.”
To that end, a lucrative start to this year, including a high-profile performance at the Sips and Sounds Music Festival, headlined by Benson Boone and Halsey, has imbued Shankman with fresh energy to work on her upcoming album, which she describes as dance music that encapsulates her classical roots, intertwined with the spirit of Austin’s live music scene.
“It’s the harmonies, the melodies, the rhythms of this crazy, beautiful big-small city,” she says.
More than anything, she hopes that the inclusion of so many artists met during her decade of DJing will illustrate why pulling off unforgettable dance parties is about more than being “just a DJ.” It’s about showing how sharing music builds community, and ultimately, how music makes a lasting impact on humanity.
“It all comes back around… life is a full circle, and people need people. That’s all it is,” explains Shankman. “It’s like Maya Angelou said, ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”