Ayanna Heaven

Brooklyn-based selector and ethnomusicologist bridging Jamaican sound system culture with global diasporic rhythms.

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Ayanna Heaven is a DJ, radio host, and event producer whose work is deeply rooted in Jamaican sound system culture. Raised in Saint Mary, Jamaica, during the 1990s dancehall era and later shaped by the Atlanta, Georgia hip hop scene, she brings a scholarly yet intuitive approach to her craft as an ethnomusicology graduate. She hosts the monthly program Sounds of Heaven on The Lot Radio and serves as a selector for the long running Across 110th Street show on WKCR. Her sets traverse roots reggae, rocksteady, dancehall, afrobeats, and funk, often emphasizing organic textures and historical continuity. By bridging deep musical research with a vibrant, contemporary club sensibility, she acts as a vital conduit for global diasporic sounds in the modern nightlife landscape.