Based in Greece, Zoe Agapidou, aka Night Nurse, is a vinyl DJ and collector with a particular love for 45s and the sounds of Garage, Psych, Greek Beat, and female-fronted music from the ’60s and ’70s. Behind the decks, her sets are rooted in digging, discovery, and sharing the records and artists that keep these sounds alive.

Zoe is also building Her Turntable Tales, a project dedicated to celebrating women throughout vinyl culture. Through music, storytelling, and community, the project creates space to share the women, records, collections, and stories that have helped shape vinyl culture, both past and present.

Outside of DJing, and working as an actual nurse, Zoe spend a lot of time digging for records, discovering forgotten artists and hunting for original pressings. She loves going to gigs, vintage markets and record fairs, and is inspired by music history, design and underground culture from the 60s and 70s. Zoe is also currently writing a book and getting starting to play bass guitar, which she says feels like an exciting new creative journey.

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

Music was always a huge part of my life, but collecting vinyl became a real passion when I started discovering the energy and the original sound of 60s Garage and Psych records. Over time, digging for music turned into DJing, and I fell in love with sharing these sounds with people on the dance floor. What motivates me most is preserving the spirit of these records while also giving more visibility to female artists, collectors and DJs who have shaped music culture.

What is a day in the life like?

Every day is a mix of music, research and creativity. I usually spend time listening to records, organizing my collection, searching for new finds or preparing DJ sets. Depending on the week, I might be practicing mixes, creating content for Her Turntable Tales, attending events or playing gigs.

A lot of my inspiration comes from digging deep into music history and constantly discovering hidden gems. Outside of music, I enjoy cooking vegan meals, especially as a way to relax and slow down after busy days.

In your opinion what has been your favorite / the coolest thing you've worked on?

One of the coolest things I’ve worked on is creating Her Turntable Tales. It combines everything I love, vinyl culture, storytelling and female voices in music. I’m especially excited about building a platform that not only shares great records, but also creates connections between artists, collectors and music lovers from different scenes and countries.

I also organize gigs in my town Athens focused entirely on female DJs and female fronted records, which has been incredibly rewarding. Creating spaces where women can share music, connect and express themselves freely feels very important to me and is something I hope to keep growing in the future.

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

One of the most difficult parts is staying consistent and balancing passion with everything else in life. Vinyl collecting and DJing can be very time consuming and sometimes expensive, especially when searching for rare original records.

I also think women in the vinyl and DJ scene still have to work harder to be taken seriously in certain spaces. But at the same time, those challenges motivate me even more to keep going and create projects like Her Turntable Tales that give visibility to female voices in music culture.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you’re doing?

Don’t worry about having the biggest collection or the most expensive gear right away, some of the best records are discovered through patience and curiosity.

Start because you genuinely love music, not because of trends or social media. Spend time listening deeply, learning about genres and artists, and developing your own taste. Don’t worry about having the biggest collection or the most expensive gear right away, some of the best records are discovered through patience and curiosity.

Go to record stores, talk with collectors and DJs, support local scenes and never stop digging. Most importantly, trust your ears and your instinct. Your personality and selection matter more than following what everyone else is playing.

Are you a vinyl collector yourself? What drew you to it? If not, why the vinyl industry?

Absolutely. Vinyl collecting became an obsession after I discovered 60s Garage Punk and Psych records. There’s something special about holding an original 45, hearing the imperfections, reading the labels and imagining the story behind it.

For me, collecting vinyl is more than music it’s research, storytelling and preserving pieces of cultural history.

What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you’re excited or worried about? i.e. innovation, or trends you’re seeing.

I’m excited that younger generations are discovering vinyl and becoming more interested in digging deeper into music history instead of only consuming music digitally. I also love seeing more women entering the DJ, collecting and selector scene and creating supportive communities around music.

At the same time, I think vinyl has become very commercialized in some ways, and prices for records especially rare originals keep getting higher. Sometimes trends move faster than genuine discovery. I hope the culture keeps its soul and continues to value passion, knowledge and connection over hype.

Who has been influential to you and your growth as a professional in this industry? 

A lot of inspiration has come from female DJs, collectors and musicians who kept digging and creating despite not always being recognized. I’m especially inspired by women who preserve underground music culture and share knowledge openly.

Beyond specific names, the record collecting community itself has taught me a lot from local collectors in Greece to DJs and selectors around the world who are passionate about keeping rare music alive.

Anything else you want to share? If not, tell us what you're listening to right now: 

Lately I’ve been deeply into obscure female-fronted Garage and Psych records, but I always move between genres depending on my mood.