Interview with MARIA CHAVEZ
Maria Chavez puts the needle on the record.
What’s up:
Getting ready to play a show tmrw. Good line up…
Where are you from:
Lima, Peru
Where are you now:
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NYC
How long have you been at it:
7 years as an avant turntablist, 3 years before as a House DJ
What got you started:
DJing, then I got bored of the whole scene and became a radio DJ for KTRU, got exposed to the experimental scene, fell in love with it and now do it full time.
What else do you do:
designer, vintage consultant- mainly for the men and stylist
How do you keep it together:
One day at a time. I think of the future but try not to depend on my daily expectations to fulfill my future hopes and dreams. Or I hide for a while, until it’s time to come out to perform.
What are you reading:
A biography about Cesar Bolanos (squiggly thing over the n).
A Peruvian Sound artist that worked mainly in Argentina from the 60s. Really amazing works.
What comedy and/or comedians are you into:
Ab Fab (helps me feel as if it’s ok to drink red wine alone while sewing), News Radio (RIP Phil Hartman), Dan Savage
What are you listening to, lately:
Cesar Bolanos (squiggly thing over the n)- Interpolaciones
Salem, naturally..
Anything by the disco group, Change. Especially with Luther Vandross in Glow of Love. That was my first disco record purchase when I was 14. Never gets old.
Luther Vandross
Screwed down Sade
and just got introduced to Ashra. Totally embarrassed that I didn’t know about this work sooner. Sunrain is the jam…
What art, if any, you seen worth talking about:
Super proud of my best friend Matthew Radune, who is educated as an architect but is creating an outdoor art/architectural installation in Detroit called, ‘Ice House Detroit”. Associated Press got hold of the story, it’s been big news.
www.icehousedetroit.blogspot.com
www.thewilding.com
Worked any fucked-up jobs? Do tell:
Considering working a fucked up job right now. Have been self employed since 2006, so just thinking about the idea of having a boss is really messing with me. But it needs to be done until I leave for some shows in March.
Played any fucked-up shows:
One time, a girl was drunk and starting making noises while I was performing. It was interesting but didn’t work out, because she sucked.
With whom, if anyone, do you roll:
Donna Huanca, best friends forever. www.ruaminx.com
Shelley Burgon, Byron Westbrook and Mike Wexler and I were hanging out a bunch this winter, but that time seems to be passing now. But was super fun while it lasted. We have a show together at Issue Project Room tmrw. Looking forward to it.
Where are you headed:
My hopes are to continue to work with large art institutions and non-profit festival organizations. Creating sound and visual pieces that question the roles of humans, music and society. Getting a vinyl cutter. More visual/sound installations. Receiving more grants, residencies, fellowships. Future is bright.
Where is the rest of it headed:
Brooklyn is in an interesting transition right now. Different worlds are colliding and people that would have never worked together before are starting to. It’s interesting. I hope the result is just as inspiring as seeing the collisions happening.
What can you do about it:
Continue to work with those people as well. Or at least hang out with them.
Are there any people you’d like to mention who’ve helped you work it out:
See above, “people I’ve been hanging out with”.
People to look for:
www.myspace.com/thesearepowers
People to look out for, because they are bad news:
Will stay mum about that. But will say that I cut out a bunch of old friends last year. Feels good.
Anything you have in the works, on the ready, or on the horizon:
A few performances lined up in March in L.A. A mini-retrospective of my sound sources that will hopefully be happening at the end of March and a possible tour of middle America, starting in Lincoln, Nebraska in May. And Prague in the fall which will probably lead me to Berlin again. My other home.
Anything else you want to pass on:
Indian Jewelry needs to be in NYC 😉
and
www.houndstoothnyc.blogspot.com
www.mynamelookslikeme.blogspot.com
Swamp Bats 