I am so exited to be bring you more details on our first show at waxradioindy.com. I got to admit, it took longer than I thought, but it was important to build up the our website and grow it’s tentacles a bit before we get on AIR. Plus, I have been real picky about the talent I wanted exclusive content from. I’ll be honest, graveyardradio.net wanted the full package. I’m proud to say that both my artists featured on this very special first show are just that. AZA is an incredible DJs and Producer! We get pretty deep with both of them in this feature if you read on. The show starts this Saturday, June 5th at 6 PM EST. In the first hour we will play my first installment of my unreleased nu-disco 3-part series, West Side Story. It will be followed by an exclusive techno mix from rising DJ and Producer, all-over techno star, AZA.
AZA
“Detroit House and Techno are also huge influences.”
Isis Azarene a.k.a. AZA has been everywhere recently! She just shared 2 stages in the same month with big names! One was with Superstar DJ Keoki and another with Robert Armani! We most recently featured AZA in our “Sonic Temple” feature if you missed it. I’ve listened to her little over a year ago and I have been impressed keeping up on AZA’s career so far in the underground. I feel techno is seriously on the rise again in the Mid-west and artists like AZA are proof of that. I see her as a rising star in Indianapolis’s underground and am looking forward to seeing this DJ and Artist have a bright and long future in the industry. I asked her about her background and influences and here is some things she wanted to say.
“I am not a huge fan of labeling. If something moves me I want to put elements of it in my set.”
On music as a kid:
“When I first started DJing, my influences were from my family roots of Trinidad and Tobago. Calypso music from our island is polyrhythmic and are some of the first sounds I heard as a child. I’m classically trained in vocal performance. As a kid, I held the honor of singing at the opera house and meeting Pavarotti back stage.”
“From a child I was destined to do music. From my exposure to many types of music and then majoring in Music and Vocal Performance in College the transition into DJing and production was seamless. For my entire life I have been collecting tracks. I was known as the selector in my friends and family circles before I even learned of DJ equipment.”
On influences and coming up as a DJ:
“There are two interviews that stood out for me and convinced me to DJ officially and finally go public in 2018. One was the Black Madonna (now Blessed Madonna) and the other Nicole Moudaber. As a female, I felt intimidated by the industry being mostly male. Visibility was not strong and it seemed impossible at the time. In both of these interviews they were very encouraging and their words stayed within me for years to come. I started going to house music events before I started DJing! I was raised in San Francisco and surrounded by the house music scene there. I performed on a Djembe at some events.”
Okay, I’ll be honest. I had to Google what an Djembe was guys.
“Next stop was DJing. The influence to my sound is combination of my native music, combined with my life experiences, and exposure to many types of music. I first started my affair with electronic music listening to jungle and dnb. Roni Size was on repeat in my car for awhile. Hip-Hop has also been a huge influence for me. Some artists include Common, The Roots, Black Starr, Gangstar (guru), etc. For me good music is good music! I am not a huge fan of labeling. If something moves me I want to put elements of it in my set. Being a music producer, I sometimes make my own edits, which really adds a unique personal feel to my sets. Dennis Ferrer, David Harness, and Miguel Migs were huge influences for me. Detroit House and Techno are also huge influences. Inner City’s “Good Life” was a song that stuck with me, along with Crystal Waters “She’s Homeless”. Attending Movement Festival over the years was a huge eye opener for me. It solidified what I was passionate about. It kept me inspired and excited to stay in music forever.”
So, we have influences from the Caribbean, to the West Coast, to the heavy influences that Chicago and Detroit have on the Midwest. That’s not all though. AZA has the European Experience as well.
“In my travels to Europe, I fell madly in love with techno. I went to a music program in the Netherlands. In between producing tracks, I was on trains to get to techno clubs. I got really lucky and was able to see Amelie Lens perform up close and personal in club that was literally under the ground in Rotterdam, NL. It was a small room. I was really able to feel her set and the energy in the room. She performed a 6 hour set and I’ll never forget it. I ended up meeting her and left the club feeling inspired again.”
On releasing music and techno being her passion.
“When I returned to the US I began sharing and releasing my music tracks on various labels. As a result of my travels, my sets became more hybrid. They included anything from house, tech house, to techno. I was determined to introduce some banging techno to an area that favored tech house. With every house set, I would sneak in a few techno tracks. I kept craving more of the techno I experienced visiting Detroit and my yearly Europe trips. I craved being able to play the techno. With techno, I feel like I am able to completely lose myself behind the decks and be transported to another universe. I love experimenting in techno. The fun for me is the magic being created between all of the tracks. My sets are a story and the music in each of my sets are reflective of what I am going through in my life at that particular time. It is a way for me to express myself. It is my therapy.”
I’m excited to share with you below her discography of original tracks from several labels! Peep her page on Beatport and you can find her Isolation Remix on Bandcamp! Believe these will be getting added to my collection soon.
The mix that is going to be feature on the episode of Graveyard Radio is everything I love about techno! It is very dark, hits hard, and creates some beautiful soundscapes. It features tracks from Charlotte de Witte, Spektre, and Rebuke, just to name a few.
OH! If sharing a room with Keoki and Robert Armani wasn’t enough last month, AZA will be sharing one with Green Velvet in June! I know in my heart of hearts AZA was born to throw down with legends and you are not going to want to miss this night! Show some love Indianapolis! Peep the event page for details!
So, 6 P.M. EST, Saturday Evening! Don’t forget to tune in at Wax Radio Indianapolis! First Hour, will be my West Side Story Pt. 1 Mix. Hour 2, AZA – Exclusive Techno Mix. We’ll see you then!
*Update June 7th, 2021 – Show Now Available on SoundCloud