We recently connected with Aveda Adara and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Aveda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I literally call Youtube my drag mother, because anytime I need to understand something I run to the internet to help me. Forums are my drag aunty, I’ve utilized forums for learning things like how to quantize a synth and a drum machine. Also had help from amazing friends who took time out of their schedules to help me understand music. Definitely not being an alcoholic would have saved me years of wasted time and brain cells, would have sped up the process. I used to dwell on how far advanced I could have been if I hadn’t spent years partying, but then I wouldn’t have understood years later how to navigate a party I am playing live or DJing at.
I am by trade a performer, so performing live became natural. As an artist, I am prone to a lot of self-doubt, and it becomes a hindrance to creating and releasing music because I am so focused on how other people are progressing into traveling and touring. But, just got to keep reminding myself that I am self-taught, with no musical background, and that my sound design is going to take time to develop.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a creative who ventures from project to project. I am currently using outlets like Drag, DJ’ing and now being a musician to make money and travel. This is the first year I’ve gotten to travel extensively for my art, I’ve been to Seattle, Detroit, Minneapolis, and next month New Orleans, and have had pay increases from my art that I would never thought I’d be making. The proudest moment so far in 2023 was navigating my way to be an opener for one of the after-hour raves in Detroit called, 100% Live Techno, in which artists from around the world play live techno with hardware equipment, no DJs. Getting to meet these established musicians definitely puts a deeper passion into being a musician.
I am passionate about my art, and the places I go. I think being trans and a POC definitely breaks down a lot of barriers for future queer artists.
I got to spend time with some girls from my reservation in Detroit last year, during the Movement festival and I got invited to the Detroit techno museum called Exhibit 3000. My passion for Techno music goes all the way back to me being 14 years old. Being able to see the roots of techno, and the tears behind how passionate this city is about its movement made me realize how passionate I am about my future in electronic music.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My brother, who is no longer with us, had a passion for making this type of music. We would talk as kids about how we would become famous, but being dirt poor Indian kids we couldn’t afford things like this. It was wishful thinking and having parents with substance abuse issues, if we got our hands on equipment like that, I’d be pawned or sold in a heartbeat. But, deep down inside there was a huge gap I always felt, and until I started investing into what I call my art that void started to be filled. It’s honestly a humbling experience to realize I can sit down with all this equipment and have an endless world of music production at my fingertips.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I set a goal around June 2023, that by the end of the year, I was going to find a label to work on releasing some music for me. I recently was asked by someone if I would be interested in releasing music from his independent label after he saw one of my live hardware shows. I try to network as much as possible, to get the word out on the projects I am working on, which is quite literally how I ended up traveling this past year. For me personally, I do think networking is important, and setting goals, and in the future being more specific with the goals I want to attain. Like next year, I want to play at the most prestigious techno clubs in Europe, like Tresor and Monster Queen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.postmodernsleaze.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postmodernsleazeofficial/
- Youtube: https://www.instagram.com/postmodernsleazeofficial/
Image Credits
Frank Xavier @the_creativex