Today we’d like to introduce you to Candelaria Alvarado.
Candelaria, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always gravitated toward the sound and wanted to understand it. I picked up my first instrument, the trumpet, in 4th grade and found myself practicing it relentlessly. Through grade school and jr high, my fascination brought me to pick up tenor sax, guitar, euphonium, and drums. Then, when I entered high school, the focus shifted to tuba in the marching band, and bassoon in concert bands – which I carried on to college. I have a BA in Contemporary Music, focusing on Electroacoustic Composition – this degree allowed me to focus and fuse both my interests: classical/jazz composition and audio engineering. After that, I went on to work toward an MA in Ethnomusicology, focusing on electronic music culture in the Balkan region.
My father introduced me to electronic music when was still pretty young. The legendary Paul Van Dyk released a compilation album, “The Politics of Dancing” and I was mesmerized by these future sounds I had never heard before. Around this time, it was pretty difficult for me as my parents were going through a divorce, but thankfully, for the first time ever, I found solace in music. I found what would always be able to turn to for the rest of my life. Trance music is still super special to me, but when I started to rave in high school, my interest quickly shifted to the genre that seemed like home – Drum, and Bass.
My passion has taken me to explore multiple creative avenues in music. I’ve worked at record labels, in venues as a sound/lighting engineer, music programmer, and have even spearheaded a social and politically conscious artist collective. I’m currently part of the management division at IMN, a primarily jazz/world music agency.
All these things have made me who I am and what I create as an artist. I incorporate a strong sense of musicality in my dj sets and apply the theory I learned in college to write electronic music with hints of classical, jazz, and world influences. I structure myself as an artist, just as I do my clients at work. This keeps me accountable – you’ve got to treat it like a business.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As a female artist in a male-dominated industry, it’s been difficult, to say the least, for many reasons. It took me about five years of djing and writing electronic music before I started to get noticed and booked often. I realized I needed to know my worth and never compromise my vision of how I want my music to be presented. Doing things like making an effort to dress conservatively to gigs and earning my way into finals of DJ competitions as the only woman helped that vision come to life… I’m still building it, but it will always be about the music! Additionally, lot’s of people have come and gone, but so have their opinions. I always have to remind myself that resilience is a muscle.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’ve toured around the US and have played a few shows in Europe, but most fans know me from my radio show and live stream, BASS Movement that I hold weekly on Sundays. It features mixes from special guest DJ’s from around the world. I’m happy that I’ve been able to share my audience with other great artists this way.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’ve had several great people that I’ve been lucky enough to call mentors or advocates for my music and general well being: my first band director Ray Nelson, my high school English teacher Ms. Hernandez, the power couple Pat (who taught me theory/aural perception) and Mary Stuckemeyer (the only Basson teacher who could get me to practice), my recording/audio engineering teacher Scott Jarrett, and the bass music producers Momentum (Frequency from Robo-tech/MOZRT) and WeBang (WB x MB).
I’m also a member of two international crews: Collective Intelligence and DnB Girls. These groups provide me a solid network of peers to turn to on all things music.
Lastly, Brandon Mendez (120dbphotography), my boyfriend and the visual mastermind behind Arietta! He’s turned my vision into a reality with his brilliant content creation (photos, design, video, etc.).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ariettadnb.com/
- Email: ariettadnb@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ariettadnb
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariettadnb/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariettadnb
- Other: https://hearthis.at/arietta/
Image Credit:
Brandon Mendez / 120dB Photography
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