Interview: Los Angeles Soltera On Building A Community Out Of Furiously Animate Dance Music
Over the past five years, Solterra , the artist Tania Ordnez , who grew up in the hills of Granada, has quietly established herself as a producer of fiercely dynamic dance music. To date, he has released two exclusive EPs: his debut Sin Compromiso and the recently released Todo O Nada Vol.1 . But it's not just about his ability to create hypnotic and emotionally cohesive soundscapes. From Soltara's live performances to the intuitive expression of her music videos, which itself is the focus of her artistry. We got a chance to get inside his brain and learn about some of the stories, beliefs and motivations that have driven Ordanes since he started experimenting.
Editing and interview by Stephen Ward
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What was the source of inspiration or influence for the music in Todo O Nada Vol.1 ? Do you still draw a lot from punk or have you fully immersed yourself in the world of electronica, techno and dance music?
Musically, I think all my EPs are inspired by dance music. I like house and techno, that's the music I usually listen to and play, so that's my attitude. But I'm self-taught, you know. So I don't think it sounds the same as those tracks. Vocally, he is heavily influenced by power violence, doom, metal and punk. I love that they are so raw and the screams and rage that go with it. But also the pedals that people use for their vocals. At least modern music is like that now, I know when I was younger there were a lot of raw vocals, but now people use other sound modulators and pedals. Yes, I never sing wolf, it is always processed with other sounds. I always tend to mix both. So far vocally I've been heavily influenced by Dystopia or Despise You . Well, musically, of course, I like making beats and creating beautiful sounds over synths or dark bass parts.
You started writing music to deal with deep pain. What was the driving force behind this EP emotionally and thematically?
I think the big thing about it is that the difference between [ No Compromise ] and [ All or Nothing Volume 1 ] is that the first one [was] the first time I did it with Ableton, when I first used that kind of program? So now that I'm at a more advanced level with it, I can use it better. So the emotional impact behind it is that I'm getting stronger and stronger as a self-taught producer and as a female producer. And I guess also, verbally or lyrically, I've always had this political stance, that I'm very angry at art and that art is very male-oriented. I spent the last year throwing a lot of parties and dealing with a lot of dirty situations with men and higher ups. It always root for my theme friends who will deal with it. I don't know, it's like a big thread about being disillusioned with the industry and secretly going on and doing it ourselves. And he continues to do so, even though there are many things in his way.
You mentioned in another interview that the music on this EP is some of the fastest you've done, was that on purpose or a reflection of something? Or just a byproduct of experimentation?
I think I got more comfortable with the program so I can work with different BPMs. Compared to the first EP where I followed a similar BPM, I just thought it was easier to make with slower music, I guess I don't know how to explain it. I also have dreams of eventually releasing a Power Violence album or EP. So that's my way of putting them together because energy violence is, I think, 160 to 180 beats per minute. So finally I want to get to that point. I was really inspired by a band I played with in Long Beach, they're from Olympia, they're called Cyberplasm and they mix power violence with jungle. So yeah, I want to blur the lines a little bit, because I thought of them in a completely different way. But then, the more I thought about it, the more I thought. "Well, they're both really fast." They both have really heavy basslines. Both can engage or scream. It combines my influences a bit, and now the accessibility and ability to do that, learning more about Ableton.
Your shows are known for their wild energy and intense emotional catharsis. Looking back, are there any differences or evolutions from your first live performance to the last that have shaped your approach or philosophy to performing live?
Yes, they have changed, in the beginning when I was just performing in the yard, I definitely always tried to hide more than what was seen. And now, over the last few years, I've played a lot, I've gotten deeper and deeper into myself. I used to be the kind of person who would have nervous breakdowns, sweat and shake even when speaking in front of people. But now I feel a lot braver and fairer with my body, or I don't know, yes, and I feel, because I would say, when I play, I really shut down a bit. I feel that I have similar experiences outside my body. And the difference is that in the beginning I acted independently, alone. Now I've expanded it, it's in transition, but last year I was DJing my tracks with my girlfriend, mixing them, doing my own covers and some backing vocals, and now I have a partner who's going to make the beats. For example, we play old songs, but also new material, live, everything is live, the beats will be recorded live, my DJ will be on synthesizers and backing vocals. So yeah, I've gone from just singing backing tracks to now it's going to be live instrumentation. So that will make a lot of difference too. I'll still be the vocalist, so it'll still be chaotic. I think they're getting more and more crazy because I'm starting to feel more confident with my friends on stage with me.
One of the attractions of the punk culture that grew up in the hills of Granada was its ability to create a community out of live music. Do you see this as a goal for your own foray into music and acting?
I grew up in the hills of Granada, but there was no music scene. Mostly it was Sylmar, North Hollywood, Canoga Park, etc. And I will say that I never felt a sense of community. I was part of that scene, going to gigs and hanging out with people in bands and stuff, but it was very male oriented and I always missed it. . It never pushed me and nobody forced me to do anything. So now that I have Soltera and the collective I lead with Pacoima Techno, Casa/Teca, this is our way of building community. We feature our friends in music videos, we make videos for them; This is my version of including people and encouraging each other, and it's more queer oriented. I feel this sense of community at my concerts, I feel, the concerts I play in Los Angeles, especially, all the shows are super POC, queer, fem. And I feel like people are responding to what I'm saying and what we're saying. My goal is always to make everyone feel included and united.
Since you started making music, you've hosted a monthly show dedicated to underrepresented artists and helped start a similarly-focused label for underground artists of color. Can you explain to us the importance of these projects?
I think they are both similar and different in their own ways. Casa/Teca was founded by Pacoima Techno and me before the pandemic hit, we were just playing a lot. Pacoima was throwing techno parties, we decided it would be great to start our own label because no labels were trying to sign us and we didn't have any music, so it was a way to push us to make and release music. . When and how we wanted. Also, it inspired us to make more videos and films, so that was another motivation to release videos. That's how it started for a while, and then we were joined by my co-writer/DJ, who's in my band now, Estefania , who also goes by Langosta , and another friend.
So we completely shape our own universe. We have photographer friends and consider them a part of it or writer friends and them a part of it. It's a kind of versatility, focusing not just on music, but on any type of performer. It's very self-made, it also comes from a place where you feel deprived. We were all really outcasts in our own ways, never fitting into a certain type of scene. And the way the industry works, you're too rich or white or too attractive or you just know someone. We don't really care, it's really morally inconsistent with what we believe. Casa/Teca is a universe where we can do whatever we want and we don't have to, we don't have to. Thinking about all the other things that mean nothing to us.
Basically, Todo O Nada is a record label founded in the 90s in Los Angeles. It was called TON Records, and they were putting out grunge and boots, and my dad, he was a Colombian immigrant, he had just gotten out of prison and he was 30, and he discovered (he was doing a lot of drugs, so he was always into music (Show) Tone Records was going to throw rock and grunge concerts at the Spanish Stage in North Hollywood. And he had just learned how to record his own music and was very independent. He was a guy who didn't make money for his music and didn't die in his garage. He did it all his life until he went. So 'Todo O Nada' is a tribute to him where he left and just followed my dream. And the music I play there features local artists or even global underground artists who are unsigned. Just doing it yourself.
Can you tell me what your unique nickname means?
Choosing a name is always very difficult and it was the first that came to my mind when I got into music after my father passed away. I had a lot of conversations with my mom and she started using this word "lonely" and I never heard her use the word as she knew the word, but I never heard her say she was lonely in my entire life because she was married to me. Dad.. he started using it a lot like "Me and my single friends are going to the dance" or "Me and my single this" or "I'm single". It just had many different meanings, whether you were a widow or a lifelong loner or just a lone wolf. It meant a lot to me and at the time I was grieving my father and felt very alone and heartbroken. So I really like this name and I feel it's a really inspiring name for women too, I love all the women in my life I think all my friends can identify with. I've really felt like this with a lot of people and I've never changed it even when I engage people because I feel like I'm lonely. We all have nicknames, Solterra is a band now, but Lobster is still Lobster, Pacoima Techno is still Pacoima Techno, and I'm still Solterra.
You are a self-taught Colombian-American woman making music in a genre and industry that is unfortunately often skewed towards white males. Based on your own journey as an artist, what advice do you have for marginalized people who, like you, started experimenting with their computers or bought their first synthesizer and felt the overwhelming weight of unrepresentative art?
You know, when I started I didn't have what I have now, I built it and it took years. I don't know, I don't know. সঙ্গীত আমাকে এবং এমন লোকদের বাঁচিয়েছে যারা নিজেকে দেখতে পায় না এবং সর্বদা অন্যদের নিজেদের মধ্যে দেখতে পায় যারা সর্বদা প্রশংসা করে শুধু মনে রাখে যে এই সমস্ত ঘরানার মধ্যে আমাদের সমস্ত বড় প্রভাবগুলি ব্রাউন দ্বারা তৈরি করা হয়েছিল। এবং কালো মানুষ এবং সম্পদ থেকে না মানুষ. এটি আমাকে আরও অনুপ্রাণিত করে যে আমি মাঠে থাকা লোকেদের সাথে যত বেশি বন্ধু হয়েছি, তারা সবাই এই বিষয়ে কথা বলেছিল যে সামান্যতম স্বীকৃতি পেতে দশ বছর পর্যন্ত সময় লাগতে পারে। তাই এটি ভীতিকর শোনাচ্ছে, কিন্তু আমার জন্য এটি আমাকে আশা দিয়েছে যে এটি এমন একটি প্রক্রিয়া যা যেকোনো শৈল্পিক অনুশীলনের মতো আরও বেশি সময় নেয়। এবং তাকে আপনার প্রত্যাশার চেয়ে ভিন্নভাবে দেখুন, তাই না? আমি এটা আশা করি না, আমি এটাকে পুঁজিবাদী অর্থে দেখি না। আমি এটি করি কারণ আমি এটি পছন্দ করি এবং এটি আমাকে বেঁচে থাকতে সাহায্য করে এবং অবশ্যই আমি একটি ক্যারিয়ার এবং অর্থোপার্জন করতে চাই, তবে আমি গত বছরের মতো অনুভব করেছি যখন আমি এই দৃষ্টিকোণ থেকে এটি সম্পর্কে অনেক ভাবতে শুরু করেছি, এটি শুরু হয়েছিল বিরতি: তাকে খারাপ তাই আমাকে একধাপ পিছিয়ে যেতে হয়েছিল এবং সত্যিই ভাবতে হয়েছিল যে আমি কেন এটা করছিলাম। এবং শেষ পর্যন্ত, এটি অর্থের কারণে নয়, কারণ আমি অবশেষে লক্ষ্য করেছি। আমি শুধু বলব যে এটি সময় নেয়, এবং এটি খুব বেশি গণনা করবেন না।
অনেক উপায়ে, সোলটেরা ঐতিহাসিকভাবে প্রান্তিক গোষ্ঠীর শিল্পীদের একটি নতুন প্রজন্মের প্রতিনিধিত্ব করে যারা কীভাবে "সঙ্গীত তৈরি করা যায়" সে সম্পর্কে শিল্পের মান পরিবর্তন করার জন্য আলিঙ্গন করছে এবং চেষ্টা করছে। এবং যখন তিনি এখনও এই অজানা রুটগুলিতে নেভিগেট করতে শিখছেন, তখন অন্যদের তাদের পথ খুঁজে পেতে সাহায্য করার জন্য Ordanes-এর ইচ্ছাও সঙ্গীতে সম্প্রদায়গুলি কতটা গুরুত্বপূর্ণ তার একটি অনুস্মারক৷ যে তারা শুধুমাত্র লাভের সাধারণ সাধনার উপর ভিত্তি করে নয়, শিল্পের ভালবাসা বা কালো এবং বাদামী কণ্ঠের স্বীকৃতি এবং উদযাপনের উপরও ভিত্তি করে হওয়া উচিত।
নতুন রিলিজ এবং ট্যুর ঘোষণার সাথে আপ টু ডেট থাকতে তার ব্যান্ডক্যাম্পে Soltera-এ যান।
নীচে Soltera এর নতুন EP Todo O Nada Vol.1 শুনুন।
