Lessons, pirates, and confirmations

Last night, January 27th 2024 I had a gig at Santos Lounge in Tampa. It was Gasparilla, a local tradition of celebrating Tampa Bay as a city-wide pirate festival - so, Tampa was full of drunken "pirates". There were all kinds of music shows & festivities, no shortage of opportunity for us DJ's. Santos had a full lineup throughout the day and ending with my set at night.

Jask played before me, a local DJ and legend. There are several DJ's whom I respect immensely that speak of Jask with an immense amount of respect. So I felt honored to play after him, and was invigorated seeing him play. I could see why the others speak of him and his music so highly, and I was starting to feel decently nervous about playing after him. Then Rob tells me that I should go play flute with Jask, and I said "I don't want to bother his flow!", really just being nervous about doing the task justice. Rob pushed me to do it and Jask agreed, so I joined him on flute. It was such a beautiful experience and I felt we tapped in well with each other. I was really happy for the opportunity, and felt the music just carried us away.

Then it was my turn to start mixing. The crowd gathered and it was a successful start - it's so funny how nervous I am before playing, and how all of that slips away as soon as the music kicks in and carries me away. Especially when it's coming from such a genuine place full of passion. These days especially, I always play some tracks made by my friends in Israel. It's part of why I went to Israel, is I noticed that a high percentage of my music library was produced by Israelis. Now, I have so many tracks produced by my own friends and it means so much to me each time I play them. Seeing the crowd go wild is even more fulfilling too, because I am proud of these friends and wish they could be there to see how much people love their music way over here across the world.

I played a fair amount of new music last night, which gives me SO much energy. There really is something about new music that I'm hearing on the big speakers for the first time with probably most people in the venue. It helps me to feel the excitement as if I'm in the audience. I'm attracted to the challenge and the risk factor there too, since it's not as "safe" as tracks I've played before & know how well they work. I was really pleased with these new tracks last night and there were some that I resonate with a LOT. I feel that my own taste has been refining itself more and more and I feel so much more sure of the expressions that I offer. With afro house especially, I've finally found a sort of niche that fits me well & authentically, and that much of American society can get down with as well. In fact, I'd really like to practice producing tracks that are in alignment with this style, so I can grow alongside that world (bringing my own twist of course, especially with flute).

I do have some lessons I am learning from last night. One thing I never struggle with is crowd engagement; it comes to me very naturally, and is a blessing to actually be mindful of. I am so invigorated by connecting with the people in the crowd. I love to communicate with them non-verbally (or even verbally with some of my screams - if you know, you know) and I love seeing how they react to each track. I always dance a lot when I play too, since if I were in the crowd I'd be dancing non-stop. When I play, I still feel like I am dancing & partying with everyone else, only with two differences. One is that I happen to be the one twisting the knobs, and the other is that I'm absolute crazy about the tracks getting played because it's my exact music taste. All of these factors combined, I can feel a LOT of energy well up inside of me and I get flooded with excitement.

Last night, I went straight into my signature styles and stayed there - and people went wild, causing me to also go wild. I believe I committed a mistake that Valentina (my DJ mentor / friend / role model) taught me about in my DJ infancy. I wrote about it in the previous post, but essentially, she had taught me to be aware of whether I was giving all of my energy away to the crowd and not leaving enough of it to myself. She advised me to pay attention and draw energy up into myself so that I continued to re-charge and not only put forth. Last night, I got a little carried away. The gig was an absolute blast, but I didn't embody this lesson she'd taught me. Overall the gig was a success - people danced, cheered, vibed, and the connection was there. However, eventually people started leaving. I'm giving myself the benefit of the doubt in assuming that they were exhausted from an entire day of drinking & partying in the sun, and it was also very hot in the establishment. I'm also allowing myself to assume that because the feedback was really strong throughout the set, people had a blast and those who did stay continued to have a blast. However, I noticed that when people left, I instantly became much more tired, myself. I suddenly felt exhausted, like someone had just drained my of my energy source. So I believe there is the lesson right there - I should NOT allow the crowd to be my only source of energy to sustain myself with for my sets. I need to be in a constant ebb and flow of charging my own energy and maintain myself, so I can take better care of myself.

Another lesson I confirmed last night is to people-pleased less and shine in authenticity more. I believe every DJ has their own strengths and weaknesses for how they win the crowd and there is no one way to do a proper job. Some DJ's truly excel at "reading the room" and playing tracks specifically "for the people". They can do an excellent job of meeting people where they're at and giving them what they know and love. I've tried to be more of that kind of DJ, but typically compromise my authenticity in doing so and truthfully the result is mediocre compared to when I play in integrity with my own styles and expressions. I believe more & more now that there are other DJ's, like myself, that specifically succeed from offering a consistent style that is specific to myself. The logic is there - what's truest to me is what I do best. When I allow myself to unleash authentically, like last night, I bring so much more passion to the table and I see people connect with vibrations they may not usually feel or experience. You never know, too - it's best not to make assumptions about people. There can be people in the crowd that actually love these ethnic styles of music and seek it in their own lives, and are happy to finally have the chance to dance to it live. Last night, I played some of my favorite ethnic tracks and the crowd was going absolutely nuts for it. It's an affirmation to continue being true to myself because my truest passions are a pure medicine that I'm meant to bring into this world.

Thank you for reading and see y'all on the dance floor!

So who am I, and how did I get here?

So who am I and how did I get here? My full given name is Liat Kelila Paradise. I chose my middle name, KELILA, as my music alias. Kelila - כלילה -means “crown”, like a crown of laurel; it also means “wholeness” and “completeness”. It is Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic. When spelled slightly differently - קלילה - it means “light”, such as “light as a feather”, or easy-going. I come from a Jewish household (conservative) in Minnesota, with a strong relationship to our culture. My parents raised us only speaking Hebrew in our home, observing Shabbat and the holidays, and we even grew up Israeli folk dancing. My parents taught us to love our own cultural identity and unique ethnicity. In parallel, they also taught us to love other cultures and ethnicities. My father once told me, "as much as you love that you are Jewish and love to share it with the world, you should love that they are different and wish to learn more about their culture". My family always had decorations from around the world in the house, and would often play music from other cultures. Hebrew, Arabic, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Spanish, French, Greek, you name it. If you've ever heard my music or been to any of my sets ... you'll hear this present in my music. I have basically been a musician ever since I can remember. I began piano lessons at six years old, and flute lessons at age ten. My father is a singer, and my mother plays piano and accordion. I picked up the flute very quickly and soon became obsessed. In my early years of flute playing, I especially loved playing Celtic and Jazz music. I played in Jazz band through middle school and high school, as well as joined the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony Orchestra. The first day of symphony rehearsal (age 13) was quite impactful. After having spent many days quite bored and unchallenged in band class, I remember gasping at the sensation of playing in a more advanced ensemble. These orchestras were joined by audition, and each musician was placed in one of six orchestras according to their abilities. I recall our conductor having us play a simple scale, and the resounding fullness and resonance of each note just shook my entire experience of music. I embarked on the next five years of symphony orchestra, moving higher in the levels until I was the first chair flute and piccolo of highest level symphony. It was an honor to play among such talented musicians, the kinds who spend hours each day practicing - and so did I. Upon graduating high school, it seemed obvious to all of us that I was meant to become a professional musician. I began practicing & preparing repertoire to audition with for renowned music conservatories. Something, however, did not quite sit right about becoming a professional classical musician. (I'm sure we can all see why, at this point!) My parents, bless their hearts, suggested that taking a gap year after high school was also a reasonable option. Excited by the possibility of tasting what's out there in the world, I went to live in Israel for a year - in a socialist commune. Yes, you read the right - a socialist commune. We had 18 people living in one house - 9 boys, 9 girls all 18 years old; and we all shared our money. Decisions were made collectively and household responsibilities were shared. We sat in the living room reading Karl Marx and debating our ideologies. We volunteered with various projects - mine was done in schools in several surrounding Arab villages. I digress.

Following my gap year, I returned to Minnesota and began college, not quite knowing where my path would lead. I did, however, receive a strong intuitive pull that winter. I was overcome by an internal understanding that college was not currently my path. I withdrew from college, and spent the next few months waitressing and planned to move back to Israel. In addition to waitressing, I became very involved in the Twin Cities bass music scene. I was a proud "bass slut"! I attended EDM / dubstep shows about three times a week and my free-spiritedness began to take form. One night, I was with a love of mine and discovered for the first time that I could play flute by ear. I never could before, and I always believed that the love I shared with him is what opened this ability. He was DJing in my bedroom, and I picked up my flute and began to play with him. To my astonishment, it worked! This was the first seed of inspiration within me to play flute alongside electronic music. It was a truly profound discovery, as I had never been able to play music by ear before, no matter how hared I tried. On the flip side of all that, I experienced a trauma-inducing incident and my life began to take a difficult turn. At 19 years old, I found myself at my lowest point making questionable decisions, caught in depression, an abusive relationship, and poor relations with my family. I wasn't quite sure how to climb out of that pit.

The catalyst that changed everything

Have you ever experienced a catalyst that changes your life entirely, as if that one decision pulls the lever on your train track of life and your train moves in a completely different direction? I experienced this almost quite literally. One day, I was walking through downtown Minneapolis the morning after a show at Skyway Theater. I looked across the street and saw two young men who looked different than any I'd ever seen, especially in Minnesota. They were both sun-kissed (and this at the end of a Minnesotan winter), heavily tatted, and each of them bore a backpacking backpack, an instrument, and walked a dog on a leash. I could tell there was something different about them, and I saw them go and sit down on the side walk with all their gear. If you know me, you know I'm not shy. So I approached them and I requested an explanation; I wanted to know what they were doing. They asked if I had time for a story, so I said yes and walked with them down to the river and listened as they explained their lifestyle to me. They told me that they were vagabonds, traveling freely via hitch hiking and train hopping. They survived by playing their instruments on the sidewalks (busking) for enough money for their basic necessities, and that was all that they needed. They had only what they carried on their backs, and they slept on the ground outside at whatever location they ended up in that day. Essentially, they followed the wind and they had to answer to nobody but themselves. I stared at them in awe, unable to comprehend that anyone actually lives that way these days. I thought I would only ever see this in movies about the 70's, never there before me in 2015 in Minnesota.

Here comes my life's greatest catalyst: "You can come with us, if you want. We're going to Colorado next. But if you come, you have to keep up. It's tough out there and you'll have to hold your own. We're not going to baby you just because you're a girl". My heart was beating quick at the possibility - I couldn't believe I was even considering such a crazy offer. But what did I have to lose? I decided that if I was going to live my life, I'd better damn well live it. So I went out and bought a backpack, packed my flute and some clothes, and joined them on the journey.

We began the journey at the South St Paul train yard and hung out beneath a bridge, waiting for a southbound train to hop. It was the most anticlimactic moment of my life because there were NO southbound trains for about a day and a half - only northbound. We slept that night on the ground beneath the bridge and waited half the next day. Just as we had given up, gathered our gear and began heading out to hitch hike from the highway, I heard a sound rolling in from the north. "Do you hear that?", I said. "I think that's a train coming from the north!" We all began rushing back to our post beneath the bridge. "This is it", one of them said to me. "And remember, keep up, keep quiet, and follow our lead. We won't wait for you". To my relief, the train halted to a stop. Two of us waited back with the dogs, while the other one went to scope out the train cars and find which one was most suited for us to climb onto. He came and motioned for us to come and we joined him at the base of a junk car. He climbed up the side of the car, and the other guy passed him one dog. He grabbed the dog by the harness and pulled her into the car, then they successfully passed the other dog up as well. These were the most impressive dogs I've seen in my life - they were so good at this! We passed the instruments up next, then I climbed in and fell onto random junkyard rubble. The other guy climbed in, and in perfect timing, the train began chugging along. I climbed up on a pile of rubble and poked my head up over the side of the junk car. The wind blew in my face and we began heading south. This was one of the most exhilarating moments I've experienced in my entire life, and I felt free. Truly liberated, leaving my shadows behind and diving into a truly bright unknown.

The train stopped somewhere in Iowa, and we got out and walked to the nearest highway and put out our thumbs to begin hitching. We journeyed this way to Colorado, as planned, and traveled deep into the mountains. I traveled for three months with these two young men and learned many valuable lessons from them. They taught me to unwire my programmed beliefs and begin questioning things I'd never questioned. I became quite tough, spending each night sleeping in different locations, almost always on the bare earth subject to the elements. My ability to improvise and play music by ear drastically improved, as playing music together on the streets was how we earned our livelihood. It was a trio of mandolin, guitar, and my flute.

Finally after three months, I decided to separate from the guys and embark on my own. We packed up our gear one morning, and I announced that I was leaving. So they continued south, and I split north. I bought a knife and learned some self defense. My best girlfriend, Sam, came and joined me in my travels. She and I proudly hitch hiked from Minnesota down to Florida, then Minnesota to California. It was enough for her, and I still wasn't finished. I continued journeying and vagabonding alone throughout the country - following the wind, meeting people, playing my flute, and saying yes to any adventure that came my way. I eventually saved enough money for a one-way ticket to Hawaii, and I continued my adventures out there. From there, I traveled to Central America, then lived for several months in the Andes of Peru. I worked on a mushroom farm and then lived in the village of Pisaq. My musical journey took a very beautiful path of playing very healing melodies alongside Spanish medicine songs.

In our village, we often had people over to sit around the fire and play music. We had the most beautiful instrumental combinations of flute, harp, didgeridoo, hand pan, hand drum, guitar, and vocals. I lived with a woman who later became the founder of an all-women's music production retreat that I would later attend, but was unbeknownst to me at the time. I was friends with a young man from Iceland who also later became a DJ, unbeknownst to us at the time. It's funny the planted seeds that life surrounds us with, and we are simply unaware until we become aware. Anyway, eventually I returned to Hawaii and continued living out there, playing music on the beach with other talented musicians. One day on the island, I woke up and finally the desire to go to school overcame me.

Embarking on a new path

Next thing I know, after four years of traveling without a job and without structure, I found myself at age 22 living in Saint Petersburg, Florida beginning my 4 year chapter at Eckerd College. College was amazing, and I could write an entire essay about that experience. But I'd like to return to the evolution of my music. At Eckerd, we regularly had parties by the water, called South Beach Sessions. Various students would DJ, and we would all... well, party! Somehow I became musically involved with a fellow student who was one of our most active DJ's. He began inviting me to play flute during his sets. I would stand up on the table with a wireless microphone, and play flute with the entire crowd going crazy. I thought I had for sure found a more fitting musical path for myself, and I began dreaming of traveling the world playing flute with famous DJ's at music festivals. I dreamt specifically of finding a DJ / music producer who played the ethnic style of electronic music that I craved and loved. It was all only a dream at that point.

Then one day, I realized that I was being incredibly misogynistic in my own mindset. I noticed that I was limiting myself to playing flute with DJ's / music producers who mind you, in my thoughts, were only men. In addition to that, I was limiting myself to waiting for them to magically appear and provide me with opportunity. I told myself to cut out the crap and do it myself. SoI bought Ableton and began learning how to produce. I enjoyed it a lot! My first track was in the unique genre of Middle Eastern Trap, and contained recordings of my own flute melodies. I made many other tracks that I never quite finished - I became uninspired from spending so much time home alone, no longer sharing music with the world around me.

One day after having just graduated college, I was lying in the sun listening to music from my favorite label, Cafe de Anatolia. This music so beautifully carried ethnic vibrations and traditional instrumentation in harmony with electronic deep house beats. The music moved me to my soul, and I began crying and crying. My heart simply burst wide open with such a love for this music and I felt an overwhelming desire to share these ethnic vibrations with the world around me. It finally dawned on me that the quickest way to share these vibrations with the world would be to learn to DJ so I could deliver it myself. I made a vow and a promise that day - to myself, to spirit, and to the golden sun that was beating down on me - that I would do everything I could to be a deliverer of ethnic sound to the ears of others. I knew that I am meant to be a servant to this music.

It was time to learn to DJ

I searched anxiously for DJ lessons in the St Pete area and was elated to find advertisements for The Beat Music Academy, founded by Valentina Schwartz and taught wonderfully by Alen Paravinja. I immediately scheduled it in my calendar to attend their introductory DJ workshop and counted the days. There are so many beautiful full circles in this story when I look back at that first intro DJ workshop. I didn't know then that Valentina would become such a close and prominent friend / mentor in my life. I sat next to Monique, another baby DJ interested in learning who later became my good friend and colleague dj La Catira. I also remember clear as day the lecture given by Lyndon Uy, co-founder of L8 Night Flights and legendary DJ - may he rest in peace and his memory be a blessing. He instructed us that if we want to gain opportunity as a DJ, we have to go to the shows that we wish to play at. Show up, show face, support, and approach the people in charge and make our presence known.

So I took the Beat Music Academy's 8 week DJ course, showing up to each class "with a pencil and notebook like such a good student" as Valentina always likes to say. I practiced my heart out, probably as much as I used to with my flute as a ten year old girl - which is, a lot. I followed Lyndon's advice, and began attending the L8 Night Flights shows regularly. I saw Lyndon one day, and approached him - just as he'd told us to do. I made my presence and support known, and he appreciated that. Lyndon, bless his heart, quickly became a good friend and mentor. He took me out to dinners almost regularly, and we would just sit and talk about music. We talked about the way music can be felt, and the power that a DJ has over a crowd. He provided me with countless bits of advice, educating me on the importance of a DJ reading the room. The importance of song selection, of beat matching without looking, and the journey that the DJ takes you throughout the set. He shared with me stories of his younger days playing in the clubs of New York, and of his experiences in the industry.

Similarly, Valentina remained a great friend and mentor as well - not only as a DJ, but as an empowered woman in the music industry. She helped me learn more about the business and public relations aspect of being a DJ, how to strategize and play my cards right socially. I remember an important lesson she taught me about stage presence, as well. She pointed out that I was already engaging with the crowd very naturally, and that I was aware of the energy that moves through the crowd. She noted, however, that I was sometimes giving all of my energy away to the crowd and was not inviting enough of it into myself, and that this is not sustainable. Soon after, she approached me as I was playing once, and visually moved energy down across her body with her hands as a reminder to me. I then realized I had been bouncing so much that my energy was bubbling outward and no longer inward, so I took a deep breath and allowed the energy to re-fill in my body. Those are priceless lessons that I didn't realize I was signing up for in her DJ course.

I was really lucky to have taken classes from our teacher, Alen. He was a very humble and non-judgmental instructor, which isn't a given in this industry. I've found that DJing is a particular skill that comes with a lot of judgement across peers, with frequent criticisms of "you're not a real DJ if you ___ or if you don't ___". Alen's approach both honored the history of DJing, and was both nonjudgmental and positively encouraging towards us as beginner DJ's. We began our first lesson learning how to spin Vinyl, which I appreciate because it gave some perspective and history to where modern-day DJing comes from. I'd still like to learn Vinyl more in the future - I loved that I could physically feel the downbeat beneath my fingertips. I imagine that can become a very addicting feeling.

Gigs, gigs, then more gigs...!

There are very specific people that I truly have to thank for the successful start to my DJ career - I can't imagine having done it without them. I regularly attended the DJ sets that were played at Exit Bar, the dance floor behind Mandarin Hide in St Petersburg. There are two brothers who regularly play there, called The Keane Brothers. My friends and I loved attending their shows for quite some time, and I admired them highly for both their great energy and their musical abilities. Just before the end of DJ school, the Keane Brothers were kind enough to allow me to join them on flute for one of their gigs at Intermezzo cafe. They even allowed me to spend some time mixing towards the end of the gig when the place was mostly empty. I was able to play some of those organic ethnic house tracks that had moved me to the point of wanting to learn to DJ. This moment, though humble and without much witness, meant everything to me. I was obsessed with the sensation.

Shortly after, Dor Haim - who is the owner of Tampa Bay's premier event production company called One of Us - saw the video of me playing flute with the Keane Brothers and called me with an exciting offer. He invited me to play flute with a DJ called Nati Pitch, opening for Monolink. I was so nervous! Before I knew it, I was dancing on the One of Us stage in front of a crowd full of people. I was invigorated by the experience, and it truly felt as though I was thrown to the wolves - playing flute alongside blasting electronic music, with blaring lights in front of a crowd full of people is not as easy nor as simple as it might look! I remember watching Nati DJ, feeling honored to be behind the decks beside him. I watched how he played, the way he engaged with the crowd's energy, and made mental notes and prayers that I too would get the chance someday. {Fun fact: my mother became obsessed with Monolink, so when I met him I simply told him that my mother loves his music. "Your mother?" he said, "Yes, my mother. I love it too, but she specifically requested that I tell you she loves your music". We both laughed.}

I soon had my very own first gig DJing, and it was thanks to the Earth & Bones art gallery in Tampa, run by my friends Ray and Amel. The journey was truly beginning! I was lucky enough that Alen was willing to rent me his sound system, I brought my decks, and played track after track of ethnic lounge music. I remember feeling astounded at watching the magic of simply increasing the bpm and choosing more fun, high energy tracks towards the end, and watching my friends fill the dance floor. They all danced so joyously! It was a success! I didn't need to have been DJing for long to know that dancing feet and smiling faces is enough to feel content with how things went. Next was graduation for The Beat Music Academy. Our class was given a specific day for each student to play their graduation set, although my teachers had selected me to play mine at a real night's event at Exit Bar at Mandarin Hide. I was SO grateful and excited, because Mandarin Hide was exactly where I was hoping to start playing, and where I had admired the Keane Brothers play for so long. They asked me which slot I wanted, so I requested the middle slot. I was too nervous to take the closing slot at that point. I worked very hard on my track selections, added more than enough cue point, and learned my tracks like the back of my hand. I felt prepared. I played my set, made no memorable mistakes, that little crowd was packed, and I had a blast. Then, I was thrown to the wolves for the second time in my career - this time, by Valentina. She came up on stage for her set following mine, and she said to me in her Russian accent - "Stay with me and play with me!" I immediately panicked. "What? But I didn't prepare for that! I don't have any tracks that fit the energy level!" She says, "Okay, so play my tracks with me." I panicked more, "But... I don't know your tracks!" She said, "Oh honey, this is the art of DJing - you need to learn to succeed when you are put on the spot. You cannot plan everything!" So I reluctantly and fearfully agreed to stay and play B2B with Valentina. She.... blew... us.... away! Her stage presence was out of this world. It was immediately an absolute blast playing with her, and the crowd was going absolutely wild. She showed me firsthand what it's like to truly wrap the crowd around your finger and engage with them - even flirtatiously! At one point during a peak moment when she had everyone the most captivated by her music and energy, she brought the fader all the way down to silence and called out to the crowd in her sexy Russian accent - "Too much...?" - then slammed the fader back up and fed them all the music she had so suddenly deprived them of. The crowd went even more wild. It was difficult for me to keep up, and to top it off her tracks weren't analyzed by Rekordbox, so the wav form didn't appear in the way I was expecting. "Use your ears", she said, like a good teacher. Needless to say, I certainly made my fair share of mistakes during that set. The crowd, however, was so supportive! They were cheering for me that it was okay, and to keep going. I was so thankful for such a forgiving crowd for my first round of mistakes on stage.

The Keane Brothers soon invited me to play another set at Mandarin Hide - I played B2B with Patrick Keane. This set was an absolute blast, tons of my friends came, the crowds energy was engaged and enthused. Pat and I had so much fun playing together and the set was a success. I believe due to the success of both of these first gigs at Mandarin, the brothers felt safe to offer me my own solo set on another night. I had probably given them reason to believe that I was solid and confident with my DJing skills, and didn't need much help! The truth is that I believe Patrick had saved me with some loops and answered any spontaneous questions that I had arise. Next thing I know, I'm on stage alone at my next gig and the Keane Brothers weren't there to save me. This was an important lesson because I discovered that there are two very impactful buttons that I wasn't aware of. I was up there playing in front of everybody, and suddenly my music was acting strange! My loops were slightly off beat, meaning that with each repeating loop the beats became less and less matched. Additionally, none of my tracks were mixing in key like I was expecting them to! I didn't understand until weeks later what had gone wrong, and I was so grateful that there was an explanation. The quantize button and master tempo buttons had not been activated. The quantize button is what helps with loops remaining on beat (I didn't yet know that I could simply hold down the in-loop button to start a 4-beat loop). The master tempo buttons allow for a track to remain in the same key as that in which it was produced, even when you change its tempo. I'm sure we learned about this in class - perhaps it was the one class that I missed! I eventually learned it - just, the hard way. So this gig was what you might call.... a train wreck. At least in my eyes, it was. And let me tell you, it is an awful feeling making mistake after mistake on stage in front of a whole crowd of people! As if you accidentally came to school in your underpants. Talk about humiliation ... but I am SO grateful for that and every other moment of embarrassment I've ever had on stage because it's exactly what's allowed me to be so confident to this day. I came to the point of desiring to experience more mistakes. The more experience I gain making mistakes, the more experience I gain recovering from mistakes. I eventually thought, "I hope to make every mistake possible, so that there is nothing I'm unprepared for". Mistakes are just a part of life, and are certainly essential parts of being an artist and musician.

And, life goes on. With one train wreck under my belt, I still continued to get booked and the gigs continued to roll in through the snow ball effect. Each gig led to another, and eventually my life was filled with hours surfing through Beatport, networking with artists online, practicing at home, playing gigs, and dreaming of where I'd like my career to take me. I was booked as the Headlining act for a New Year's Eve show put on by my dear friend Sam Bannon. I was also booked three more times by One of Us - opening for Themba, Calussa, The Kimonos, and Sounds of Rituals. I developed a close business relationship with SRQ Beats, an event production company founded by Nati Pitch - the same DJ that I played flute with opening for Monolink. I've been so grateful for this business relationship because SRQ Beats not only puts on phenomenal shows, but the ethnic style of music that I love to play is very welcome there. Nati has given me quite a few opportunities, and I was able to continue learning from him, gaining experience playing for his crowds. I was eventually able to play a show for L8 Night Flights as well, which meant the absolute world to me given that Lyndon was such a dear friend and mentor to me - may he rest in peace.

Tel Aviv, Israel

Although One of Us and SRQ Beats were great opportunities for me to play the afro / ethnic styles that I love, Tampa Bay's music scene is one that is very fertile for Tech House dj's. I tried a few times to compromise my style to fit more of the mainstream by playing tech house or funkier house, but it just wasn't the music that resonates with my soul. I noticed that a lot of the tracks that I came to love most dearly were coincidentally produced by Israeli artists, and it is truly music of the Middle East. I began following the Israeli music scene online, connecting with Israeli artists, and yearned to move to Israel and pursue music out there. January of 2023, I decided to take that leap - I left everything and moved to Tel Aviv, Israel.

Musically, I felt immediately at home. My first week there, I went to a party at Gagarin put on by Camel Riders, an ethnic music label that I loved and followed for a long time. I hardly knew anyone in the country, so of course I went to the party alone. As I was standing in line at the entrance, I was taken by surprise when I heard a male voice saying, "Kelila?" I thought, who here could possibly know me? And by my music name, of all names? I looked at the young man and said in Hebrew, "Hi, have we met before?" He told me, "I'm Eden. Eden Shalev." I gasped in so much excitement - I couldn't believe it was Eden Shalev! Eden is the producer of one of my favorite Moblack Records Afro House tracks (#1 on beatport quite a long time) - Papi (Bhabi). Valentina Schwartz had actually sent La Catira and myself this track in preparation for our New Year's Eve event for SRQ Beats. I became OBSESSED with this track! I had tagged Eden in the video from our show, and realized he was Israeli when doing so. We kept in touch, given that I was moving to Israel. I was so thankful that my first new friend in the music scene was an artist that I admired so much. In further perfect alignment, Eden was there with two of his friends - Offir Dali, and Adir Banias (such a sweetheart).

They took me under their wings for the night, and I was no longer alone. Eden had said to me, too, "Kelila, this is Dali - you must have heard of him". Somehow, (I'm not sure how, in all my hours of searching for ethnic house music), I had not heard of Dali. They played his track for me on their phone, Baglami, and my soul just about exploded at these middle eastern + electronic sounds. Have you ever seen Ice Age? You know how in Ice Age, Manny the Wooly Mammoth, thinks he's the only mammoth until he discovers there is another? That's how I felt. I felt like the sounds and vibrations I craved all my life were finally shared in expression by those surrounding me. I guess you could say that I felt like I had found my people!

The next coming weeks in Tel Aviv were exhilarating for me - I began meeting people in the nightlife scene slowly but surely, and each night at each new club just filled my veins with lust for the music. Every single DJ was playing music that I resonated with to the core, and there was hardly any tech house at all. I was suddenly in an environment highly saturated with artists that played exactly the style that I loved and wanted to play. Each night out inspired me and pushed me to go home and look for new music and level up my game. No longer was my style of music what would set me apart from the others. And the Tel Aviv music scene was an entirely new game to learn, much more difficult for me to penetrate than Tampa Bay's music scene was. Lucky for me, Dor and Nati, the event producers from back home, are Israeli and were able to help me with some very useful connections in Tel Aviv. It really is true when they say that "who you know" is everything! Nati was able to connect me with a kind man named Aviram, who was the manager of some very successful Israeli DJ's, including Takiru and Dor Danino. Aviram invited me to come for their night at a nightclub called Hive, where he introduced me to some of the artists. Takiru took me in with kindness and began inviting me & my flute to his studio, generously allowing me watch him produce, join with some flute, & unload a million questions on him about the music scene in Israel. Aviram also invited me to come by Antenna Radio to a live DJ Broadcasting, where introduced me to Chen Pliskin who is an owner of a club called Bavel, and also Sputnik. Dor Haim was able to connect me with Shaked, an owner of the esteemed club Shalvata. Shaked invited me to a meeting with him where he not only gave me advice and connected me with the phone numbers of various club owners, but he also connected me with my first job in the Tech Industry as a Data Analyst for an IoT device start up! Just an example of how you just never know how your dreams will manifest ... but they certainly will if you just keep going!

I have my Israeli roommate to thank for my first gig in Tel Aviv. Somehow, life brought me the most beautiful and synchronistic living situation. How is it that I ended up living in a luxurious skyscraper, roommates with a beautiful and ambitious young woman named Ester who is also a professional in the music scene? Living with Ester was like a match made in heaven - she was a professional social media content creator for DJ's in the exact same music sene I was trying to enter into. This means that she was regularly attending clubs and shows in order to film DJ's to create reels and content for them following the show. She was also regularly attending the clubs for the purpose of networking. Needless to say, she suddenly had a new girlfriend to come with her for similar purposes of networking! We made a great team - whenever I would meet a DJ, I'd introduce them to her because she could provide them with a valuable service. Whenever she'd meet a DJ, she'd introduce them to me because maybe they could help me or we could play together. It was perfect! She taught me the in's and out's of Tel Aviv's nightlife culture, which I greatly appreciated because it was quite different than the one I was used to back home. You have to be quite tough just not to get knocked over in those crowded clubs, and even getting into the club is tough for us Americans. You have to be on the guest list to even get a chance at entering, and even if you are, you still have to push past a mob of eager Israelis just to get your face in front of the bouncer. Ester helped me learn to be more assertive, and also how to set proper boundaries with men. My Minnesota-nice mentality just didn't quite do the trick in these middle eastern clubs.

Booked in Tel Aviv

Ester helped me understand the dynamics of how DJ's get booked in Tel Aviv - it was quite confusing to me at first. Basically, DJ's often run in packs in Tel Aviv, much like a wolf pack. The pack might have a leader (like an alpha wolf), but the pack all helps and supports each other. Essentially, an entire lineup at a club on any given night might be assigned to a pack of DJ's, rather than various individual DJ's. Each pack has a name, and the packs often collaborate with other packs by exchanging nights and lineups. It's a "you give us a night at your club, and we'll give you a night at our club" kind of situation. So basically, joining a pack was a quicker and easier way for me to gain access into getting booked.

Luckily, Ester was the social media manager and very close friend of a DJ pack called Mishpohe. Roi Power, a talented DJ, was the head of Mishpohe and bless his heart provided me with my very first gig in Tel Aviv at a club called Aria. Aria is a classy and intimate club, with the DJ playing boiler room style. I had convinced Roi to give me the closing set, so I played last after all the other DJ's. As I had just begun playing, I felt a hand touch me and it was Dor from back home! He happened to have been in Israel at the time and came to support me at my first gig. He came with his friend Adir Dekel, who is also a successful DJ in the Tel Aviv scene and another helpful connection to know.

Another very helpful person to me in Tel Aviv was Amos, from the music production duo Y Do I. I had been following and playing Y Do I's music for quite some time and was elated to get so close to Amos in my first weeks in Tel Aviv. He brought me to various clubs and taught me the in's and out's as much as he could, as well. He provided me with a very fun opportunity to play on Israel's Independence Day - I was in for a treat with this one! Apparently on this holiday in Tel Aviv, DJ's set up on the streets all across the city and the night becomes a city-wide dance party. People crowd the states migrating from DJ to DJ, street party to street party. So Amos set up a DJ booth in the entrance of his restaurant in Levinsky Market. I had no idea what to expect, since I had never experienced this before, but I began playing and sure enough watched the magic happen. People began to crowd the street in front of the booth and developed an outright street party! I even had co-workers from the start up come by, and a guy I used to know from a backpacking trip in Nicaragua!

I spent quite a while chasing opportunity at a nightclub called Maze. I had a very unique connection with this club and loved it especially because its hours on the weekend operated through noon of each day. So I developed a practice of having Shabbat dinner Friday evening, going to bed at a reasonable time, and waking up around 7 or 8 in the morning. I'd do my morning practice, shower, have breakfast, get dolled up and go to Maze. I'd arrive full of energy and ready to dance my booty off with the people who had been there all night. I loved it! It was like waking up to the sun and entering into the night - especially at Maze, since at that point in the morning the music was only operating at the underground section of the club. I mean underground in both ways - it was below Earth's surface, and the music at that time was usually very underground and a much heavier style. I became acquainted with the artists and owner of the club there, so they usually let me join the others dancing on stage behind the DJ booth. I came to feel very at home there! Finally, they invited me to have my own gig there as well, at the upstairs level. My set was on their first attempt at operating on a Saturday night (which is like Sunday night in Israel, since the work week starts on Sundays), so they weren't sure how successful it would be. Enough people showed up to fill the upper level, but not to fill both the upper level and the main stage. Unfortunately, they had to give the MainStage headliner, Malandra Jr, my spot on the lineup, due to the timing (3:00 am slot). I did, however, get to play flute with Malandra Jr! It was a fun night after all and Maze did offer me another booking later in the year.

In Goat, We Trust

Remember when I mentioned DJ Dali, earlier? Bless his heart, Dali helped me so much in Tel Aviv and soon got me booked at Goat, which became my favorite club in Tel Aviv. I quickly learned that chasing opportunity from the wrong people can take a long time to accomplish. Once you find the right people that you truly fit in with and resonate with, opportunity comes much more frequently and effortlessly. Once a week, Goat's lineup is run by a group of DJ's that go by the name of We Trust. This group of DJ's became a close group of friends that I came to adore more than words can say. Oded, Paz, Zada, Muli, Dali - are all phenomenal DJ's that play the exact music style that I love so much and the energy of each party was always sensational. Truly some of the most fun I had in all my time in Israel was those many nights at Goat. Especially as a female artist, I came to appreciate these young men with such immense love in my heart because I knew I could trust them with my life. Us women have a lot to... put up with and protect ourselves from... in the music industry. These, however, were men that treated me as a friend, a sister, and a professional equal. Beyond refreshing. I I loved playing at Goat, too, because I could truly play exactly how I love to and the crowd is just always immaculate. It's a club that is frequented by some of my favorite music producers - Joezi and Anorre, as well.

Do you remember when I mentioned La Catira, whom I sat next to in that very first Intro to DJing workshop way back in the beginning? Well she ended up coming out and visiting me in Israel! We were booked together for two more gigs at Goat, which was an absolute blast. Following her visit, I played another solo set at Goat, and then received a fifth booking there in for October, as well. I was truly looking forward to that one, but unfortunately, the war had broken out that morning of October 7th.

More performances in Israel...

One particularly exhilarating gig in Israel was a gig I played at a club called Rothschild in Jerusalem, booked by a young man named Barak. I remember riding the train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, USB / headphones / flute all packed, thinking "gee this is sure not the reason I ever imagined traveling to the holy city for". I was totally nervous journeying to an entirely separate city to play at a club that I had never even attended! I was so used to attending the clubs to do research on how the DJ's played there and what the crowds were like, so I felt very vulnerable just taking a shot in the dark. I went, and just gave it my all - I played the styles that I love to play the most and the people loved it. The manager of the club was very kind to me, and they paid me very well. It was an overall extremely pleasant experience and one I would certainly do again. Another opportunity to play was a full circle I had been waiting to complete for a while - one of my favorite Israeli artists since before coming to Israel was T-Puse. I adored his ethnic styles and something about the crowds he gathered just looked so fun and lively. He played a live set by the beach with Angata Live, and they invited me to join in on flute with them. It was just another one of those moments that first exist as only a dream in your imagination, then you find yourself playing music beside the people you'd been admiring from afar for quite some time.

You never know just what choices might lead you to the next opportunity ... remember those wonderful guys I mentioned from We Trust at Goat? Well they hosted a pool party in Petah Tikvah one Saturday afternoon in the summer. I had been craving the sun, and also wished to exercise - so I decided to ride my bike to Petah Tikvah. That's beside the point, but let me tell you - that was quite the long haul through the hot Mediterranean sun. I didn't talk to anyone and jumped straight into the pool as soon as I got there. The boys played phenomenally and the party was a blast. In addition to that, Adir Dekel was there - remember him? He was Dor's friend that had come with Dor to my first gig at Aria. I was happy for a second touch point on that connection, because later that week Adir invited me to his gig at an outdoor venue called Secret Garden - הבוסתן - in Tel Aviv. It is a gorgeous venue with disco balls and bird cages hanging from the trees, colorful lights, and is an overall classy environment. I had been wanting to attend for a while, so I came to see Adir play.

Adir introduced me to Shiran, who became a close friend and was very interconnected with the management at Secret Garden. Shiran soon connected me with Itay, who was a booker for Secret Garden. Itay began organizing a date for me to play, which was then later assisted by Meir, who by happenstance was at one of my gigs with La Catira at Goat. Meir heard us play and immediately wanted to book us at Secret Garden. I told him we were already in the process with Itay, so they then booked us for the perfect booking opening for Joezi - one of our favorite artists. We had an absolute BLAST playing at Secret Garden. By then I had met enough people in Tel Aviv that there were some who began coming to my shows consistently, and I will never forget seeing them dance so happily with the lights and trees surrounding us.

-- I just want to note that Ester was there almost every step of the way, at every gig she could possibly attend. Bless her heart, I will never forget her! --

Do you remember how I mentioned that way in the beginning, Nati connected me with an artist manager named Aviram? Aviram had connected me with Takiru, and also with Chen Pliskin, who is an owner of Antenna Radio, Sputnik, and Bavel? So thanks to Chen (and thus Nati and Aviram), La Catira and I did eventually play our own live DJ broadcast at Antenna Radio. I also played a 3 hour set at Sputnik - opening for Takiru, and a Rosh HaShana set at Bavel, as well. It was that same weekend that Dor came to support my set at Bavel, too, and we agreed during the Jewish New Year that I would play for One of Us at this coming January's Gregorian New Year (which I just recently played, shortly before writing this blog post!). Just a reminder that it's never too early to start planting seeds for the future. Those three bookings at Antenna Radio, Sputnik, and. Bavel are all seeds that I had planted early in the year, and sprouted much later in the year. Keep planting, and always make note of when your accomplishments have sprouted from seeds you'd planted in the past.

I also played a beautiful sunset performance with a DJ named Avishay Perez at a beautiful rooftop venue overlooking the water called Por Do Sol. It was a beautiful evening full of happy, positive vibes. Avishay was DJing and playing the hand sonic (one of those really cool electronic drum pads), and I was on flute. I had never even met the guy in person, but he invited me to play with him and to me, that is just the most precious way to meet someone. Just an example of how music connects people and transcends beyond words. It is such a unique shared language and way for us to converse through sound.

Lastly, I had become friends with a lovely couple who was regularly hosting people at their penthouse home for Shabbat and holidays. They began booking me to play for these evenings, and I came to especially love playing private house parties. The vibes and energy in this home were always so classy, elegant, beautiful and lively. Only positivity was allowed, there was respect among all people, and we enjoyed flirting with the edges of social norms yet simultaneously honoring the traditions of our people. I remember sitting for dinner and saying prayers under the Sukkah - the traditional structure we build for one of our holidays - and tears began to flood my eyes as I felt so at home even though I was so far away from home. I missed my family so dearly, but I looked around and felt that I was surrounded by so much family I had acquired in this wild, holy Middle Eastern land. Then to come inside and play my favorite afro house tracks with my beautiful friends dancing and surrounding me, clinking glasses with love and basking in great energy all night. I will always remember and cherish those nights. This was all shortly before the war hit, and are still the memories most fresh in my mind.