Introduce yourself? Preferred pronouns? Where do you currently reside? 1 fun fact about yourself?
Helloo, I’m Liv, she/her, living in Seattle. I’ve had 7 pet rabbits growing up (Timmy, Stella, Max, Chloe, Hillary, Flower, and Cinnabun).
How is everything going with you right now?
I’m honestly quite overwhelmed between work, creative projects, big life changes, and the return to more IRL interactions but I’m feeling inspired n positive in spite of the anxiety of it all 🙂
How did you get your DJ name?
In high school, we had a group project in history and this girl was writing our names in the top corner of the paper and asked me my last name, which is Klutse, but she heard Wu-Tang and wrote Liv Wu-Tang. It’s been my nickname and handle ever since & when I started DJing I was just going under my IG alias and never changed it, lol.
What advice do you have to other DJs to keep sane in the DJ world?
Have a giggle-filled b2b with your besties at least 2x a month to maintain your playfulness ~
What change do we need in the dance scene post-pandemic?
All white lineups 🥴 Also speaking to the PNW regional scene in particular here – prioritizing booking locals to headline & bolstering our community instead of the biggest and best names in Europe with the same 5 locals on rotation as support.
Who currently inspires your music-wise?
Dana Kelley, Gemini, Maurice Fulton, and Larry Heard tracks are endless wells of cosmic inspiration to me and I turn to them in a rut, every time!
DJ-wise, in no particular order, I’ve been especially inspired in the last year by Wonja, Kia, Kiernan Laveaux, LT, Ron Like Hell, CCL, Peer Review, Powder, Analog Soul, ADAB, NAP, Razrbark 🙂
What other hobbies did you get into this last year?
I started running for the first time in my life and I can now say, as someone who couldn’t run a mile ever before, that I can run for 30 min nonstop 😀 Also have budding interests in birding and house plant propagation!
Favorite memory of 2020? What was the silver lining?
Probably my trip down the west coast to meet up with my best friends in Oakland this past fall. The silver lining of 2020 was having the time and space to be in my body and slow down from my constant to-do list. Also having time to engage with music in a new way (listening while walking/running, too, instead of only when commuting).
Favorite thing to cook currently?
Tofu Mustard Green Curry from Bryant Terry’s amazing cookbook Afro Vegan!!!
Most underrated artist of 2020?
Wonja!!
Let’s play a pipipi game! I give you a situation & you give me a track…
A strawberry field with all of your friends in the sunset
Haven’t slept for 48 hours on a 6-hour train ride
Accidentally time travel to a rave in 1994
If you had to describe yourself as a liquid, which one would it be and why?
Olive oil because I go with everything 🙂
What is your most recent favorite DJ mix and why?
Subtle ear caress with that enviable breezy effortless style & flow that I can’t get enough of
What was your first gig? How did it go?
It was in my friend’s attic I was sitting down playing Kaytranada edits off of a Traktor controller and I don’t think one person listened to my set LOL
Describe your favorite thing to drink and how it makes you feel?
Rose or lavender kombucha because I feel happy knowing I’m tending to my gut health lol
Why do you think it’s important to share music?
Because some things you can just say better with a melody:)
Where do you see yourself in 2060? 😉
As part of my best friend’s commune, splitting my time between shared intergenerational homes with big wide porches on every continent
What would you like to see in the future for the dance community?
Deeper investments into local scenes, communal care, and increased harm reduction, more + diversified (i.e. across platforms) archiving of dance music history <3