The Carry Nation pick their favourite New York City tracks ahead of Yo! Sissy Festival
By Ross Semple
The Carry Nation, comprised of Will Automagic & Nita Aviance, has been producing tracks and remixes for the past 5 years for such labels as Batty Bass, TRAX, Nervous, Get Up, TRIBAL, Night People, DFA, & Twirl. Their party, also named The Carry Nation, started at Brooklyn’s infamous after-hours spot The Spectrum, and lived at both Steel Drums & 43 Scott before landing at Good Room.
Their crowd is a mix of gay music heads and their straight friends who get it… Their productions and the infamy of their parties have brought them around the world in recent years from Berlin to Chicago, Helsinki to San Francisco, Milan & Paris to Pittsburg & Austin, and our second city London, plus Block9 at Glastonbury Festival. In the end though, home is where the heart is, deep in the city of New York.
The Carry Nation will be performing at this year’s Yo! Sissy festival. Entering its third year, Berlin’s international queer music festival has already showcased artists and attracted audience members from over 20 different countries. The mission remains the same: to showcase burgeoning local performers alongside established international acts with a focus on promoting female and trans* identified talent.
Take a look at Will & Nita’s picks of the best New York City talent below:
MISTER WALLACE
FAVE TRACK: “Whoremoan”
Member of Chicago’s Banjee Report and co-founder of the FUTUREHOOD label, Mister Wallace broke out this year with his debut EP, FAGGOT. As slick on the decks as he is on the mic, his musical styles run the gamut but always leave you feeling yourself lovely. As a frequent collaborator with The Carry Nation, see “Breakwater” (Banjee Report Remix), we are exxxtra excited to be on the bill with him at Yo! Sissy…expect plenty of stunts & shows!
ESCANDALO
FAVE TRACK: “VENAMI”
Made up of performance artists Desi Monster and Viva Ruiz (performing this year at Yo! Sissy), Escandalo is a freestyle goth art band. Their surreal videos and elaborate performances at venues such at Deitch and MOMA P.S.1 bring to life their unique vision. Their most recent single, produced by The Carry Nation was featured on Allergy Season and Discwoman’s protest compilation Physically Sick.
OCTO OCTA
FAVE TRACK: “No More Pain (Promises To A Younger Self)”
One of our fave artists in NYC, Octo Octa always delivers wether serving up a soul-infused house set or throwing down in her live performances. Her debut album on HNYTRX is full of emotion and dance-floor magic and we often close our nights with the joyous “No More Pain”
SATEEN
FAVE TRACK: “Love Makes The World”
We were first introduced to Sateen at the now defunct WESTGAY party and it was love at first sight. Miss Queen Sateen and Exquisite are more than just partners in music, they are partners in life; spreading messages of love and unity through their infectious dance-pop. Check out their latest video for their song “Love Makes The World” featuring a slew of queer superstars.
CAKES DA KILLA
FAVE TRACK: “Keep It Goin’ (ft. Calore)
Words can’t describe the brilliance of Cakes. As one of the sickest rappers in the game his flow is beyond compare and his most recent album ‘Hedonism’ is an explosion of raw energy from start to finish. Cakes played Yo! Sissy it’s it’s opening year (2015) and we hear his performance was off the hook
This year’s edition of Yo! Sissy will take place on July 28th and 29th at Festsaal in Kreuzberg and feature five separate areas for simultaneous performance. The first Yo! Sissy was the largest festival of its kind to ever take place in Berlin, a city famous for its colourful culture and LGBT inclusivity. Peaches, Cakes da Killa, Crystal Waters, JD Samson, Mykki Blanco, Le1f, Karin Park & Christeene have graced the Yo! Sissy stage and this year brings a new and exciting plethora of talent from around the globe.
Find out more about Yo! Sissy here