Nita Aviance | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 (age 44–45)[1] |
| Origin | Rochester, New York, United States |
| Genres | House,Dance,Electronic andSoul |
| Occupation(s) | dancer,percussionist,jazz singer,DJ,music producer and actor |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Labels | Batty Bass |
DJ Nita (born 1980[1]) known asNita Aviance is adancer,percussionist,jazz singer,DJ,music producer, actor, and a member ofThe Carry Nation along with fellow DJ/producer Will Automagic. Nita is also half of two other production teams,BOOKWRMZ andBrooklyn Is Burning, as well as a member of the production team Pyramide.
In the late 1990s, Nita left Rochester forNew York City where she joined the legendaryHouse of Aviance, "one of the majorhouses in the city'sballroom andvogue scene."[2][3][4] Nita is one of the prominent DJ/producers of New York City'sLGBTnightlife and has worked in various cities around the world as a DJ includingLondon, UK where herrecord label is based.[5][6][7][8]
Nita has logged remixes for various artists includingBeyoncé, theScissor Sisters,Le1f, Will Automagic, andAdam Joseph.[3] According toMix Magazine, Nita and Will Automagic are regarded as "veterans of the ever ebbing and flowing New York nightlife scene, having begun working together after being introduced to one another by fellow DJ Michael Formika Jones in the early 2000s."[9]
Nita was born and grew up inRochester, New York, which she left forNew York City to pursue her education. She attendedNew York University, and whilst in New York City, joined the legendaryHouse of Aviance as a dancer/drag artist in the 1990s. Having made a name for herself with one of the most prominentballroom andvoguing houses of New York, she turned to full-time DJing.[5][10][2][3][11][12] She took her nameAviance from the House of Aviance—as is common with all house members within the ballroom community.[13]
Nita is a trainedpercussionist, jazz singer, and dancer.[4]
Nita started her professional DJ career in the early 2000s.[10] In 2003, she met Will Automagic (née William Lynn[1]) at the Opaline Area 10009, anightclub onAvenue A in theEast Village of New York City which is now defunct, through fellow DJ and drag artist Mistress Formika (DJ Michael Formika Jones[9]).[5][9] The duo started asking each other to guest-DJ gigs, and in 2012, Nita suggested to Automagic that they make a record together. Their collaboration led to the creation ofThe Carry Nation and the release of the "percolating dance track"This Bitch Is Alive, which led to a record deal with Batty Bass, alabel based inLondon, United Kingdom.[5][6][8]
Since joining the House of Aviance, Nita has both worked solo and as one half of The Carry Nation and is a well established artist in her own right.[11][14] Some of her other classic tracks includeThe Queens,[6] remix of XiViX'sUrgent,[11] as well loggingremixes for various other artists includingBeyoncé, theScissor Sisters,Le1f, Will Automagic, andAdam Joseph.[3]
Nita’s sound helped transform the East Village's Opaline Area 10009 into the ultimate dance party of the early 2000s.[5][9][4] It was during the Opaline days when Aviance along with DJ Sammy Jo (the Scissor Sisters official tour DJ[15]) formed theDowntown DJ Coalition as a musical alternative to the mega-clubs. In late 2006, Aviance and Gant Johnson founded their weekly partyTubway at New York City's underground dance den, mr.Black. From a smallsoulful, living-room-style party, Tubway evolved "into the most raucous Saturday night cross-section of New York nightlife." Her residency at Tubway brought praise from nightlife personalities and brought in guest appearances from renowned international DJs likeTom Stephan,AC Slater,Junior Vasquez and the UK's Horse Meat Disco. Aviance is a four-time Glammy Awards winner for Best DJ (the award for nightlife personalities in New York City[16]), and Tubway was voted byPaper Magazine as the best party in 2008.[4] As of 2020, Nita holds a residency at the award winning WESTGAY.[17][4][10]
Nita was part ofLa'Mady, atransgender rap group that included Linda James and fellow House of Aviance members,Erickatoure Aviance and Koko Aviance. The group collaborated withJonny McGovern in his 2006 albumJonny McGovern Presents: This is NYC, Bitch! The East Village Mixtape.
Nita Aviance also appeared in the 2015 American independent drama filmEkaj (as club DJ), written and directed by Cati Gonzalez. She also appeared in the 2020 documentaryFilterswept (as self), written and directed by Rosa Costanza.
