MAIA BALAM QUETZAL ARTS

MY MUSIC BIO & ROOTS 

 

I have been a self taught multi instrumentalist for the last 20 years, singer-composer for

the last 5 years and DJ for 10 years, or even more if we consider mixing tapes as a teen.

Music has been my main ally, religion and inspiration since I was 12 years old,

when I began making mixtapes of all kinds of music, collecting albums and teaching 

myself how to play the guitar, multiple kinds of flutes and composing songs & poetry.

I began playing the flute at age 13, and discovered that I could play any song that came

into my mind, from classical music to bossa nova or nintendo songs.

That skill got me stoked into playing the flute everyday for hours, until I had no more

songs that came into my mind to play, then I began composing and playing the acoustic

guitar and found my way into alternative rock and bossa nova, from there I moved on to

the Roland synthesizer to experiment with eletronic sounds, and then one day when

I was 18, I got my first set of vinyl turn tables, a few records and began experimenting

with styles that ranged from Psychedelic 60s Rock, to Reggae, Trance, Classical,

60s jazz, 70s Progressive, African music, Hip hop, Acid jazz, Trip hop, Dub, Bass,

Afro beat, World music, Afro house, Future bass and Latin house. 

 

I began making mixtapes and compilations from a very young age:

making sets for every mood, emotion, country, time of the day and season

alone in my room, where I would travel through sound to exotic destinations

in far away lands, time travelling, collecting the best pieces of music from the past.

later on I began jamming up with friends endless sessions of live music

 in old studios and home parties, non stop impro sessions for hours and hours.

 

Then one day I took the mission to start traveling around Mexico and the world,

finding any ocation to create music alone or with others,

jamming with any kind of musician I felt a musical connection with, a resonance, a spark, an inspiration to co-create,

those jams never paid a nickle, years and years of playing for free, but they gave me the confidence, the practice, the bravery,

the experience and musical range to be able to match up and improvise with any genera,

any kind of musician or Dj at any kind of stage or given moment. music language fluidity and self confidence .

 

After 13 years of freestyling, improvising, collecting and composing songs and lyrics 

I moved to Vancouver, Canada at age 26 and immersed myself in the arts, film and music scene from the very bottom, It took me only one summer to start playing at summer festivals in canada, playing at fests is easy, the hard part is to get paid what you deserve to make it work in a place such as Vancouver, so at the same time I was a DJ, I continued being a festival photographer, jewelry maker and whatever other position I could do as a side hassle.  Working in Canadian summer festivals became the highlight of my life, in winter I would return back to Mexico and Central America, and I would do a completely different set of jobs and festivals down south in order to be able to return every summer to Canada and re-build my life and business from the ground up, every year.

 

                 

                                                                                        THE FESTIVAL LIFESTYLE

 

                                                                        In the last 8 years of festival life in Canada-Mexico-Costa Rica I have learnt so much, specially                                                              from all the musical creatures, artists, performers, dancers, producers, film makers,                                                                                     dream makers and magicians that I have collaborated with or seen, and whose                                                                                           unique lifestyles, philosophies and musical styles have deeply influenced my craft. 

 

                                                                           Im very grateful with all the rad festival "schools" that I have devoted time-energy to:

                                                                            -Shambhala, Bass Coast, Luminosity, Envision, and many others...                                                                                                           by working at festivals both as artist and crew for the last 7 years in Canada,                                                                                        Mexico, and Costa Rica, I have acquired innumerable valuable skills useful for life.

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                                                                                                         Some of the main lessons I can share with you are:

                                                                             - Always have multiple "side hustles" to keep boosting your career, and be able to

                                                                                pay for your apt and lifestyle while you are at the festivals.  To Hustle is a must.

                                                                             - Become your own graphic designer. Invest in pro photos and videos.

                                                                             - In music collabs : Respect the rhythm, recognize the sounds and people that                                                                                       are already in the space and read/listen to what they are doing

                                                                                before making any input or give any feedback, make eye contact.

                                                                          - Do what needs to be done to help whats already happening, find the gap, the                                                                                       Empty space, and bridge it with epic beats, lyrics, dance moves, actions or                                                                                          melody.  Always be ready to help others, cuz shit usually happens at fests.

                                                                          - Stay alert, dont abuse substances and you will be able to make great                                                                                                  artistic connections, stay in top of your music game, make biz moves                                                                                     & meet incredible people from around the world. - Take good care of                                                                                    yourself, after many years of sleeping at weird hours, your adrenal system will be begetgets                                                            impacted, so you will have to become a master at regenerating your adrenals, immune                                                       consuming immune boosters, eating healthy food, and stepping back when you are tired.

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                                                                            - In your music creation, and jams: Learn how to leave blank spaces,

                                                                                       some of the best songs are the ones that have pauses.                                                                                                        -Make sure you eat copious amounts of food before a long set, dont be hangry. 

                                                                          -Make sure you have lots of cold water inside your water bottle during your set.

                                                                            -Never be afraid of asking other artists for collaborations, or to borrow their                                                                                                                  tracks in order to rework or remix them. 

                                                                    -send sound cloud messages to reach out to other producers.

                                                                                -send your music to labels, festivals, venues, other producers, etc.

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          Networking is key in the soundwarrior world, survival of the fittest also applies to the music and arts scene.

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                                                TOGETHER WE RISE, SEPARATED WE BECOME DRONES