Interview - He Valencia of MoMA.PS5
He Valencia (Alosio Wilmoth), is a DJ, online personality and public speaker who was in Melbourne last Friday as part of an Australian tour. We’re very lucky to have him here. In America he is a selector of choice and a respected voice in niches of the industry. He’s opened recently for artists such as Azaelia Banks, and has participated in roundtables for Adult Swim’s “Bottom Text” and The New School in New York. In Europe, he has held guest spots on some legendary pirate radio stations like London’s Rinse FM and Berlin’s Hör Radio. His deep-cut mixes have received no small note either: in fact, one of them was listed as “Best of January 2021” by Pitchfork.
He Valencia’s influence on the current climate of content within underground DJ culture and the black diaspora should not be understated either. Under the Instagram account @moma.ps5, Wilmoth launched an all-out campaign of funny and political content which kept the electronic music community on their toes. It’s probably not hyperbole to say that most of your favourite local DJs have liked at least a couple of his posts. One person commenting on his Mix for Hör Radio in September said of his content, ”all that political shitposting on instagram got me through highschool”.
With this in mind, In Review had a quick chat with one of DJ culture’s most prolific underground influencers to hear what he has seen on his travels:
Q: Are there any online mixes you’ve been listening to recently?
Some of my favorite mixes I’ve been listening to at the moment are mostly just studying older Villalobos stuff. This is a legendary set he played at fabric in 2007. I'm quite interested in the more technical aspects of his mixing. Very loose on the mixer and playful. Lots of random fader cuts and bass cuts out to force and build tension in the room.
Also my friend Anastasia Kristensen recently did an essential mix. Amazing DJ with a very sharp Taste for the good kinda techno. She’s one of my favorite DJs, really proud to have watched her progression throughout the years.
Q: Do you have any favourite clubs in the world?
I’m very attracted to small capacity clubs with nice sound systems. A club that instantly won me over with that vibe is Bambis in Toronto. It's a cute club with a very crisp funktion one sound system that you can really push and challenge.
Q: Are you reading anything recently?
Yes! My friend Danilo, who runs Mimosa Agency, gave me this book about the Central American Banana king. It’s quite a cool quirky story about how Israel has a history with Central America. Been reading it during my flights on tour right now.
Q: What’s been your favourite city on this tour?
Only been here for 2 days but I def love Melbourne. It’s much a cooler vibe than Sydney. Very artsy and laid back.
Q: Do you have any favourite films?
My favorite film is “Dark City”. Coincidentally, it's an Australian film. Directed by Alex Proyas. A very dark futuristic take on Plato's closet. This film got overshadowed at the time because of The Matrix but it’s a cult classic for those more into art house.
Q: Favourite foods?
I love a good red snapper with beans and rice. That's just the Caribbean Diaspora kid in me.
Q: You’re a prolific poster about race & class in the Electronic/DJ community. Is there any DJ content you’ve been liking recently?
I'm honestly really into those super corny dj repost pages that show all of the mainstream festival footage. It's nice seeing crowds of people react to music. We often get caught up in the pretentiousness of this scene and forget that it's all about making people happy and dance!
Follow He Valencia on Instagram here, and the moma.ps5 account here.