Didi Tlajtoaki
Didi Tlajtoaki is a Mexican artist, sound designer, producer and performer.
Early years and formation
Daniela Castrovalle Aguirre (also known as Didi Castrovalle or Didi Tlajtoaki) was born in Mexico City on February 15. She studied Sound Engineering at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida in 2002-2003 where she launched her MusicAL career.
Didi made the move to London in 2003 to continue her studies in Art, Design & Communications with a focus on Psychoacoustics at Richmond International University (2007) & Cognitive Computing (AI) at Goldsmiths, University of London (2008).
Artistic career
"Didi Tlajtoaki has been an ACTIVE artist since 2007 and has presented her work within arts collectives and group exhibitions in London (DA! "Exhibition of Environments", a 24hour squat of the ex-Iraqi Embassy No:ID Gallery) and in Mexico City (Big Hands Gallery, Art @ 0 degrees, Corredor Cultural Condesa Roma, ContraNatura, Transplanta). Her specialty in psychoacoustics has allowed for an in depth exploration of sound within the work she presented from 2007-2010.
Sound Installations
The first,"Aquarius Playground" (2007, a series of three headpieces, explores various aspects of consciousness tapping into the innerchild, with the aid of delta waves, to the higherself (theta waves) and transiting through our fears (beta, gamma).
The second, "AwaitPollination" (2008) came AbOUT from researching the genetic codes that bees transmit in the act of pollinating. Through the use of alpha waves that restore the human genetic coding, Didi created a piece that the listener could engage with and become pollinated, that is to say that valuable shifts in biochemistry and brainwave patterns would take place leaving the listener with a general sense of wellbeing.
Her third piece of this kind, "Nantli Yoni Mudra" a large vagina-shaped headpiece made of shantung silk and plaster. Within it a sound simulacrum of the nine months of fetal gestation inside the womb. The user is removed from any external stimuli and engaged in a moment of instrospection as if travelling back into the womb, in order to experience a rebirth once he/she comes out again by taking the headpiece off.
Performance
Since 2011 she is collaborating with fellow artist Moth Moirae on a project entitled "Gnothi Seauton" which involves a range of disciplines from smell installations to performance. Didi directed a piece called "AguAsana", an interactive meditation, sound installation and kinetic performance to raise awareness and send healing vibrations to the petrol-contaminated Gulf of Mexico."
Career as diDiok
Early in 2007 Didi made her first live appearance as "diDiok" at The Others Gallery presenting the "Bathtub Music" set accompanied by Corvin Dhali with a selection of five songs: "Aquarius", "Bleeding Hearts", "Earth Song", "War" and "Goodthing" over water and rain ambient sounds. Following, in June 2007 she made her second and third live appearances opening for Thibault Autheman from The Dead Arms with "Whale Songs and A Minor" at an East London venue and then for Carmek.77’s brainchild "hybrid" a live digital arts, visuals, live improv, performance, installation and arts event where she introduced her most recent creations together with her older tunes.
After living in London for six years she moved to Mexico City to compile seven years worth of home-studio recordings and productions into her first professional album "(((eufonia)))" released independently. diDiok collaborated with Professor Cynthia Valenzuela, a four-time-first place award-winning Celtic harpist and Humberto Alvarez (sound therapist and specialist in pre-Hispanic instruments of Mexico) who laid down the rhythmic bed of the album. The album was produced by Didi Tlajtoaki and co-produced by Luis Diago (DiaGo/Nal, Normal&Moodo) and the Head of Audio for The SAE Institute in Mexico, Santiago Rodriguez (FM, Blaq Records).
Didi is currently recording her second album with a planned release date in November 2012. An organic blend of contemporary genres with prehispanic inspired sounds and Shamanic singing. Her live band includes the exclusive participation of female musicians.
Image and fashion
diDiok also complements her audio productions and performances by designing the concept, the look, the costumes. She has collaborated with fashion and textile designer Summer Romero for the "Gaianauta" series and with The Eerie (Esteban de la Torre) on visuals.
Gigography
diDiok has performed in East London venues & art galleries such as The Others Gallery in Stoke Newington, Gibbo’s, NO:ID, alongside Uncle Rabbit, Spiritwo Rob the Rub & The Lonely Cowboys from Hell and Melange Social Club in Shoreditch. In New York she performed at Goodbye Blue Monday in Brooklyn and in Mexico City she has performed at Lucille, I love Myself, El Bataclan, Casa Blanca, Amapola Music Hall, Rioma (with Metrika), UpperPlayground, Casa Roma, Cafe 22, and El Imperial. She has also participated in Ecology, Art and Music festivals such as Ometeotl, Festival Semilla, Consejo de Visiones & Festival del Maiz.
Discography
Unmastered / Lo-Fi
- 2003 diDi Songs / summerwalk (ambient/instrumental)
- 2004 Hidden Debut (lo-fi originals)
- 2007 Bathtub Music (live @ The Others Gallery, London for PrimeArt II)
- 2007 Aquarius' Playground (binaural beats & compositions)
- 2007 Whale Songs (live acoustic set @ Gibbo’s, London)
Mastered Releases
- 2010 (((eufonia))) (acoustic / playful electronic processing/ trip hop / pop / soundscape)
"I feel this a truly mystical and accessible, album because I sing about universal conditions, and the melodies are easy, however the sound design is intricate, all sounds and soundscapes are original recordings made in the studio and during my mystical and psychedelic travels to rural Mexico into the subtropical forests of Veracruz and the desert in San Luis Potosi. It’s all improvised yet very well studied and is best experienced on headphones!” - Didi Tlajtoaki on "(((eufonia)))"
Career as producer
BHG
Didi, together with Tita Duarte, is founder and director of Big Hands Gallery in Mexico City. BHG emerged in 2009 as a collective group of artists and cultural promoters who intervene diverse public and private spaces. Previously, the group has nested in cultural venues such as Casa Verde, in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of San Miguel Chapultepec, Casa Blanca in San Angel and Edificio Francia in Roma Norte, all in Mexico City.
BHG aims to establish a relevant discourse within contemporary society through the use of multimedia art, theatre, music/sound art including border arts such as design, fashion, the culinary arts, including new techniques and innovative tendencies in human thought and experience.
Amoneuki
Amoneuki is an eclectic music and performing arts platform created in 2011 by Didi Tlajtoaki for Festival Ometeotl. Didi is curator, director and stage manager. Performers are chosen for their musical mastery and proactive message in an eclectic array of genres. Participating artists have included Ruben Albarran from Cafe Tacuba with his project Hoppo, Memo Mendez-Guiu's 22, Ixchel + Lotus, Orquesta Basura, Lengualerta, Casa Verde Colectivo, amongst other musicians.
Cosmophonic
Founded by Didi in 2012 with the participation of artist and multi-instrumentalist Nahum Mantra Cosmophonic is a sitdown sound culture and performance arts event showcasing fine and rare sound capusules and music and sound-based performances and happenings.