Nita Aviance: 10 Tracks That Are Shaping NYC’s Queer Dance Floors
Cameron Holbrook
A cornerstone of NYC’s queer underground, Nita Aviance has spent decades shaping dance floor culture from the booth outward. From her role in The Carry Nation and the House of Aviance to marathon residencies and global club touch points, her sound and presence move fluidly across house, techno, disco, and experimental electronics with unmistakable authority.
Now she channels that lineage into her “10 Tracks That Shaped NYC’s Queer Dance Floors” playlist for Beatportal, a high-gloss snapshot of the music, moments, and spaces that informed her journey. It arrives alongside her latest creative chapter, including her contribution to Chinotto Records’ Tarocco Singles Club No. 7, a release steeped in the spirit and soul of New York’s queer nightlife continuum.
New York City has always had an incredibly rich queer scene and I’m beyond grateful to bear witness to this new era of excitement brought to you by those who would be considered lifers in this ecstatic dance. Whether from NYC proper or with deep ties to our global community, all the artists here have shaped and are shaping the world with every beat. – Nita Aviance
Ever since I first was on the dance floor for a BASHKKA set I was enamored. This original production of hers I not only play in the club but also keep on my at-home playlist as well, with a beautifully ethereal melody that rides a nasty electro beat, this tune really encapsulates so much of what many of us are feeling in the current climate and the inherent hope we find in communion over music
An absolute belter of a breakbeat that brings me to tears every time. An anthem for our age by one of the finest djs in the world, one listen and you will feel the depth of emotion and wealth of knowledge Eris brings to all her work.
From the moment I laid eyes on Shaun J Wright I knew they were a star. It has been a joy and a pleasure to call them a colleague and friend in this business. Their vision of house and techno erases the boundaries of genre and cuts directly to the heart and the soul of the dance, evoking levels of jack and sweat that consistently blow my mind.
One of the hottest names in club music right now, JIALING’s flip of my sister Kevin Aviance’s iconic chant has been driving the girls wild since well before its release last year, thanks to brilliant promo from Sorry Records label head Nick Boyd.
There are many tracks I could choose from Sister Zo, like her recent EP on Major Records, or her smash hit “Root of Desire” off the last Full Tilt Carry compilation on Nervous Records, but this collab with Sam Binga is the one I'm rinsing most at this very moment, pure bass nastiness, to the beat of every drum.
Lil_art_hoe is one of the best producers I've been turned on to recently and we were so blessed to be able to release an EP of theirs on our label, Major Records NYC. This acidic pumper is the standout for me and many of the Brooklyn crew, as is witnessed by the wave of bodies that swarm the booth anytime it drops
I loved the original of this so much that when Michael asked me to remix it I thought “how am I gonna take this even further?” After a late summer festival raving with some of the brightest in the global queer scene I was beyond inspired, and very proud of how it has come together to define this current moment.
The song that started it all! Built upon a studio outtake from NYC legend Viva Ruiz, this was the first collaboration between myself and Will Automatic and also the first of many releases on Hannah Holland’s Batty Bass imprint, launching many a party and production that has kept New York dancing for well over a decade.
Peak anthem behavior from the legend himself, Hex Hector. I recently pulled this out for a marathon sets and the entire floor erupted in song. To say it still resonates nearly 30 years later is putting it mildly.
One of the kindest and kookiest vocalists in the biz, her twisted sense of humor and storytelling paired perfectly with the productions of her bestie Louie Balo, and the legacy they have left us remains unmatched. I will forever miss running into these two in the depths of New York’s dance floors.
Was, am, and will always be a runway girlie. There ain’t nothing like storming the floor with my House of Aviance sisters to this Robbie Tronco classic. I’m so happy to see the next generation waking it up out here, “Bring it to the runway” y’all!
Nita Aviance's Tarocco Singles Club No. 7 drops February 13 via Chinotto Records.
