Check Out Taralynn Ruiz’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taralynn Ruiz

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I became inspired to learn how to DJ in late 2023 through someone I admire, love, and respect as a DJ. When I began, I thought that I would be into playing House music. However, as it turned out, as much as I enjoy listening to House music at events, I don’t connect with it when I am trying to play it. It is my belief that as a DJ I should have a connection with the music that I intend to play. I need to feel it deep within myself. It’s a passion and an art form. So, I played a little Liquid Drum & Bass at some point and as it happened, my brain and my body connected with it to the point that I definitely felt connected enough to be able to learn to play it … eventually. It took me nearly a year to learn and to make a mix worth grabbing anyone’s attention. I finally did it though because I have determination. When I want something enough, I don’t stop.

Drum & Bass is a difficult genre to learn on its own but Liquid Drum & Bass, I would wager is a bit more difficult because of its nuances and intricacies with basslines, synths, melodies, and of course, vocals. I am here now, officially approaching 1 year into my DJ career and journey near the end of November. Unofficially, I am already a year in now. I just didn’t have any equipment until late November last year.

Right now, I have a lot going on. I have a radio show residency with Subtle Radio based out of London. My first mix with just aired on Subtle Radio on 10.21.24 from 3am-5am EST. on subtle radio.com and that is 8am-10am BST for anyone in the UK. I have a mix airing with FlowCast Drum & Bass on November 1st, 2024 on their YouTube channel. And, I have a 1-hour mix airing on Hale. London for Eminent Domaine with DJ Halo in November with the Date & Time TBA. I am also going to be releasing my own mix sometime in November, so stay tuned.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road by any means. A lot of the struggles believe it or not have actually come from within me. Facing my own insecurities has been difficult because I am 40 and I am learning new skills, and actually, I am technically also honing skills from the talents, knowledge, and anecdotal evidence from experiences that I already possess. Having certain traits, talents, knowledge, and experiences does not necessarily make it easier when you are a person on the neurodiverse spectrum, no matter where you fall on it. I know that I encounter many special challenges in a lot of different situations that require me to accommodate myself because no one around me is willing to do so. I really did do my best. I worked extremely hard to get to where I am in spite of the lack of accommodations, support at times, and the countless challenges that often caused me to question myself as an artist and as a creative.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Liquid Drum & Bass DJ. I chose to specialize in Liquid Drum & Bass. However, I am capable of playing Neurofunk, Minimal/Deep Tech, and Techstep. I also incorporate some of those sub-genres into my own mixes because I do enjoy the darker and slightly heavier-weighted sounds while still maintaining that smooth sound that you’d expect from Liquid.

I began learning in October of 2023 by downloading Rekordbox, signing up for a record pool, buying music on Beatport, Bandcamp, and Juno as needed, listening to Drum & Bass consistently every single day as my way of researching the current Drum & Bass music being played in the UK and around Europe. I set up social media for my DJ account, and began networking and socializing with other Drum & Bass artists from around the world. I cannot stress how imperative it is today to socially network with other artists prior to being fully capable of playing a set or recording a mix yet. One should begin rubbing elbows sooner rather than later in order to get those contacts that you’re going to need once you do have a good grasp on mixing, recording, and playing sets. With that said, I got my first board around the end of November of 2023, along with monitors, and an audio interface with all the necessary cables tol get it all hooked up. And from there, I attempted to begin by playing house music but I just didn’t feel anything when I played it and I wasn’t great at beat matching it even though everyone keeps saying that it’s the easiest genre to learn how to play. My brain just seems to operate differently , which is very often the case in my life. For someone like me, I really do need to be able to feel something when I’m both listening to and playing music and I also need to be able to understand the music that I am playing. So, then I just tried a little Liquid Drum & Bass to see how it felt to me and to see how well I could beat match it given that I was still really new at it. And to my surprise, I wasn’t horrible at playing it and I really fell in love with the sounds that I was hearing when I did play it. It was a match made in Drum & Bass. I hadn’t even been listening to current music since before the pandemic, so this was a great opportunity for me at a time in my life where I happened to have a lot of downtime to really and truly learn about everything.

Musically, I specialize in track selection, setting the vibe and the mood, and my methodical approach to organizing my playlists which is what ties everything together in the end. If we talk socially or networking-wise, I am really good at connecting with other artists because we all have something in common with each other, and that is our passion for our music, our art. We want to share that with each other and everyone else too. I really enjoy being around likeminded artists because their energy is infectious and that’s a great way to make new friends too, not just a way to create new working relationships. Not every thing has to be this superficial façade with others who wish to be as authentic with me as I do with them.

Speaking on that particular topic, I have found quite a lot of differences in thinking and views of artists in the UK and Europe vs the US, specifically here in NC. One view in particular that I find to be quite different is the idea that everyone here is in competition with one another instead of standing side by side as if we are all equal and working in more collaborative environments. I find that my own experience and views align much more with the thoughts and views of the artists in the UK who I personally know and have experience speaking with and working with because they aren’t in competition with anyone else but themselves and they are so excited to collaborate with others and it isn’t just a means to an end or a way to gain leverage or a leg up.

I think that what sets me apart from others is definitely the fact that I play Liquid specifically to begin with. I also incorporate elements of other sub-genres. I absolutely do think a lot differently from nearly everyone else. I am more than willing to assert myself because being a female DJ in the Drum & Bass community can often be challenging.

I am really proud of myself for working so hard, keeping my head down, maintaining the momentum as much as I could for a good year, solidifying my drive and passion for Liquid Drum & Bass, and I am insanely proud of the fact that I never quit. I made it, I was able to launch my DJ career, finally.

What makes you happy?
Inspiration, when it hits, that makes me feel good. When I am able to sit down and grind out a really good playlist that I love and I know it’s going to sound great when it’s mixed, that makes me happy. And when I do create a mix that ends up being much better than I thought it would turn out to be, I feel extremely happy about that.

Outside of DJing, music still makes me happy when I’m listening to it or when I go to an event. I also enjoy spending time with people who share in that mutual enjoyment of spending time together. I am happy when I am alone with myself and my own thoughts sometimes. I am happy when I can enjoy coffee dates with friends who also share an interest in coffee like I do. I take pleasure in rather simple things in life and yet, I am simultaneously bougie about said things because they have to be the finer versions of these things. I have a refined palate in many aspects and I prefer to enjoy things as a sensory experience. Some people cannot understand me on that level though.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/djtldnb
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/djtldnbofc
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@djtldnb
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djtldnb
• Other: https://subtleradio.com/artists/tl