Meet Yassin Adams | DJ / an audiovisual storyteller of SWANA nostalgia

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yassin Adams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yassin, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born mid-day on February 14th, Giza Hospital (Egypt), 1987 and lived in the heart of the capital (Cairo) from birth, until I turned 25 years old, in 2012. That was 1 year following the Arab Spring, the same year I immigrated to the US to apply for political asylum.

Egypt has been, and is, known to be, the entertainment hub of the region, which has, undoubtedly, impacted me in a multitude of ways. Whether it was the pressure to stand out, or stay ahead, in the ever-expanding and constantly-evolving music scene of Cairo, being an openly sexually-active cisgender woman definitely made it .. umm .. spicy, let’s keep it light. 👏 But, overall, I feel quite lucky to have been raised in a family of multidisciplinary artists who are especially musically inclined.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
1) About my art, and what sets me apart:

*I try to include at least 4 different languages in each set. I’m also not bound by genre, or bpm, in any of my mixes because I want folks to enjoy new sounds from all over the world. I think of my music as a sonic passport that has no earthly limits.

*I’m often inspired by this anonymous quote I read online: “It’s the artist’s duty to create art that makes the revolution irresistible”. And since revolting against the capitalist war machine is a daily practice for me, I’ve decided to adopt an alternative financial strategy, where I only provide my pay rate to established organizations, not community members. Community members can either donate or trade with me in exchange for DJing.

2) What I’m most proud of this year is establishing an anarchist household/collective called ‘The Station’ that aims to facilitate community interdependence among QT-BIPOC fellow residents of LA. You can find read more about services we provide on instagram @TheStationLosAngeles

3) I got where I am today because of the unconditional support (financial & otherwise) that I’ve received from my chosen family, as well as the queer community at large. I had a relatively high paying job in healthcare for about 10 years, but I never saved any money. I explained why I didn’t save money in an article that was published by the NY Times (in June, 2023) about financial planning in LGBTQ+ communities. Ironically, that article was published the same month I quit my healthcare job, and I haven’t returned to the workforce since, due to mental health issues.

NYT article referenced:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/25/business/queer-lgbtq-financial-planning.html

4) A really important lesson I want to pass on is to invest in softwares that can streamline your processes. For example; I dowloaded a software that allows me to mass download songs called HitPaw. Now I’m looking into another that can organize my music library using audio wave analysis (not file tags).

5) I want the world to know that I’m a transgender queer political asylee from Egypt who is openly polyamorous, kinky, an atheist, and whose mission in the ‘collective liberation movement’ of the global south includes, and is not limited to, advocating for pleasure activism, ethnical hedonism, and relational as well as political anarchy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Boyle Heights is incredible, it has such rich history. I’m new to LA myself and still exploring.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve been blessed to be supported in my music career at such an early age, starting with my dad who bought my first acoustic drum set when I turned 20 years old.

Also, my mom and 2 younger sisters attended my band’s debut in 2009, at El-Sawy’s Culture Wheel, which is a prominent live music venue located in a historic neighborhood called El Zamalek in Cairo, Egypt. I used to be the drummer for a heavy metal band called ‘The Lefties’ because all the band members were left-handed, however, I was the only girl in the band.