Mark Redito Presents: Likido

Written by Patricia Manlucu for Urban Outfitters Space15Twenty (2016)

Urban Outfitters proudly celebrates the diversity that our community holds. No matter where you’re from, how old you are, your gender, or your beliefs, we are honored to cultivate individuality throughout our UO community. Mark Redito, formerly known as Spazzkid, hopes to shed light on diversity through his upcoming event series, Likido. This project focuses on “featuring artists from underrepresented and marginalized communities: People of Color, Women and LGBTQ.” The first event is on July 16th! Check out our interview with him below to find out more about this project: 

Its been a little over a year since you last spoke with Space15Twenty, mind re-introducing yourself to our new and old readers?
Forsure, I used to go by “Spazzkid,” but I now go by my real name, Mark Redito. I make dance music – electronic dance music that’s leaning towards pop. I’m from Long Beach. I’m somebody who’s really interested in pursuing different projects, especially projects that impact my community, as well as the entire Los Angeles music community.

What have you been up to since we last spoke?

I’ve been really busy working on my new album. I probably have 7 or 8 tracks right now, a lot of features. I’ve been working with different vocalists and I feel that having collaborations with different singers and songwriters could really add a lot to my music.

I’ve been really busy with that, but I also have different projects going on as well, one of them is “Likido,” which is a new dance or club night. It’s a space made to uplift and elevate artists and producers coming from marginalized communities, such as People of Color, LGBTQ, and women. I’ve been really busy with that. There’s also a secret society that I’ve sort of been facilitating where it’s composed of different local producers. Just been very busy getting all of these projects off the ground.

How important was it for you to create this event series? Was there something in mind that sparked the start of the project?
Most of it was inspired by my experiences in electronic music. I’ve done a bit of touring, I’ve interfaced with a lot of fans. I think in my experience within the community of music makers and producers, I noticed that there are a lot of People of Color, Women, and Queer people who are making the same music as I am, but there aren’t enough avenues for them. I saw that and I felt that since I am somebody with sort of a platform, or some sort of network established, I feel obligated to carve a little bit of space for these people. As a Person of Color that also knows a lot of people who are also Queer of Color, and interfaces with Women of Color, I feel like it would be so great to have all these voices in one space where they are the focus. They are the opening act.

Why did you choose the name "Likido?"

I really wanted it to be short and punchy but also say something about my background. I’m Filipino, and “likido” is a Filipino word that means “liquid” or “fluid.” I think that is also influenced by gender identity and sexual identity. I am straight, but I have a lot of close friends who identify as Queer or Fluid. I wanted to hit two birds in one stone. I wanted it to reference gender and sexual identity, but I wanted to it to showcase my Filipino background as well.

On your site, you said "We prioritize featuring artists from underrepresented and marginalized communities: People of Color, Women and LGBTQ." Since we live in such a diverse city, how do you think this relates in Los Angeles? 
You’re right about LA being very diverse. If you go to any show, you can definitely see this. But I feel like this diversity doesn’t necessarily translate into the line up. Most of the line-ups in dance music usually consist of people who are White, and usually male. I have nothing against that, but for me it is important to actually have a space where it kind of balances out. Since we already have a lot of that going on, this space is for people who come from those backgrounds. Essentially, the bottom line is, since audiences are very diverse, I want the line-ups to be very diverse as well.

What can people expect to see at Likido? 
At this point, it’s the first event, I’m not really sure but my vision would be that it’s a place where people feel open to expressing themselves, to be free to express their authentic selves. A lot of my friends who identify as Queer, a lot of them kind of feel that there is a struggle to express their true selves. I hope to create this space that cultivates that, I hope that people will feel free to express and celebrate themselves. That is the whole point of Likido, I want to celebrate our diversity, our differences, and our similarities.

What are some of your goals through this project?

At some point, I would love for it to evolve into something that expands into more than just events. I could visualize a label or a collective. By collective I mean art, visual arts, and obviously music. At this point, I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m hoping people latch onto it and that it snowballs into this big thing. I feel like it’s not just about me. It’s important for me to start this space and hope that people will be drawn to it. I’m very aware that I can’t speak for everybody. I have my own privileges as a straight man. I have encountered being a Person of Color, but I can’t speak for Women or Queer people. I hope to have all these voices use Likido as a platform.

 Likido officially kicks off this Saturday, July 16th! For more information about purchasing tickets and the line-up, stay updated on Likido’s official site here.

Photos taken by: Mastrview