Minneapolis electronic dance community grieves beloved DJ found dead in Olmsted County
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Liara Tsai created safe spaces wherever she went.
Whether it was through her electronic music at underground shows in Minneapolis or through intimate conversations with friends, Tsai exuded an energy that was magnetic, curious and accepting.
“It’s like you felt this pull because she was so just authentic to her bones,” said Saoirse Weiss, a close friend of Tsai’s.
If someone in the Minneapolis electronic dance music scene didn’t know Tsai personally, Weiss said they likely knew her for her long, curly, orange hair. That was the first thing that stood out to Weiss when she first met Tsai about a year ago in north Minneapolis, at a show called Cyber City Disco.
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“In a lot of ways, just like her music and the sound that she created, her hair was her power as well. The way it flowed, the way it moved, the way they interacted with the wind, the air, with the people. And that was such a distinct quality that was hard to forget,” Weiss recalled.
Minneapolis’ underground electronic music community is grieving Tsai after she was found dead in the backseat of a car in southeast Minnesota on June 22. Police have charged 32-year-old Margot Lewis of Iowa on suspicion of murdering Tsai, who was 35 years old when she died.
According to an autopsy, she died from multiple sharp-force injuries.
Those closest to Tsai will remember her as a brilliant DJ who could guide a dance floor through an “emotional journey.” She rarely prepared sets before shows and would often play live music that was responsive to the crowd in the moment.
“I’ll tell you that if you don’t listen to it much, you might just think it all sounds the same but it doesn’t,” said Dana Kazuko, a friend and fellow DJ. “And she was so good at, like, this is hypey, this is exciting, this is happy. She’s also good at like, this is sad, or this is a little angry. And the fact that she just does that without pre-planning that set, she does it based on what’s in front of her, just speaks to her talent.”
Tsai grew up in Mauston, Wis., and lived in Iowa City before moving to Minneapolis in May. According to loved ones, she served in the military for about 10 years, which included being in the U.S. Air Force and serving in Afghanistan.
As a transgender woman, she was a passionate advocate for the trans community and connected deeply with those who were coming into their trans identity, like Weiss.
“When you’re able to see yourself in someone else, that’s where the magic really happens and then you get to really self reflect. And Liara would always encourage you to self reflect and kind of discover all the various happenings of what’s going on in your emotional self,” said Weiss.
According to Tsai’s SoundCloud, Tsai described her music as “hypnotic acid electro and techno sounds” intended to help her audience “surrender” and feel empowered. Weiss said Tsai would never ask her if she liked her set — she would instead ask, “How did it make you feel?”
Although she had been a DJ for many years and performed across the Midwest including in Iowa City, Iowa, and Madison, Wis., Tsai planned to make Minneapolis her permanent home.
For the past two years she has played at underground house shows across the city and at events held by Intellephunk, one of the biggest promoters in the local electronic dance scene. She even had recently become a crisis counselor for Intellephunk.
Kazuko said Tsai felt Minneapolis was a special place because of the community and opportunity for her to grow as a DJ.
“Liara was this incredibly talented and well-established DJ who was blowing up a little bit,” said Kazuko. “But she’d been trying to get to Minneapolis for a while. And a big reason was because the community was so welcoming, and because like, she knew so many people, but there were practical reasons too. She saw the Twin Cities as a place to grow her profile, to grow her art.”
Others, like Tsai’s partner April Lee, will miss going on walks with her, watching her favorite TV shows like Chinese drama “Love Between Fairy and Devil” and making music together. Lee said Tsai loved talking to people and sharing healing energy.
“A lot of people will tell you that Liara changed their life because of how completely real she was, how openly spiritual and how communicative she was. She showed people a completely different way to be and encouraged people to be as authentic as they could be, and as free as they could be. And I can absolutely say that Liara changed my life to an incredible degree from the very first day I met her,” said Lee.
Although she is devastated over the loss of Tsai, Lee said she is not angry at Lewis, Tsai’s former romantic partner who is suspected of murdering Tsai.
“Margot is a kind, intelligent person who was well liked by people who know her,” said Lee. Police said in court documents that Lewis has been uncooperative and refused to speak.
“I don’t feel anger towards her and I hope she very much gets the help she needs. Liara only saw the good in other people and wanted the best for her and for her to get help and find healing,” Lee said.
Private celebrations have been held in Madison, Iowa City and Minneapolis to commemorate Tsai since her death. About 50 people attended a Loring Park gathering Kazuko organized to honor Tsai days after she was found, according to Carbon Sound.
Kazuko and Tsai were scheduled to perform together for the first time at the Uptown VFW in Minneapolis on Friday, July 5. Instead, Kazuko is preparing a video and a set using Tsai’s original music to play during Tsai’s original set time. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Twin Cities Trans Mutual Aid.
If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with their partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic violence hotline. You can call Minnesota DayOne at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.