Interview met DXO
DXO is een jonge en talentvolle synthwave producer uit Colombia. Met al heel wat mooie releases op zijn palmares, kunnen we dit jaar ook weer volop genieten van nieuwe muziek. Wil je weten hoe DXO te werk gaat en wat er in zijn thuisland allemaal gebeurd? Lees dan snel verder.
DXO is a young and talented synthwave producer from Colombia. With many great releases to his name, we can fully enjoy new music again this year. Do you want to know how DXO works and what happens in his home country? Then read on quickly.
DXO, can you please introduce yourself?
My name is David Velez, I'm 25 years old, and I'm from Colombia. I started my music project under the name DXO seven years ago. My main focus is synthwave, but I've also worked on beatmaking for reggaeton and other urban genres. I also do post-production, including mixing and mastering, for other artists. Professionally, I work as a sound technician and do live event productions.
Your new track ¨XO24¨ was released last month (together with Deckrd). What was the idea behind this track?
Deckrd is an emerging artist from Bogotá, Colombia, whom I met through The Weeknd’s fandom during his last tour. We instantly connected over our shared taste in music, and also because he’s studying the same career as me and started out making synthwave as well. Right away, we knew we wanted to collaborate, and by the end of last year, we made it happen. The idea was to create two songs, one more in his style, which is still in production, and another one more in my style. That’s how XO24 was born.
To anyone reading this interview, I highly recommend checking out Deckrd’s music, he’ll be releasing his first EP this year.
Can you share some of your other plans for this year with us?
Since my last EP RetroKid, released in 2020, I’ve been pretty inactive, putting out at most two songs a year. This year, my plan is to bring some of my previous music back to life, release new songs, and focus more on marketing my tracks. Additionally, I’d love to collaborate more, especially with artists from my country.
Next to your projects as a synthwave producer, you also make and sell reggaeton/dancehall beats. What was the motivation behind this choice?
Making reggaeton beats came from the need to do something different and express myself in a new way. In terms of musical tastes, I’m someone who listens to almost every type of music, and that’s why it’s hard for me to stay inspired by synthwave all the time. I wanted to work in a genre that not only reflects other aspects of my personality but also allows me to collaborate with friends and colleagues who make reggaeton and other global urban genres like RnB and trap. Unfortunately, I no longer make beats for sale, but I’m still deeply connected to the genre, mixing and mastering for artists from my country and from Mexico, like BripBoy, Soul 88, and Edson Ags. I also enjoy participating in some songwriting sessions with them. Reggaeton is my more Latin side.
Being an independent producer, how do you promote your music and try to reach new listeners?
I try to get my music into as many playlists and YouTube mixes as possible. I also aim to get into other media, like podcasts and radio. For me, the key is being in places where the audience that listens to synthwave is, and educating people who listen to synthwave but don’t know the name of the genre. I’ve usually done this in an entirely organic way, with a lot of help from great supporters and legends like Jules Neon Fawkes, Kaarin Zoe Lee, and others.
What are your musical influences?
A lot of rock and pop from the '80s and '90s, Eminem, Gustavo Cerati and The Weeknd are my main influences and emotional inspirations.
For the electronic music producers reading this interview, can you give us a look in your studio?
I’m sorry to disappoint them, but I don’t have a proper studio. Maybe i could call it home studio, but it’s not the most sophisticated or aesthetically pleasing, haha. However, I can tell you the gear I work with:
- Asus Vivobook x17
- Audient ID14
- Beyerdynamic DT990
- Korg Minilogue XD
How is the synthwave scene in Colombia?
I feel like the synthwave scene in Colombia isn’t as solid as I’d like it to be. We have some really big and talented artists like Meteor, Data Fatale, ClonedClouds, Polystation, among others, but the lack of consistency in our projects and other factors have made it hard for us to unite and build an active community like there is in other Latin American countries.
On top of that, we’ve always been forced to aim our music towards European and North American audiences because in our country, the genre still doesn’t have enough strength to be recognized, at least in the local indie scene. But little by little, we’re working on building and growing this scene, hoping that one day we can solidify a scene not just of artists, but also of an active audience interested in the entire synthwave movement.
What do you like most about the ´80s?
I love the rebelliousness and wild spirit of that era, in a good way. The way people connected with each other through music, the excitement of bringing a new vinyl home and listening to a new album for hours, the movies, and all that culture we now call retrowave. It’s that feeling of freedom you get from the glam rock music videos, the magic of guitars and synthesizers, the fashion with pastel colors, the poetry and romance behind pop/rock ballads, roller disco and more... Even though I wasn’t around during that time, I’m grateful my parents raised me with so much '80s music.
And finally any last words to the synthwave community?
Yes! I want to say that you’re a beautiful community that knows how to value artists and music. Thank you so much for the support you’ve given all of us with every stream, every Bandcamp purchase, every download, every comment, every like, and every follow. All of this has left a mark on me as an artist and I’ll always be grateful for that. Even though I’m not a very active artist, there’s always someone listening to my music and paying attention to my releases. I also want to thank Sander for inviting me to this interview and promoting these spaces, which are so necessary for the growth of artists and the genre.
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