#MARSHMELLO SPOTLIGHT MIDI MAC#

#MARSHMELLO SPOTLIGHT MIDI MAC#

Musically it was beautiful, a lot of stories about Mac Miller, a lot of stories about his upbringing, Leon Ware. He was a great influence on me to make the decision to switch some things in my life. During that time, I was struggling coming out of the COVID fog. Thundercat’s music has helped me through a lot of things in life, and his music is soothing whenever I’m sad or going through a tough time. Any crazy stories from your time on the road that you could share? You got to join Thundercat in the fall for his North American leg of the “It Is What It Is” tour. Last year was the first time you were back on stage after a while.

I kind of just show up and work with whatever comes across my radar. A lot of it comes naturally, it’s not something I plan. It comes from being available and just having beats ready. August was one of the ones that took me to a bunch of sessions where I got to work with Wale and do different things. Maybe my management might be like, “Hey they want to work together?” and I’ll pull up. I would just send him some beats and he would play them for people. Vic (Wainstein) who’s a great engineer, one of Tyler’s engineers, has worked with the late, great Mac Miller and a bunch of other people. Those connections just come through being available mentally and creatively. How do these collaborations and ideas come to fruition? And do you have a favorite person/artist you’ve worked with so far? You’ve worked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop like Tyler, the Creator and JPEGMAFIA, as well as massive dance artists like Duke Dumont, SG Lewis, and TOKiMONTSA, to name a few. Your list of collaborations is pretty extensive. We started skateboarding and dancing just being the weird kids in the neighborhood. That was the foundation of our relationship. He would ride his bike to my house, and we would just jam out. I had a drum set that I set up in my garage that my great grandmother got for me. We were the two nerds in the school that were always in the band room. They were really good and I was like, “Who’s that?” It was August, and we built up the friendship from there. One morning, someone was playing my drums in the band room. We met in middle school I was the drummer for the school band. I was in the seventh grade and he was in the sixth grade. When did you first meet each other, and did you ever make music together as kids? We read that August 08 of 88 Rising is a childhood friend of yours and has been instrumental in connecting you with other artists at the start of your career bringing you along for studio sessions.

Ice Cube and Doctor Dre were always in the streets and the anthems of the west coast- DJ Quick- were culture. I really liked music from down south, I was a big Nelly fan as a kid. Personally, Kanye was a big influence, and so was OutKast. At my grandmother’s house, she played smooth jazz and Herbie Hancock, maybe some John Coltrane.

In my great grandmother’s house, it was more Gospel music and old hymns, Motown, and Marvin Gaye and different quartet groups. In my mom’s house, it was more rap and R&B. My musical influence came from going to church and just being around musicians. How was your music taste influenced by where you grew up in Compton, CA and what were you listening to back then? Your music has been described as blending the drive of Detroit techno and the slinky smooth grooves of Chicago house with the snarl of West Coast rap. It also depends on what I’m listening to and influenced by in the current moment. Maybe see what experiences I’ve had, or what things are popping up within that. It usually starts with some internal inventory, see what’s going on with myself. Everyone has their own creative process, where does yours start when diving into a new project? Hey Channel, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! We’re big fans and would love to get more insight on your music and overall artistry. Recently, BMI’s Nia Aglipay & David Streit caught up with Channel Tres to discuss his recent tour, musical inspirations, and creative philosophy, among other things. Having since realized his ambition to become a music creator himself, Channel has already released a string of club classics such as “Controller” and “Topdown,” dazzling audiences with high-level collaborations and unforgettable live performances, including a set this month at NYC’s iconic Governor’s Ball Music Festival. Hailing from Compton, Channel developed his love of music at an early age, experiencing a wide selection of musical styles as a child. Fresh off two incredible performances at Coachella Music Festival in Indio, CA, Channel Tres has been having quite the moment.

Marshmello spotlight midi