#TheTribeExclusive featuring DJ Dreas
DJ Dreas has slowly mapped the journey of his success as a music producer and DJ and lately, the young talent is reaping the results of his calculated entry into the Namibian music industry.
In 2018, he dropped his debut EP titled ‘Pluto’ which garnered an astonishing 10 000 streams online. In 2019, he graced the Red Bull studios in South Africa, getting to network with a list of proficient music personalities, some of whom he featured on his latest project titled ‘Tangerine’.
In this interview with #TheTribeExclusive, he talks about his latest projects and what goes into his music process.
Tell us about your latest EP, ‘Tangerine’ …
‘Tangerine’ is a feeling. I see sound in colour and the vibes that I was getting from the sounds in this project were of a tangerine feel plus the colour for me speaks about summer and that’s why I dropped it in December.
Describe your Red Bull Studios experience?
It was surreal and overwhelming at the same time, I learned a lot. I had to dumb myself down to absorb as much as I could from the professionals.
How have Namibians been receiving your ‘Tangerine’ EP?
Quite well. I’m actually surprised that it’s doing that well because another thing is that it has more listeners as compared to ‘Pluto’. ‘Tangerine’ reached people who don’t even know me and there are just more ears now.
Do you infuse your own music with that of other Namibian musicians during your DJ sets?
I had to talk to myself just to find out what type of DJ I want to become. I definitely play my own music because I’m on the journey of finding an identity, so when you go to a DJ Dreas show you know what you are going to get. You’re going to get a certain type of sound and although I do play other Namibian music, it always depends on the setting.
So for festivals or club gigs, I’m usually playing either my own sounds or sounds that are similar to mine.
What makes your DJ sets unique, what elements of the computer scientist in you do you use to make your sets stand out as a DJ?
Explaining won’t do it justice. You have to be in the moment, you have to see how I do my thing to be able to understand. But just to give you a little understanding, my music itself makes my set different and I also infuse music that I haven’t even released yet.
What are you working on at the moment and what can we expect from you in the future?
Right now no I’m not working on anything but I’m working for other artists. I had to just switch it up a bit and dive into my creativity and see what I can do for other artists.
https://soundcloud.com/99fm/the-tribe-dj-dreas