JP: What music did you listen to growing up and who would you count amongst your influences?
D Rex: I grew up on classic rock. In early highschool i would've told you my influences were Led Zeppelin, Cream, Band of Gypsies, Queens of the Stone Age, Kings of Leon and The Strokes. Later on i would've cited My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Death From Above 1979, and The Mars Volta. I'm currently listening to a lot of Hip-Hop, trip hop and experimental. Lots of Vanilla (esp. High Life), Onra (Long Distance), Flying Lotus (FACT: i named my song "1983" because the sample was recorded in '83 and Flylo's record is one of my favorites), Justice, Toro Y Moi, Teams, Handbook, Haz Solo, Darius and Breakbot.
JP: What genre would you classify your music and where does it fit in today’s scene?
D Rex: I like to think its a brand of Chillwave but honestly i think its more along the lines of Funk and Hip-Hop. Future Funk.
JP: How do you feel about the whole Chillwave movement and do you like being compared to artists like Toro y Moi and Sloslylove?
D Rex: I associate with the scene so much and I'm pleased with the direction that it's going in. In its beginnings, i remember thinking that Chillwave sounded like an artist, not a genre. Too uniform. It's good to see the genre emerge into a lot of sub-markets. I especially applaud Toro for how advanced his albums are compared to other artists in the scene. His albums have so much depth.
JP: Tell me about your production process.
D Rex: Well, it's pretty simple actually. I spend the majority of time digging up old 80s records to find good samples. From there, i take the tune and find a bunch of good sounds to pull from it. I then decide which ones work and which don't. I love taking samples with a bit of vocals or some wonky synth, anything that grooves. I add drums, synths, or other samples on top before wrapping it up.
JP: What future projects can we expect from D. Rex?
D Rex: You can definitely expect more EPs and LPs from me. I am also compiling a mixtape of my favorite up-and-coming artists from around the world that should be finished in the next week or so.
Artists to expect hearing on this mixtape: FLOYDCHEUNG, Amor Est, Snubluck, MAITRO, Slow Magic, MARK//ELDON, Ananth, A Sol Mechanic, Pepil Pew, myself and definitely a few more. From what i have already received from these artists, i can assure you - it's going to be a banger.
Furthermore, my buddy Brent (MC for local rap group Team Latch Key) and i are working with some D REX tunes off my first EP to produce a hip-hop album. It's going to be super cool. I joke with him that they should call it "hipster-hop".
JP: Who designed the album art for Cosby Sweater?
D Rex: I'm super glad you brought this up. I asked my pal Paul Keefe to paint/draw something for my album (I told him it was called "Cosby Sweater"). He painted an awesome design of a super groovy cosby-style sweater. I then met with my friend Sarah Keats with a general concept of what i wanted it to look like. We scanned the painting, took our favorite section of the design, and she worked her magic on it. I am still so pleased with it.
JP: Do you have any plans to tour in the near future?
D Rex: Not yet, no. In fact, i just played my first live D REX set on Friday. It went well (excluding a few hiccups) so i hope to start gigging around Fort Collins and Denver, it's definitely something I'm excited to do. That's all in the future.
JP: What are you studying and does it conflict with your musical aspirations?
D Rex: I am a Marketing major so i have found the emergence of social media to be very helpful with promoting my music and gaining experience in branding. Without SoundCloud or Bandcamp my music would be nowhere. The reach that we have today is remarkable. We are able to streamline certain types of information to the exact target consumer - it's fantastic. I would've never known about 90% of what i listen to today if i hadn't joined these networks.
JP: Are people starting to treat you any differently around campus?
D Rex: No, people don't really treat me any differently for that exact reason. Only people who would've been interested in those blogs, read those posts. To anyone else on campus, i'm just Dan. Although keep in mind my friends definitely show me love on the internet and the local radio station. Thanks Davis.
JP: What advice would you give to other students out there trying to push their material?
D Rex: I don't really know...get a twitter acount maybe. Be as resourceful as you can and make your music as accessible as possible.
'Cosby Sweater' is out now and available for download here. Check out the album review below.
Words: My Own
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