In Conversation with
Chez Tropics
In Conversation with
Chez Tropics
We spoke to the promising musician and performer about
his inspirations, his journey through music and performance,
his particular style and how he managed to
develop his own sound.
Chez Tropics
The Dominican Republic is a country full of contradictions. While the country has warmth and tropical vibes, with paradise-like beaches all over it, the vibe in cities like Santo Domingo is more modern, more urban and experimental. These contradictions affect artists all over the country, and perhaps one of the best examples of this is up-and-coming musician and performer Chez Tropics. Chez’s music combines elements of tropical instrumentation with electronic music production made specifically to make his listeners dance.
In the last couple of years, Chez has become a staple of the Santo Domingo dance music scene, forming part of numerous lineups for parties, festivals, and many other similiar events. Respected among local musicians, he has collaborated with many artists, among them well-known names like Mickey Destro. His overall style manages to encapsulate what the Dominican Republic represents in the mind of many: a laid-back attitude, a summery vibe and a groove that attaches itself to the rhythm and melody of his music.
Watching Chez’s live performances is truly a one-of-a-kind experience; his good vibes and dance-inducing beats being impossible to ignore. Once he sets his hands on any instrument, and his voice reaches the microphone, the ensuing dancing is inevitable. His joy and warm attitude is intoxicating, transmitting itself to his audience and creating an atmosphere of harmony, happiness, and over all; groovyness.
We had a chance to talk to the amazing musician, where we spoke on his start in music, his thoughts on genres and musicianship and what he hopes to achieve through his music. This is what he had to say:
First off, I wanted to ask you about your start in music. When did you first become interested in composing and performing music? Was this something that always interested you or did it develop as you grew older?
It all pretty much started when I got my first instrument, a nylon-string guitar. I was 8 years old and was given to me as a new year’s present (instead of the PlayStation game disk I wanted). I remember writing my first song for my grandma on my backyard a year or so later. But composing for performing, in the sense of being an artist, came from a different perspective. It came from looking at how people get prepared for events and shows and everything that happens “behind the scenes”. All of that was just so appealing to me.
“Composing for performing, in the sense of being an artist,
came from a different perspective. It came from looking at how people get
prepared for events and shows and everything that happens “behind the scenes”. All
of that was just so appealing to me.”
The way I got drawn to making and performing music was the same way traveling caught my attention: by looking at how you prepare for it and all the little details that pop out while doing so. I am very detail-oriented in that sense.
Chez, mid-performance
Genre-wise, your style is very particular. There’s something very tropical and easy-going about your music, but at the same time, many of your lyrics seem deep and often somewhat emotional. Were you always interested in blending electronic music with more traditional genres, or was this style a result of experimentation?
Wow, thanks for pointing this out. I think as a person I’ve always been emotional and sensitive, and, on the other hand, I didn’t grow up with enough confidence to dance. I used to be very shy (extremely shy if we’re being honest). That being said, making music I can dance to while being able to do a catharsis with my own thoughts came as an outlet that makes me feel whole and in control of how I carry my music. I grew up with mostly female figures around me (2 sisters, 7 female cousins, and a bunch of aunts) and the way I learned to express emotions correlates to the way I write my lyrics.
“Making music I can dance to while being able to do a catharsis with
my own thoughts came as an outlet that makes me feel whole and in control of
how I carry my music.“
One thing that really impresses me about you and your music are your live performances. While I was watching you performing live, I could feel how much fun you were having and that feeling, in my opinion, is transmitted to your audience as well. When you are writing and composing music, does knowing that you’ll probably perform it live have any effect on the final result?
Dude! I always wanted to be able to play multiple instruments. And now that I think about it, I remember my dad playing a lot of Phil Collins (also because I loved Tarzan and a lot of the other films, he did the sound score for) and mentioning how much as an instrumentalist he was.
I did not start as such, though. I had multiple bands growing up and remember the first time I suggested I could be the backing vocalist and rhythm guitar player on this one band, mainly cause I wanted to be able to do more than one thing at a show. I was still very shy with my voice and I will always be grateful of the other band members for giving me the support someone like me needed to stand up and sing.
“I had multiple bands growing up and remember the first time I suggested
I could be the backing vocalist and rhythm guitar player on this one band,
mainly cause I wanted to be able to do more than one thing at a show.”
On my last band (Metropolis),
I was the lead singer and rhythm guitar player and I was craving for a more
alternative sound, which resulted in me breaking off from the band and starting
a somewhat electronic duo with my friend Luis Felipe, who was the lead guitar
on that band as well. We moved in multiple directions looking for a different
sound and different structures, and that’s how I began learning about
electronic music and this journey really started.I started getting a lot of different instruments like synths, groove boxes, sequencers, loopers, and other rare noise/fx makers and so I got to experiment on creating and performing with multiple instruments and using all of that as a canvas to lay sounds in there while grooving and dancing to it which totally resulted in me having fun performing, basically because I can always jam and express what I’m feeling whether it’s with the drum pads, the guitar or my voice, and that definitely impacts the depth of the performances.
“I started getting a lot of
different instruments like synths, groove boxes, sequencers, loopers, and other
rare noise/fx makers and so I got to experiment on creating and performing with
multiple instruments and using all of that as a canvas.“
Chez displaying his multi-instrumentalism
In your “Guarevel Sessions” interview, you mentioned that some of your songs are linked to a point in your life when you were travelling a lot. I was wondering, how did changing your setting affect you as a musician and a performer? Was it the new setting that affected you, or was it more what you were leaving behind when travelling?
Great question. Traveling let me get to know myself and allowed me to experience different parts of myself, which starts when you leave your comfort zone. I remember one time. when I went to South East Asia, I only brought my mini Groovebox (the Novation Circuit) and left my guitar back home and that made me experiment more with beat creation and composing with a different starting point since I usually began composing with my guitar. Traveling made me detach from a lot of things and “manners” I was very accustomed to, and I love those experiences for that.
“Traveling made me detach from a lot of
things and “manners” I was very accustomed to, and I love those experiences for
that.”
One thing that really
impressed me about your performances is that in most cases you perform alone.
Even though your songs are really intricate and possess many different
elements, when it’s time to perform it’s all up to you. Do you feel that
performing alone gives you more freedom as a performer, or is it maybe more
stressful to rely solely on yourself?I have always been a team player, but performing alone has become a beautiful experience for me. It used to be somewhat stressful but more so because I wanted it to sound good and not because I necessarily felt like I couldn’t do it. Coming back to the start of this interview, playing multiple instruments was such a strong goal, and rehearsing and making it all possible behind the scenes is the gas that pushes me forward. Freedom-wise it’s as free as it gets! I enjoy it a lot.
“I have always been a team
player, but performing alone has become a beautiful experience for me.”
On Spotify, you have
various singles, but you also have an EP (Soul & Skin). In your
opinion, is there a difference, be it conceptual or in any other sense, when
you’re recording an EP from when you’re recording a single? In other words,
you’re your process when composing and writing songs for an EP change from your
process when writing individual songs?I didn’t really experience a difference until now that I’ve started recording an album, and that I want to have some type of journey-feeling though out the tracks. It’s a challenge I was ready to embark on.
“Soul & Skin” EP Album Cover
One thing that I’ve noticed with musicians is that it’s hard to know when a song can be considered “complete” or “finished”. Since you work on your music by yourself, I imagine that the decision to stop working on a song is entirely up to you, so I was wondering: How do you know when a song is ready to be finished? Do you have a specific idea for the final product when you start composing and writing, or is it more of an organic “work as you go” process?
This is a great analysis. It’s a constant battle; whether I could add something were, have a different outro or whatever, and then asking myself if I have too many elements or not enough. It’s been a journey and I’m definitely still learning a lot. I’m in a place right now were I try to get a grip on the groove of the song and try to maintain it as much as possible as well as trying to structure the whole thing as fast as I can. If I feel I’m not digging it, then I either go back or finish it as it is and move one with another track. I realize the more I start and finish, the better my tracks come along. It’s all a learning process and, now more than ever, I know it’s a never-ending learning process and I’m happy about it.
“It’s been a journey and I’m definitely still learning a lot. I’m in a
place right now were I try to get a grip on the groove of the song and try to
maintain it as much as possible as well as trying to structure the whole thing
as fast as I can.”
You’ve mentioned before
that your desire to start writing music came from wanting to create “something
you could dance to”. In my opinion, you’ve been very successful, as your music
is something that just makes people want to dance automatically. Now that
you’ve achieved this goal of creating music you can dance to, are there any
other genres or styles of music that you’d be interested in exploring in the
future? If so, is there anything specific that draws you to these genres?Thanks! I think I’m on the surface of my electronic music journey and all I want to do is dig deeper. I’m drawn to a more close-your-eyes-and-dance-with-yourself kind of sound now; I want to achieve a better balance of deep house that feels like you’re swimming on a virgin island and chopping coconuts. I want my music to make you connect to yourself and feel warmer. To feel like I felt when I found myself biking through the high mountains of Vietnam, through that mist.
“I
want to achieve a better balance of deep house that feels like you’re swimming
on a virgin island and chopping coconuts. I want my music to make you connect
to yourself and feel warmer.”
I wouldn’t say I’m walking towards
a specific genre, but more so I’m embracing more specific elements, like the
sax, trombones and trumpets, marimbas, congas, claves and the base rhythm
concepts found in genres like salsa, son and “palos”.
Chez playing guitar during a live performance
One aspect of creativity that I try to explore in these interviews is that of collaboration. Even though I know that most of the time you perform by yourself, I know that you also enjoy playing with other musicians on occasion as well. I was wondering, do you feel that there’s any change in how your creative process works when playing with other musicians from when you’re playing or composing by yourself? Is there any difference in the final result of working with others, or is it mostly the same as when you’re working alone?
Definitely, I feed off of whoever I get the opportunity to play or jam with. Their energy, their knowledge, and the way to experience their music. I used to be afraid of those encounters, feeling like I don’t have enough to bring to the table or that others wouldn’t be able to sync with me. All of that has been fading the more I’ve placed myself in those situations and the more musicians I know. I’m on a journey and they are too. We are all different and that enables the “create & learn” process that takes place every time between artists, without frontiers. It doesn’t matter if I’m collaborating with a visual artist or a poet. I learn a lot from them, and I learn a lot about myself as well. Again, I have experienced and learned a lot of things while going out of my comfort zone.
“We are all different and that enables the “create & learn”
process that takes place every time between artists, without frontiers. It doesn’t
matter if I’m collaborating with a visual artist or a poet. I learn a lot from them,
and I learn a lot about myself as well.“
Music Video for Soul & Skin
Finally, is there any artist, from any medium, that you feel everyone should know? If so, who would that be and why?
There are a lot of artists we should know of and a whole lot that we should elevate more.
Right now, in the genres I’m swimming into there are two specific ones that are on my top list: Ben Bohmer and Hosh. Their sound is exquisite. Parcels are another band I have praised these last 12 months.
Locally, Solo Fernandez, it’s such a fresh group that I’m sure will be a representation of us in the indie movement!
Finally, in the visual department, Gustav Klimt, an Austrian symbolist painter from the last century, with art pieces that are so warm to the eye, with colors that make you feel a child again.
We’d like to give a special thanks to
Chez
for
taking the
time to talk to us.
For more on his music and new projects, be sure to
follow his Instagram at @cheztropics, subscribe
to his YouTube channel, and check out his Spotify!
*Also special thanks to the team over at Guarevel Sessions for providing the footage of Chez’s live performance! Go check out their YouTube channel as well for more amazing live music!
For more on his music and new projects, be sure to
follow his Instagram at @cheztropics, subscribe
to his YouTube channel, and check out his Spotify!
*Also special thanks to the team over at Guarevel Sessions for providing the footage of Chez’s live performance! Go check out their YouTube channel as well for more amazing live music!