Aussies are used to playing the waiting game when it comes to tours; it’s common practice that international artists will tour here a long year or two after releasing their debut record, and fair enough — frequent flyer points can only get you so far. So when news broke that production visionary Channel Tres (aka Sheldon Young), an artist the nation had been keeping a very keen eye on since releasing his debut single “Controller”, would be embarking on his first headline tour ever here, to say we were excited would be a criminal understatement.
Helmed by the Midas-touch taste of Godmode (Yaeji, Shamir) labelheads Nick Sylvester and Talya Elitzer, ‘Channel Tres’ feels more like a magnum opus than a first foray, seamlessly fusing Tres’ natural dexterity for sound with his kaleidoscopic range of influences, from the hypnotic beats of Detroit techno to the circadian rhythms of Chicago house. His refreshingly minimal yet painstakingly intricate approach to production has seen him lay down beats for artists like Kehlani and Duckwrth, and now Tres is carving out his own path at high speed.
During his inaugural visit Down Under, Channel Tres took time out with us to chat about learning to cut shapes, transforming his passion for social work into a music career, and putting in the hours to put on a damn good show.
Best Before: Last night you suited up for the GQ Awards. How was that?
Channel Tres: It was fun! It was a great introduction into Australian culture, like what’s going on, because I don’t get a lot of that in America. If I’m watching TV, I’m just watching ESPN. It was dope. There was a lot of information. I had a lot of tear-jerking moments because people gave some really great speeches, and it’s very inspiring to see the love that everybody has for each other, and the culture and pride that they have. I’m really honored that they thought enough of me to invite me there.
Since you came out with “Controller”, Australia has really latched onto your sound. Has it been strange, having all that love on the Internet and now being here, having shows sell out, and experiencing it in person?
It’s what you work for – it’s good, because I wrote those songs from a real place. I wrote them in LA when I was figuring myself out and like there were times where I played them for myself and I was like, “Dang, this is not it.” But I still took a chance and Nick (Sylvester) and I worked hard on songs. We took stuff out. We broke it down. We sat over songs. If we didn’t like something we waited two weeks, and would be like, “Okay, we should add this now.” We really worked on it, so to receive love like that is amazing. I’ve always wanted to travel because of music. I felt like it was a powerful statement from the universe, to allow me to travel and to allow myself that you picked up over here, because it’s been a very great experience to be here, and it’s a really beautiful place.
Yeah, earlier this year you told us it was on your bucket list to travel.
Exactly!
Before here, you were in London briefly. What was the reception like there?
London was the same thing. They knew. I think it was a 200 people venue, and 400 people showed up. That’s amazing — I would’ve been happy if 50 people showed up. It gives you the validation that you need to just make music and go harder, like this is really what my career is. It’s a privilege, it’s an honour, and it makes me want to work harder.
“I love social work, but I can also do social work through music.”
There’ve been so many live show spoilers in my Instagram feed from your shows in Melbourne and Brissie, and I have to say the choreography in your show is so tight. What role does dance play in your creative life?
Dancing is everything. Growing up, it’s always been was an expression of mine. I like to make stuff for people to dance to. I was supposed to have a piano on stage, but I left it because I was like, “Nah, I want to entertain. I wanna dance. I want to fully rely on my, on my body and everything I have to give a good show.” It’s good — I hired two dancers and they’re dope! I’ve been learning a lot from them. They’re really talented, so it’s cool to bring them out with me. I’m dancing now — I have moves that I’m working on in my head all the time and I’m just like, “Okay, I want to do this now.” So it’s fun! It’s cool.
You first produced a song when you were 12, but then you showed someone a track and they didn’t like it, and for eight years —
Yeah, I just stopped.
In those eight years though, you played drums.
I was playing drums, I was dancing a lot during that time. I was always into art, so I was trying to find creative stuff to do. I thought I was going to be a social worker because I was going to college to do social work, but it didn’t feel right. If I’m going to give my energy and be tired, I might as well do something I love. And I love social work, but I can also do social work through music. So I took time off and just learned. I was like, “Okay, I want to be a musician.’ I dreamed of what I wanted my life to look five years later, and I started taking the steps and putting myself into position so that, when that five years came, I could be in a position I wanted to be in. And that took a lot of reading self-help books, getting out of my environment, making myself vulnerable. I looked dumb a lot. Just learning. I took it seriously at 20. I’m 27 now, so I’m like I’m glad I made that decision at 20 and not at 27, because it would’ve been like, “Damn!”
Twenty is pretty young to be making that commitment.
Yeah, 100! I turned 20, and I was like, “Damn, in 10 years, I’ll be 30!” I was like, “Fuck, I do not want to end up there…” I always had a lot of older friends, so I would see them married and I’m, like, stressed out… Nah, I always want to be a kid. Music makes me feel young, always.
You grew up between Lynwood and Compton, and you’ve said that there are a lot of like mental limitations that discourage people from leaving those communities, and branching out. Do you think the Internet, and the global music community that exists now, is changing that for young musicians living there?
I would have to talk to some people from there — some kids — to really answer that question. I think the Internet is a big help, because with the Internet you can watch things or type in things, but a lot of times people don’t know what to type in or look for. But if there’s 10 kids and they’re all smoking weed, and you’re the one kid, you might want to look at something else but you’re going to blend in with the other kids and smoke weed. It just has a lot to do with the programs that they put in place in the communities, after-school programs, you know, for kids.
What were the barriers for you, growing up?
It was the people I was around. I gave people a voice in my life, that I didn’t know at the time not to give a voice to. Now I’m matured, and I know if something doesn’t sit right with my spirit or my core and it’s not positive, I know how to block it out and be like, “Okay, we can’t go that way.”
So what advice would you give the 12-year-old you?
That voice in your head is your personal coach, and the more you invest in it to make it more positive, and you kind of build that relationship with yourself, at the end of the day, that’s all you hear. You could smoke, you can like keep people around, you can do whatever. At the end of the day, it’s all you. When everything runs out and the high comes down and all that shit, you’re going to have to face that voice in your head. So I would just say, be nice to yourself, be positive, and just understand the process. Do one thing at a time. Don’t try to conquer the world in one day.
“I gave people a voice in my life, that I didn’t know at the time not to give a voice to.”
With your EP, you spent a lot of time on placing and pulling out different sounds. What I love is that it’s so complex, but so minimal at its essence – you can hear each part and appreciate it separately. I can imagine there is a temptation to add more layers, and continue refining. When do you know when it’s done? When can you tell yourself, “Okay, lets leave this as is”?
I rely on my team and the people around me. I have really great people around me, and I have really good taste. And that goes back to having a relationship with yourself. Don’t overdo it, and if you just put 100 percent in, you will always want to change something, you will always want to do it. Also, just let go — learn how to let it go, so you can get to some other shit.
About a month ago, I saw you were working with Tkay Maidza in LA.
Yeah, we worked briefly — it was, like, a couple seconds. She was writing a song with my friend. They were at my studio. I just pulled up just to chill. I had a couple of drinks, so I just came through to fuck around with the homies, but I didn’t know she was there. So I walked in, and the song they made was just so good. They asked me to play some lines on the mode, so I played some synths and added some stuff. Then I took her to this bar called Tenants Of The Trees with some friends, and we hung out. All my friends didn’t believe that Australia was going on, and she kind of confirmed it. She was like, “Oh, you’re Channel Tres — they love you out there!” And I was just like, “Okay, cool. It’s actually happening, ha!”
We were crossing fingers for a collab!
That’ll, come. Me and her are cool!
And you doing any production work for anyone else at the moment, or just focusing on creating for yourself?
Right now? Nah, I’ve been learning how to dance and just trying to get my health, in my body. I’m not sick, or anything, but I’m just trying to get more flexible. I’m learning a lot about live shows and how to really be a professional about it, whilst being a rockstar. But when I get back home in December, I’m all music. I’m going to be in the studio. I’ve been trying to put the new project together, and work on. But the live shows helped me realise that people actually like this shit. I can go back with confidence, and know I will make good music.
You’ve talked about trying not to create something that feels “microwaved” during your writing process. Are there any active steps you’re taking to make sure you’re continuing to create something that feels fresh?
I follow my spirit, and follow my heart. I mean, it got me here. Just trying not to overthink. “There’s only two types of music — good or bad.” That’s what Quincy Jones always says, and he’s one of the best, so I just focus on that. As long as people are dancing, and I’m pushing myself and not being lazy, and I know I’m putting my all into it, that’s all I really focus on. I keep people around me that have good taste in music, and there’s not much more you can do. Just make a dope record, and be honest with what you’re talking about.
Groove out to Channel Tres’ brand new single “Brilliant N*gga” here :
And peep the video for “Topdown” here:
Photos by Lars Roy.