Widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in electronic music today, Channel Tres will land back in Australia later this year, and he couldn’t be more excited.
Bringing his fusion of house, funk, rap and more to Wildlands and Beyond the Valley this New Year’s, the Compton-raised DJ and producer will appear alongside the likes of Dom Dolla, Kid Cudi, Addison Rae, Cassian, and more.
Known for cult singles like “Controller” and “Topdown”, and collaborations with the likes of Honey Dijon, Kaytranada, Polo and pan, Jungle, Robyn and Disclosure, Channel Tres’ training in classical music, combined with his roots in Compton’s musical pulse, continues to blur the lines between the club and the streets, crafting a sound equally suited to the underground and the main stage.
Channel Tres debuted in 2018 with “Controller”, which, along with standouts “Jet Black” and “Glide”, featured on his debut, self-titled EP. In 2019, he released another EP, Black Moses, and he has also since dropped the projects I Can’t Go Outside, Refresh, and Real Cultural Shit.
In 2024, his long awaited full-length debut album, Head Rush, finally arrived. A richly layered record, Head Rush comes without a trace of doubt or self-consciousness, showing the staggering array of styles only he can evoke. The way “I’m Him” shimmers is balanced by the Estelle-featuring “We Hungry”, the percussion forward Ravyn Lenae duet “Need U 2 Know:, and the easy ride of “Gold Daytonas”.
But the album’s versatility is not the point in and of itself – the point is that all these component parts can be reassembled into something that feels uniquely personal and honest.
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Ahead of his Australian festival slots, Rolling Stone AU/NZ caught up with the electronic star.
Find out more about Wildlands and Beyond the Valley.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: You’re set to play Beyond the Valley and Wildlands later this year, what are you most looking forward to? What can fans expect from your upcoming festival sets? Any surprises in store?
Channel Tres: I’m really just looking forward to getting back out there and dancing with everybody, it’s been a minute. Festivals have a different kind of energy, and Australia always shows up with so much love. Fans can expect new choreo and some new tracks from my upcoming project.
Australia’s shown you a lot of love, your breakout track “Controller” claimed No. 1 on Spotify Australia’s Viral chart and high rotation on triple j, you performed at Spilt Milk Festival a number of years ago, plus, it was your first international trip. What do you enjoy most about the Australian crowd? Did anything surprise you?
Yeah, Australia was actually my first international trip, and I’m forever grateful for that. It set the tone for everything that came after. The fact that music was what brought me here and still brings me back just shows me the power of a great song and how far it can take you. What surprised me at first was how deeply people connected with the music like “Controller” taking off the way it did, triple j showing so much support, festivals putting me on early. It was a reminder that you never really know where your music is going to land… but when it lands in the right place, you feel it.
You’ve worked with artists across different genres from Disclosure to Tyler, The Creator. What do you look for in a collab?
In a collab I just look for genuine connection, everything starts with are you a “real” person. Then after that the music can be made.
It’s been a little over a year since you released your debut studio album Head Rush, how has your sound evolved since your debut self-titled EP in 2018? How would you describe it now, a year on?
My sound has definitely evolved, and it keeps evolving because I keep evolving. I’ve lived a lot of life since that first EP in 2018. Back then I was really just finding my voice, figuring out what felt true to me. Now, with Head Rush and everything I’ve made since, I’m writing from a deeper place. Past experiences, present moments, the people I meet, the places I travel to. All of that shapes the music. I’m influenced by whatever world I’m in at the time, and I let that bleed into the sound instead of trying to control it too much.
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You’re known for breaking genre boundaries, blending house, R&B, gospel, soul into something distinctly yours… Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I pull inspiration from life first. The stuff I’m going through, the people around me, the places I end up in. And musically, I’m always drawn to soul music and dance music. Those are the foundations for me. Soul gives you the emotion, the storytelling, the truth… and dance gives you the release, the movement, the body. I blend those worlds because that’s naturally how I feel things. I grew up around gospel, R&B, West Coast rap, then found house and the club later on, so it’s all in me. I just try to let it come out in a way that feels honest and a little unexpected.
What’s next for you after the festivals? Are you working towards a new album or single(s), more collabs?
“Free Your Mind (Channel Tres Version)” just dropped, which I’m really excited about. It’s an interpolation of En Vogue’s song. Next year is going to be a really good year for music. I’m finishing the album as we speak.
