Issue 002 – The Galactic Effect

002 Interviews

Issue 002 – The Galactic Effect

AGHQ April 15, 2023 0

The Galactic Effect

Bringing a vast array of styles, realms, visuals and
cinematic vibes to Electronic music, The sounds and
performances of The Galactic Effect have reached across many stages and interstellar worlds, Arranging forward thinking music, pushing the barrier in constant change and movement. The Galactic Effect is telling stories with the fusion of analog, synthetic and sci-fi textures, which lay inside the entire womb of bass music, never shying away from the elegance and darkness of orchestral strings and instruments from all over the world.

Born in Miami, Florida, of Cuban descent, The Galactic Effect started producing at the early age of fifteen years old. Performing live just shortly after that, while getting the gears turning in the Miami electronic music scene, The Galactic Effect’s sound then made its way across different parts of the world, getting billed on festivals and venues alongside acts like Shpongle, GRIZ, Pretty Lights, Diplo, Skrillex, Kendrick Lamar, Subtronics, Flying Lotus, Alex Grey, and launched even further with music featured on Netflix’s ‘Midnight Gospel’ Series.

The Galactic Effect continues to further the soundscape of Electronic music with a wide-ranging sound design, leaving the audience curious for the next possibility plucked out of the spectrum of his sound. The meaning of ‘The Galactic Effect’ is to pursue a journey through space, time, nature and emotion through intergalactic sound waves, Venturing through the past, present and future.

The Interview
By Calvin Cyrus

What is the Galactic Effect and when did this project come about?
Galactic Effect became my main moniker after years of experimenting with different names. I started producing when I was 16 or so, but never found a name that resonated with the music until I found this one. It represents my obsession with anything Space or Sci-Fi related. My journey with music started in 2007, but I didn’t start seriously hustling with the project ‘til 2011 or so, Which feels like it was both yesterday and 100 years ago.

You had some shows with Otto Von Schirach, who is a Miami Bass legend. How did you end up linking with him?
Otto and I kept running into each other through mutual friends and even shared the bill a few times. Our friendship came about very organically. We had a lot in common, being weird bass boys from Hialeah. I used to watch him play when I was a kid a lot. Once we started working on some music and playing b2bs, everything fell into place. We’ve got a few things in the works.

Some say the music industry takes itself too seriously. You’ve recently found a way to have fun, as you’ve played some SpongeBob and Shrek themed events. What’s your stance on fun in music?
The industry definitely takes itself way too seriously, which is why I love this giant up-tick in meme raves and themed events. They’re a bit more decentralized and better at giving up-and-coming artists a shot at big sold out crowds. I’ve played festivals and events all over the U.S., but the fun I have at these themed events is like an unhinged fever dream I can’t get enough of. It’s also a great way to practice new music and experiment with crowds in a way that’ll help develop for other shows. Ka5sh, the promoter and mastermind behind these events, couldn’t be a nicer and supportive guy. There’s a lot of gatekeeping, cliques and social hierarchies in the electronic music world. it’s nice when promoters and booking agents take on djs and producers from outside of their immediate circle.

You have an amazing aesthetic from your social media posts to your photos. What’s the vision behind your look?
The aesthetic behind my social media is a combination of my real life goofiness mixed with the bittersweet need to play the game of marketing the career. I really take notes from all the big djs killing it right now. I’m always studying how the algorithms are functioning currently, and see how I can maximize my outreach with beats. It’s not enough to be a DJ anymore; you gotta learn some marketing if you aren’t having a big team behind you.

Are you originally from Miami? How did growing up there shape your artistry?
I’m originally from Miami, Florida, and of Cuban descent. I grew up around the metal and hardcore world as a teen and then went through a phase most of us go through with experimenting and finding meaning in different types of music and ideas. Growing up in Miami, I’ve been blessed to get older with a great diverse group of friends and fellow artists who have been pushing for success and happiness. From high school, to being 30 years old, I’m grateful to still see homies from back in the day come out to current shows and really support. Miami is like it’s own mini-country, and even though there’s a darkness that comes with the nightlife, there’s beauty in our multiculturalism and diversity of music. I take all of this into account when I’m working on music, which is probably why I can’t stick to one genre.

Navigating the music industry is a wild game, especially when you’re trying to establish yourself as an artist. Tell us about some of the adversity the scene has offered you.
Developing a Dj career is an upward battle, especially in Miami with the constant influx and changing of local politics. I’ve had to navigate through gatekeeping snobbiness and social hierarchies. I see a lot of amazing producers and artists get the short end of the stick just because they aren’t in immediate connection with some promoters and bookers. This is natural, to some extent, but it’d be nice to see the scene branch out and diversify the lineups a little more. Seeing a lot of festivals and shows having the same lineups over and over again could really get us jaded. It seems like the industry is controlled by only a few booking agencies. On the other hand, there are ways to navigate this. The challenge is really finding the balance between the creative process and the real world networking and timing needed to help your career prosper.

It’s the year 2245 and someone stumbles upon one of your albums. Which album do they find and what do they say about it?
In the year 2245, they’ll probably stumble upon ‘Wings Of The Pariah’ or ‘AUGMNTR’. ‘AUGMNTR’ was featured on the Netflix series ‘The Midnight Gospel,’ And ‘Wings Of The Pariah,’ being a 2019 release, still holds some of my favorite risks I took in a full album. People from the future will probably appreciate the mix of classical and electronic aesthetics and hopefully not completely hate it. Knowing the future, they’ll probably have some sort of enhanced magical way of hearing music. Or it’ll be more dystopian and they’ll run my ideas through AI and immortalize my ideas with constant reiterations. In short, hopefully people from the future don’t think I suck.

What’s next for your evolution? Any new sounds that you’re working with?
Currently working on building on the concepts from the past years, an all encompassing sound of bass music, woven into genres like classical, jungle and experimental design. I’m working on my album as we speak. about halfway done. Sprinkling in single releases every month to build into the project.

Tell us about an artist that you look up to who has influenced your style.
Some of the artists that really influenced me have been Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, G Jones, BACH, Mozart, Venetian Snares and Skrillex.

Anyone you wanna shout out?
I wanna shoutout some of the locals for keeping the game strong: American Grime, Otto Von Schirach, Saturn Saraii, Shailee, Beatcamp, Craze, Dj Tamson, Panther from BlackMarket, Ka5sh, BLNK CNVS, Zerosum, and wayyy too many people to mention who continuously take risks and bring the energies to the Miami and Fort Lauderdale music scenes. Big ups to my uncle and fellow music producer Mirror Melt for all the guidance throughout my life.