Channel Tres Breaks Boundaries on 'Head Rush'
On his long-awaited debut LP, the multi-instrumentalist and producer combines a medley of sonic influences to transform the inner workings of his mind into an existential, enigmatic record.
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Unwinding with his dog – a mini schnauzer named Willow – recharges Channel Tres just as much, if not more, than being on stage performing. These ambivert tendencies heavily informed his debut album Head Rush, a project spanning a spectrum of sonic influences and emotions that signals the seasoned producer’s embracing of his own enigma.
“Head Rush marks the transition from me being just a bedroom producer guy to fully becoming this Channel Tres character,” he shares of his long-awaited first studio record.
Complete with features from Thundercat, Ty Dolla $ign, Teezo Touchdown, Toro Y Moi and more, Head Rush spans 17 tracks and, per Tres, can be broken down into three main themes: life as an entertainer, how that lifestyle affects his love life and, last but not least, healing from loss.
“Those are the main things that started to weigh on me when my newfound Z-list celebrity status kicked in,” he quips. “You only have one brain to process all of these things.”
Songs like the title track “Head Rush” and previously released party cuts “Berghain” and “Cactus Water” hone in heavily on the first, with “We Hungry” featuring Estelle and “Need U 2 Know” featuring Ravyn Lenae touching on the second. The closing track “Here” is rooted deeply in the third.
Head Rush also explores the musician’s “duality,” in his artistry and persona – the latter of which he describes as equally introverted and extroverted. “I’m a Gemini, duality is my specialty,” he laughs, pointing to the major contrast in his on-stage Channel Tres persona with his off-stage self.
Another motif that Tres emphasizes when explaining the album is “the box.” “Boxes were something that was always used against me growing up,” the multiinstrumentalist notes – often relegated to just “the drummer” or “the guitar player.”
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“Never put an artist in a box / They only thought I could do house / I bet they didn’t know that at one point the only house I knew was a trap,” he spits on the outro of “Head Rush.”
But as Tres has grown, he’s begun to embrace the appeal of the box by leaning into his fusion of jazz, hip-hop and electronic influences.
“I’ve realized the box is not only cool, but it can also be profitable. It feeds my artistic itches, but also I can pose as anything and get people to feel what I want.”
A masterful medley of influence and experience, Head Rush is an authentic encapsulation of the aesthetically ambiverted artist that is Channel Tres.
Stream Head Rush on Spotify and Apple Music now.
