We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angel Alvarez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Angel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I was 8 years old my brother showed me EDM music and from there he bought a DJ controller (Numark Mixtrack Pro) for himself to learn how to DJ and he taught me a few stuff. After a year he stopped using it as much as he did but I never stopped using it and I kept going at it. My brother always used to show me live sets from the big DJs back then in big festivals, one I always remember is Hardwell at Tomorrowland 2012 or when he showed me his song Spaceman and once I saw that I knew I wanted to be like them. I kept DJing until I was 12 and then from there, I got into music production. There have been many parts of my life that triggered that I wanted to pursue music professionally. I also saw Excision in Moonrise after wanting to see him for some time back in 2018 and that led me to get into the dubstep scene more.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Angel, a 19-year-old DJ and producer hailing from NYC, originally from Spain & Colombia. My artist name is also Angel, a deliberate choice to align with the branding I envisioned. I’ve been in the world of music since the age of 8, starting with DJing and venturing into music production at 12. Growing up in NYC, I found my passion for EDM through my brother’s introduction to electronic music. This early exposure ignited my interest in the dubstep scene, with influential figures like Excision, Slushii, and Subtronics shaping my musical journey in 2018. Their unique styles guided me into the underground scene, and by the age of 14, I was both DJing and producing dubstep. My first live set at 16 marked a significant milestone, pre-COVID, in 2020. However, when the pandemic hit, disrupting live events, I shifted my focus to music production. Hours of self-teaching and YouTube tutorials honed my skills, elevating my production capabilities. While I initially released mixes and sets, the pandemic prompted me to dive deeper into music production, adopting a more serious and professional approach. Despite many challenges, I focused in Tearout, a subgenre of dubstep, which distinguishes me in the NYC music landscape since there isn’t many. My fast-paced DJ style involves playing over 100 songs per hour, incorporating triples and quad drops, and embracing a mix of genres, predominantly tearout and riddim. My music and brand lean towards heavy drops, weaving a narrative that captivates listeners. It’s the kind of music that fuels mosh pits and demands boundless energy at live shows. I’m proud of the strides I’ve made in music, production, and branding, all while managing the demands of being a college student and working to fund my musical pursuits. While the challenges have been abundant, I see this as just the beginning, with 2024 promising significant growth. I’m gearing up for a transformative year, marked by big announcements and unique content that will take my brand to new heights.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My main goal is mostly to make a living out of music and take my close ones with me. I have close artist friends and every time I get a chance to push them so it can help them I always do. I want to do all the big artist stuff first like more headline shows, play festivals, and go on tour but if I ever do that I want to take my friends with me too cause if you have been there with me since the beginning then you have played a big impact in my career. Later on, I also want to make like a free masterclass for others to learn music. Since I taught myself, it was very difficult for me to learn through YouTube all the time but I would love to make a masterclass that explains everything closely and in detail. Sort of like a class I wish I had when I started making music.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is when people tell me how much they enjoyed a set of mine or a song. When I play shows sometimes I get stopped by people and they tell me how they went into a moshpit during my set or told me that they went crazy when I played a double and that for me means the world since I play for people to have a good time. Also with my music, people tag me in videos of them playing my music and my mixes, and thats still crazy to me cause I’m like people take time out of their day to listen to me?? It’s very rewarding and always pushes me to do more and want to expand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Angeldubz
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angel.dubz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angeldubz04/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Angel_dubz_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI11Za9Ze0rwrMQSTEVlltQ

Image Credits
Denzel Brown (@dynsulmedia) Ronin (@ronin.nyc) Cristian (@ffcmedia_) Brianna Christine (@brisbipolaroids)