We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Reeves a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I first learned that I belonged in the creative arts when I was young and struggling with ADHD, anxiety and depression. it was hard to not feel awkward, in any setting I was in. Especially school, i love to learn but i hated being there haha. So it was very early on i found myself coming up with ideas and all I wanted to do was create things. I wanted to draw a lot I also lived most of my days with a set of headphones in and I mean I still do even when not working. If you want me to be honest music plays in my head constantly and It’s like I’m in another world when and can dissect music completely by ear when i listen and everything else around me is just irrelevant at the time.
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.
Well as i stated already I love music, all kinds actually but the production side, that’s where I fell in love with the industry. I love starting with something and changing it into something else or starting with absolutely nothing and making something from it. Two different monsters both very difficult and sometimes frustrating but, both very interesting and fun all at the same time and the challenge, that’s why I love producing. I first found that I wanted to produce after I got out of junior high playing in a punk band with a couple friends. But when I first picked up my first draw program and touched my first turntable, that’s all I wanted to do and it was something about having the access to everything and trying to learn to control waveforms that hooked me. I can go from you know playing chords on a piano to strumming on a guitar to even a violin or anything else orchestral all-in-one sitting you know without having to ever buy the physical instrument. You are constantly learning no matter what level you’re at no matter how long you’ve been doing it you are always learning something new and it’s constantly changing and evolving with every new idea. So it’s like there’s an endless possibilities and creativity just like being a sketch artist or painter. Starting my brand is a funny story, Cykl0pz (pronounced Cyclops) actually comes from an old friend of mine who way back in the day you know gave me the nickname I think we were like 11 he gave me the nickname because I actually am a Cyclops in a sense. I lost my right eye when I was well 11. I think the best story about that is we had just graduated, we’re sitting around in his basement and I remember him looking at me and saying dude I’m really sorry for calling you that and I was confused and asked why and I said, man I wouldn’t have the brand or anything without it besides its the dopest nickname. If I can’t you know be okay and live with it and laugh then I would have been miserable for years. I wouldn’t be where I’m at or doing what I’m doing if it wasn’t for him and another one of my very close friends who’s also a producer. I still work with him today I’m always calling on him to help me with music and and vice versa you know! it’s it’s one of those relationships, they’re really good friends of mine and always will be I think. Other than being a dad and loving my 2 beautiful girls or having a million hobbies haha that’s about it!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Stop telling people that they can’t do things just because either you didn’t try hard enough or you listen to Joe blow who told you the same BS. You stop a lot of creativity that way and you don’t know who’s the next Steven Spielberg or Salvador Dali for that matter. But “can’t is the cancer of happen” and I’m pretty sure it’s Charlie Sheen actually that said that but it stuck with me because it makes so much sense. If you constantly tell yourself or tell other people that they can’t do something it probably won’t happen because you put that factor in play you put the doubt in their mind, you planted the seed and made it to where their creativity just stopped or they gave up when it could have been their calling. push people to work harder, believe in them. not everybody is going to be a prodigy, some people are, some people are but don’t knock the ones that are learning because once they do you don’t know what they could do.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Building a social media presence I think is the weirdest and sometimes the best and excruciating part of the job haha. to be completely honest I have been doing this forever but for some reason i started filming myself being an idiot to promote my music and the next thing I know I went from 50 followers on instagram to nearly 3000, mind blown for one but the next thing I know, here’s Jason Davis asking if I wanted to sign on his label Stay Venomous Records!!! Fun fact, I almost didn’t even get the message hahaha, I swear it got sent straight to my spam but I’m glad I just happened to open it thinking yeah right you know haha, but here I am, right where I belong and here recently we were both picked up by Daniel Nave at Bad Wolf Entertainment and I don’t know what’s next but I’m ready!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/allthings140.com/cykl0pzsepk?usp=sharing&fbclid=IwAR1R9RwxgFiSdoLQk8elRHtTy0AV7IKoBxTUpGhZRVKBGyX0AyqesEp3eMk
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cykl0pz?igshid=ZDc4ODBmNjlmNQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.reeves.3154?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cykl0pz?t=tljI3ZNOh0XXyKDVOpKIjw&s=09
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@djcykl0pz627
Image Credits
Bad Pineapple images