Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Davis Jr. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I came in fairly late to the “game” so to speak. As a lifelong athlete I couldn’t be farther from the “arts”. But after college I was looking for something more than the two year stint playing soccer in Europe could offer. I wanted to swim in the Deep End of life and at the time I didn’t know that sports were holding me back from that.
And then in 2001, sitting in a new friends car, I heard these amazing words in an Underground House Track…

“Is this all there is to life?
The ever-changing cycles
Of a world that’s damp and ripe

There must be more
Yeah in my heart I hold to this
I’ve known the joy of love and I’ve seen the peace and bliss
But as you know

All things must end
Except the need for faith and the spirit that’s within to keep you strong
When it seems you’re ’bout to break just call upon the strength within
And plant it as your stake”

It hit me like a 100 foot wave; crashing down on my previous expectations for life… and replacing them for a sincere hunger for something that I had just been gifted a glimpse of. Prior to this point I had only been exposed to popular music. This wasn’t that. I could hear the difference. I could FEEL the difference. And I wanted in.

So there I sat… weeks later in a room filled with (what I cannot describe better) Vinyl Record Jedis. I could see the technique. I could hear the abilities. And I could feel the passion these guys had. As a lifelong athlete I understood well what it took to reach the next level of craft and I could instantly tell that these guys had done just that….

So I watched…. And I studied… For years I just observed and absorbed all that I could. Only practicing after everyone left, not wanting to sound bad in front of those that I was learning from. And when I say years….. I didn’t take a gig from that point until almost six years later. If I wasn’t capable of making an impact then I felt I wasn’t deserving of a chance when there were SO MANY other artists that could. And to be perfectly transparent… I STILL struggle with this. Where I sit in the wave of artists and the validity of my approach and artistic expression. Fortunately…. the seed of Craft was planted deep within and my desire to learn has never let up… constantly improving on where I am at, whether it be technical or sound. I am VERY much my biggest critic.

Kevin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Almost 20 years from my entry point in the Underground Electronic Music scene I have gathered a lot in my observations. Most importantly “The Culture” of what we do. And I imagine that wouldn’t be much different than other passions and crafts.
Knowing the history arc of the music…. The understanding that I was playing black music in a scene built by black gay people was paramount to my understanding of what this REALLY was. Shiny lights and egoic moments aside…. this movement was about LIFE. Life for a counterculture that grew well beyond the lifestyles of the originators into a beautiful medley of individuals that exist on the fringe of society… A place for those individuals to not only call “home”, but a place to fill that preverbal home with a like minded community of chosen family,

It was this understanding that allowed me the insights to contribute to the beautiful collective tapestry that I was now saturated in. I got it. I understood why we were all there and what we could do with that collective power.
I understood the assignment.

In terms of self pride…. a portion of my contributions that I hold highest in this community… isn’t even music related.

I am host and sole admin of a Private Group of well over 3,000 members called “Pandas Pads” . Its a group available to my community to find like minded individuals to live with. Whether it be needing a room filled, or needing a room to fill… I help thousands of people find a safe place, with like minded humans, to call home. Albeit this not being directly music related…. this group has helped me tremendously in my ability to access certain rooms, people, and conversations that I may not have accessed otherwise. Originally I never thought it would have done that… this group was built on necessity for the community, not as a self tool.

But I should have known better.

After all… since DAY ONE this has never been about the music as much as it has been about the community.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS…… this single action can send ripples of positivity that never ebb from their flow. Momentum is huge in the arts. And most local art communities are barely hanging on.

Got a friend that’s an artist…. Give them a like. Share their page. Ask them how you can best support them because you will be surprised by their answer.

“Buy my art” is rarely on of them. There are SO MANY little things we can do that contribute to an artists momentum.
And if you are lucky enough to live in a city like mine, you will find that the many artists around you have a sincere place on the World Scale of Artistic Expression.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Ok… this one is kind of huge for me. As a GEN X I have lived a life that covered the transition from Analog to Digital. From handing out flyers to sending invites. And oh man it is VASTLY different.

Now… algorithm is the start and it is the end. How can you increase views of your post?

For me…. it’s all about Crediting those I am working with.

Examples….

<POSTED EVENT FLYER>
Hey community… I am playing music this weekend. Its an amazing lineup and I would love to share some experiences with you. Link is in the comments.

This is great but it did nothing but touch your own personal pipeline. While that is good it’s important to access others pipelines.
—————————
What I do….

<POSTED IMAGE COLLAGE I MADE ON MY PHONE WITH ALL ARTISTS PERFORMING AND THE EVENT FLYER IN THE MIDDLE>

(now I TAG all personal pages to that photo)

Hey community…. we got some magic coming up.

DAVE CLARKE has curated an amazing lineup for CHASING BLISS this year at THE DEN.

Featuring:
DJ KEPI
MISS DEFY
And yours truly, KEVIN DAVIS JR

Not a night to be missed! 1313 EFFECTS will be on lighting and EYELOVE will be vending her amazing wares…
All pieces are in place for an incredible evening… Letsssss Goooooooooo!!!!!
Link is in the comments
————-

Anything you see in ALL CAPS was me tagging a page. Whether artist, vendor, event page, or venue page… they all have a page so It’s important o include them all.

By doing this you are accessing their pipeline. When you tag a page anyone that has liked that page will see the post.

I cannot convey enough how much this will help you.

Credit others in your posts that are involved in projects with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mixcloud.com/KevinDavisJr/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevin.davis.jr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.comsu/kevindavisjrofficial/
• Other: https://soundcloud.com/subterrestrials-official THIS IS MY CURRENT PROJECT WITH ONE OF MY ORIGINAL TEACHERS

Image Credits
Jesse Lewis, Dylan Evanston, Sierra Rocket