Meet Emi Veliz | Producer & DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emi Veliz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emi, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor that I believe drives my success as an artist has to be the community that I am so blessed to surround myself with. By community, I mean my family of friends and other co-collaborators that fuel my fire. I strongly believe that surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals that carry the same core values and goals that you do is the best route you can take as an aspiring artist. This world is so full of distractions in every direction, but having a core group to turn to, to ground you, and to awaken you when you start to lose focus of your true goal is the most comforting and energizing thing you can do for yourself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe there are two key factors that set me apart as an artist, The first is that I carry zero expectations for my art and the energy that it exudes. Now I don’t mean to say that I lack care in my musical journey, it just means that I do not, and will not, limit myself to a specified set of outcomes with my music. I will never limit myself to one specific genre, or a specific mood and energy. Producing is truly an escape and a release for my mental and emotional states; every time I write music, I try to tap into my mental state at that very moment in time and translate it into a sonic experience as a form of therapy. If I were to limit myself to a specific energy or genre, I would lose all touch with my true, raw emotions. It would be wrong of me to ignore the realities of my emotional, mental, and spiritual states while creating.
The second factor is the idea that I create to tell a story. My goal for every project of mine is to take the listener on an adventure, whether that be enlightening or scary, I strive to paint a picture in the listener’s mind.
I majored in Anthropology and Archaeology in college and so I have always had a passion for storytelling with intense detail. Attempting to pick apart the ideology of ‘why people are the way they are’ and their origins has shifted from my education into my art. Truly, my favorite aspect of creating music is building a story around a character with so much detail that it can be translated into sound.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well first on the list is finding good food. My favorite breakfast place is a small spot in Denver called “Onefold”, and I’d have to stop by Cheesman Park to walk off all the food I ate. My go-to lunches and dinners involve spots like Acova, Izakaya Den, and Korean bbq! If we really want a night of good drinks and live jazz, then we have to stop at Nocturne. Typically when I host guests, we always make a trip up to Red Rocks even if there’s no show going on. Usually, my weeks are centered around live music, so if there’s no Red Rocks show, then I aim to introduce people to my favorite indoor venues: Mission Ballroom, Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, or The Black Box. Now, if it’s the winter season, I will tire my guest out with at least two days of skiing and mountain adventures planned. Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park, and Steamboat are some of my favorite mountains to hit with my Ikon Pass, and if my guest gets too tired then we can wind down by visiting the mountain towns and shopping districts or even visiting the ice castles.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To start, I’d like to thank the music label that helped get my project to where it is today. ‘The Gradient Perspective’ is a D.C.-based collective that is home to some of the most talented, caring, and hard-working artists and individuals in the bass music scene today. Jared Oppenheim, the founder, discovered my project almost a year and a half ago and gave me the chance of a lifetime to work alongside two amazing managers, Morgan Jones and Jeremy Franks. Now, they don’t like to take credit for the trajectory of the ‘Yoko’ project, however I truly would not be where I am today without their constant support and mentoring. It takes more than just a strong musical portfolio to make your way up in the bass music scene. There are so many valuable lessons I’ve learned from joining the TGP family that have prepared me to reach higher platforms than I ever imagined. No matter where life may take us, I will always be grateful and cherish the relationships I’ve made with this team. The time I’ve been lucky enough to spend with Morgan, Jeremy, and Jared is truly priceless.

Website: https://linktr.ee/itsyokomusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsyokomusic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsYokoMusic/

Youtube: https://youtu.be/wBlBIbDu0LI

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/732GEmoSVBIB8D5eOaMWxD?si=d4yXdqR6RlWwz9jp2x54bw&nd=1 Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/itsyokomusic