L.A. artist Channel Tres shares his music-making mantra

A GIF picturing music-maker Channel Tres.

Channel Tres just wants to dance at home in his poncho.

(Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)

By Julissa James

and Micah Fluellen

June 11, 2021 4:18 PM PT

Real ones know: Channel Tres has been the soundtrack to summer in L.A. since his smooth baritone boomed across the city in 2018 with his breakout single “Controller.”

Compton-born and Lynwood-raised, the artist delivers G-funk-inflected house with an unmistakably West Coast groove. With “i can’t go outside,” an album he released in 2020 inspired by his time in quarantine, Tres paid vibe-y homage to pre-COVID L.A. He sings about roller skating to Frankie Beverly on the hit “skate depot” while paying tribute to the now-closed Cerritos institution of the same name (and one of his first jobs).

The producer-singer has just released his latest crop of new music, collaborating with electronic duos Polo & Pan and Flight Facilities, and has announced a North American tour this fall with Grammy-winning artist and fellow L.A. native Thundercat.

In other words: Do not sleep on Channel Tres. In his Vibe Guide this week, he shares his mantra while making music, as well as where you can find him dancing this summer.

fill in the blank

The mantra keeping me sane:

The words "just breathe," accompanied by an emoji.

What’s giving me life:

The words "making music," accompanied by music notes.

What’s blowing my mind:

The words "good weed. also music theory" with drawings of a joint and a keyboard.

Where I’m dancing in L.A. this summer:

The words "Still at home I think."

My lucky piece of clothing:

The words "my poncho," accompanied by an illustration of one.

🔥~🌟 ~ 🌟 ~🔥~🌟~🔥

My playlist right now

🔥~🌟 ~ 🌟 ~🔥~🌟~🔥

Screenshot my mood

A selfie that captures my mood this month:

Selfie with pursed, somewhat quizzical lips,

“I’ve been having a blast making new music and working on new projects. Things are feeling good, and I’m still having fun doing it!”

The last thing I wrote in my Notes app:

The words "everybody is asleep. i have issues. nobody is here."

“I was feeling down last night, so I started writing lyrics about it.”

The meme I can’t get out of my head:

A picture of a middle-aged guy in a drab collared shirt and blue jeans but with flashy basketball high tops.

“I love memes, and this just makes me laugh no matter how many times I see it.”

🔥~🌟 ~ 🌟 ~🔥~🌟~🔥

Know someone in L.A. who should vibe with us? Email julissa.james@latimes.com.

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Julissa James is a staff writer for Image, where she covers culture, style, fashion, art and L.A. She has been with the Los Angeles Times since 2019 and has written for the magazine since 2021.

Micah Fluellen is an Emmy award-winning designer and art director for the Los Angeles Times. While at The Times, he was the lead artist for 2021 Pulitzer finalist series “How to Listen: A classical music series to open our ears in a COVID-quieted world”. He is a Columbus, Ohio, native and graduated from Ohio University, where he studied multimedia design and specialized in journalism while also working as a junior motion designer for WOUB Productions. He has also worked in Washington, D.C., as a creative design intern for the nonprofit the Grassroot Project and as a promotion design intern for C-SPAN.

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