Head Rush: In conversation with Channel Tres

Channel Tres has carved out a distinctive space in contemporary music, blending deep basslines and hip-house rhythms into a sound entirely his own. Emerging in 2018 with underground hits like “Topdown” and “Controller,” Channel Tres captured our attention not just for his production skills but for the emotional depth behind his tracks. Whether it’s featuring on Jungle’s “I’ve Been In Love,” teaming up with KAYTRANADA, Channel Tres keeps proving he’s in a league of his own. 

His latest album, Head Rush, begins with its title track, where he reflects on his journey far removed from the difficult youth he experienced in Compton. While he finds a sense of accomplishment in breaking free from his hometown’s struggles, he grapples with the weight of survivor’s guilt. He’s also added fresh layers and influences you’ve never heard from him before. There’s “Berghain,” a dark track that channels the gritty energy of Berlin’s iconic club, and “Here,” a deeply moving tribute to his late friend and creative partner, August08. From start to finish, Head Rush is pure Channel—Keep reading to dive deeper into his world!

I’d love to dive right into your latest project, Head Rush. Could you tell me a bit about what it means to you personally?
Head rush is my first album, and honestly, it felt like a therapy session for me. It’s about what it’s like to make it out of where I’m from—Compton, California—and the experiences that shaped me along the way. It’s about the journey from being someone nobody knows to someone who’s starting to get recognised for their music. That transition brings a lot of emotions, like dealing with survivor’s guilt. Growing up, I was constantly in survival mode, and now that I’m no longer in that mode, I’ve been reflecting on how that shift feels. The album also explores how success has impacted me—my love life, my relationships—and what it feels like to have this little amount of success. Even though it’s still early in my career, this album is a snapshot of everything I’ve experienced so far.

The way you’ve put it all together as a cohesive whole is really admirable. You’ve also collaborated with some incredible artists like Thundercat on this record. Head Rush feels like it carries that collaborative energy, yet it’s unmistakably (you) Channel Tres. How do you keep your own sound distinct while bringing in those influences?
>A lot of the collaborators are actually my friends—people I hang out with, talk about life with, listen to music with, and jam with. Some of them just came by the studio to hang, and I’d be like. “Oh, you sound good singing on this—can you try it?’” With Thundercat, for example, I already had the bassline, but I was like, ‘Yo bro, can you just play over this?’ Then I thought his voice would sound better than mine in a certain part, so I asked him to sing there too. Ty Dolla $ign and I make a bunch of music together all the time. That song was one we’d already worked on, and at first, I wasn’t planning to put it out. But then I realized it would sound great on the project, so I added it.

Teezo Touchdown is one of my labelmates. He just pulled up to the studio, and that song wasn’t even on the album originally. I had made the beat before he got there because I wanted him on something else, but he ended up writing a 16 on it, and that’s how he got on the album. And then Estelle—one of my longtime friends. I met her at a cookout my friend was hosting, and we became friends. I heard her voice on it and thought, “Okay cool”. So most of it just happened naturally. I’d hear their voices on a particular song and it all just came together.

You reference working in the studio a lot and I was wondering In your mind what is the ideal setting to listen to the album? What’s the space like? Where is the album playing from?
I’m really a car person. For me, it’s all about being in a car with some good speakers, just riding around and listening. That’s really how I digest music—it’s in those moments while I’m driving.

There’s also so many genres that come into play—from house to hip-hop, funk, and even Berlin-inspired club sounds in “Berghain.” How did you approach blending these styles?
A lot of it comes from life experiences. Like, I actually went to Berghain and DJ’d there, and I stayed in the club for about 10 hours. When I wrote that song and made the music for it, it was my interpretation of what I heard and felt while I was there. I tried to capture that as authentically as I could in the sound.

There’s also a deeper emotional layer in this album, especially with songs like “Here.” How has vulnerability shaped your music now? 
That song was written after my best friend, August 08—a genius songwriter and artist I grew up with—passed away during the making of this album. I wrote the song the day after he passed. All my friends started calling me, and everyone just needed somewhere to go to grieve. I told them, “Y’all can just come to my studio.” Before they got there, I wanted to release my emotions, so I sat down and just let it out. That song was a one-take freestyle. His favorite songwriter, James Fauntleroy, helped me make the beat, which made it even more meaningful.

It was very raw and real-time grieving. I wrestled a lot with whether or not to put it on the album because it’s such a vulnerable track, but in the end, I decided to include it. I wanted to release it into the world, and hopefully it can meet somebody where they are if they are dealing with something like that. It was important to me to cement it out in the world.

I’m so sorry for your loss, including it on the album must have been a difficult decision, but it feels like such a gift to anyone who might be navigating their own loss. Thank you for sharing this. On the more visual side of the album, I really like how you combined something more stylized for Cactus water, with something more raw and real in Need U 2 Know, what was the experience like? 
The experience with those videos was very organic. I just sat down, wrote them out, and then we shot them. For the Need U 2 Know video, that was actually a real party I threw. I filmed it and did the music video while the party was happening, which was all good. I ran out of money, though, because I used most of the money to record the music. This was my first album with the label, so I was really learning how to use the budget correctly. I overspent on some things and didn’t anticipate some other costs. I think I did good with the limited resources that I had But for my next project, I want to be smarter with the budget. Now I know what to expect and how things can get short. Even though I’m proud of what I created, I want to get better at perfecting rollouts and executing my vision. At the same time, there was a lot going on while I was making the album—like my friends passing and dealing with the trauma around that. It made me feel unmotivated at times, but I tried to push through.

I feel like you really delivered such a solid and complete body of work. With Cactus Water, there’s such a clear and distinct creative direction, and I was wondering if you had any part in shaping that, especially since you’re starring in it too.
A lot of the album was meant to feel subconscious, like you’re stepping into my psyche—that’s why it’s called Head rush. For example, in Cactus Water, I wanted to create this feeling of being almost ghost-like.Then there’s another side of my conscience, like the party guy, that you step into with Need U 2 Know. I had planned to create something sadder, but I didn’t get around to it. The idea was to show the duality of who I am: as an entertainer, I’m the guy who’s always up, dancing around, being the life of the party. But at the same time, I’m also someone who’s dealt with deep, heavy things in my life.

Particularly on the performance aspect, I caught your set at Melt Festival last summer. I was familiar with “Topdown,” but your stage presence, choreography, and dance moves completely captivated me. So, what can fans expect from this tour?
This tour is really special to me because it’s the only one I’m doing for this album. There’ll definitely be choreography and all of that, but more importantly, I want to give the album some light. There are some songs I haven’t performed yet, and I’m excited to bring those to life on this tour. I want to give people a snapshot of what was going on in my mind when I recorded the album.

Yeah definitely! Last question, Is there a particular message or feeling you hope listeners take away from the album?
I don’t really have a takeaway I want people to have their own opinion about it. But what I can say is that it’s a great introduction. Like you mentioned, you only knew “Topdown”, some people only knew certain records, and granted I didn’t have a lot of music. This is the first time I’ve put out such a complete body of work. I see it as an intro to a conversation—an introduction to who I am as an artist and as a person, and to some of the things I’ve been through.As I continue on this journey, putting out more art, growing, and evolving, I wanted this project to be in the world as the genesis of me. If you want to understand where I’m from, what I’ve experienced, or what’s shaped me, just listen to this album.

I don’t know how introspective my next projects will be—who knows? But this one is a solid starting point for getting to know me, not just as an artist but as a person too.

That’s really beautiful, and it captures so much of what art is about. Those were all my questions for today—thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it!
Thank you so much I appreciate it. It was nice to meet you Veronica.