Today we’d like to introduce you to Hector Mendoza.
Hi Hector, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 2009, I went to my first rave in Downtown San Diego with some high school friends. I was 18 at the time. In retrospect, it was a small underground rave, but it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The dance floor energy, bumping music, exciting lights and visual elements, and the beautiful people all intrigued me so much. I felt like I walked through a portal into another realm.
I wanted to be a part of it and the DJ behind the booth seemed like the coolest spot in the room. At the time I was on the path of becoming a graphic designer, but I made a whole-hearted pivot. I continued going to intimate underground raves leading up to my first massive, EDC in 2010. After that, I became fully obsessed and watched countless YouTube videos of legendary raves from the 90s like “Love Parade” and different clubs in Ibiza. I became familiar with the history and culture of this new found love.
I realized the path to the big time involved producing original music so I downloaded my first DAW (digital audio workstation), Reason. When I first started producing, I didn’t know the difference between a kick drum and a snare drum, but I was so passionate I decided I’d make it big in music or die trying.
In 2013, I enrolled in the Art Institute of California to study Audio Production. There, I met like-minded friends who were also DJs and I really got tapped into the local scene. I went to Spin Nightclub for the first time that year. I had my own radio show on KNSJ 89.1 FM where I met some lifelong friends. I also became a promoter for various clubs including: Somewhere Loud and Fluxx among others. Through all these experiences I met people who I consider friends to this day.
In 2013, I also found out about Desert Hearts Festival and I made the trek to the La Jolla Indian Reservation solo. That festival really influenced my style and increased my passion. In 2014 I caught a break when I won a mixtape contest for Desert Hearts and they blessed me with a sunrise set on the last day of their festival. They blessed me a few times since then with a set at City Hearts and a release on their label.
In 2014, I threw my first party at The Kava Lounge for my 23rd birthday. Around that time, I ended up going to Eternal in Jacumba and that event influenced me even more on a local scale. That led to me throwing my first “Pleasure” event which was legendary in it’s own right. I continued throwing events at various venues and became somewhat of a staple in the local scene.
The following years consisted of me producing and releasing music on labels such as “Late Night Munchies” and “HEAVY” among others. I was also promoting my events, having fun with friends, and playing various gigs in fun spaces. This continued all the way up until the pandemic.
In 2020 all events came to a halt and I was faced with a completely different lifestyle than what I was used to. This provided a moment of introspection and sparked a sense of urgency in my own life that led me to starting a family. I always wanted to be a husband and a father and the pause in the world was the reset I needed to realize it was time.
In 2021, I met my gift of a wife and proceeded to have 3 beautiful children. Now I am a full time breadwinner who still holds on to my dreams of making it big in music. My rate of production isn’t as fast as it used to be, but I’m still consistently releasing music. Nowadays, I don’t pursue releases on labels as much. Instead I’ve adopted an independent approach and release my original music on Bandcamp and distribute it myself on all streaming platforms.
Shout out to: Pro K, Oscar P, Alien Tom & Red Sonya, Karma Black, Susio, Memo Rex, Rock the Discotek, Adam J, Jon Jon, Kinohou, Technomancer, Nuno, Marziiano, Chris P, Jarrett G, Galexii, Mikey Lion, Dmitri SFC, Peter D, Tony Ralphs, Jef Phillips, Josh the Bear, Aenera, and if I forgot you I love you too!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, but every challenge and obstacle have served a purpose and refined me into the man I am today. Some of the challenges I’ve faced we’re the following:
1. When I started out I experienced some instant success, but I was still living with my parents. I had to pause some of the music pursuits in order to establish myself as an adult. Maybe it was my pride, but I felt like I had to be independent with my living situation before I could feel proud of any musical accomplishments. So I had to sacrifice some of the instant progress that was in front of me in order to establish myself as a competent adult in the world. It paid off eventually, but there was a sort of rebuilding period in my career where I let some of the hype cool off in order to sort out my personal life.
2. The music industry is intertwined with toxic indulgence and I had to battle with substance use in my younger years. I was able to gain a good handle on it, but there was a period where I felt in order to fit in and be a part of the cool crowd I had to partake. In retrospect, it’s clear that success is about the quality of the music more than it is about fitting in. Although I will say, being social and a pleasure to be around is also important to finding success, but that doesn’t require substance use.
3. Another challenge is the immediate gratification of DJing. It feels good to rock a party, but there’s a ceiling you hit if you only DJ. It’s important to stay disciplined and continue to hone your craft of producing original music because that will take you further.
4. Promoting my own events was especially challenging. It’s hard to have people show up to events consistently, but I learned a lot about how to increase my chances. Throwing events too often can make their impact less potent, although there are exceptions with weekly events like “Dance Klassique” and “House Music Fridays”. If you don’t have a good business model, you can end up in the hole very quickly after you consider all of the expenses like paying talent and investing in decor. Cooperating with the community is also important so you don’t end up “date stomping” or holding events on the same date as other promoters.
5. Finding time to produce music with 3 kids and a wife is also challenging, but when there’s a will there’s a way! I’ve been able to refine my skills so that I am really efficient with my process. I can find small windows here and there that allow me to create. I’ve also made decisions with my work life that allow me the time and energy to be able to work on my music. I’ve chosen a job that has frequent down time and doesn’t exhaust me daily so I can keep my dreams alive.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in making original house and techno music. The main feature of my music is original synthesis. All of the sounds I use come from my imagination. I don’t really use samples or loops. My music usually consists of fun, futuristic sounds, with hypnotic driving bass lines.
My DJ sets are known for high energy and dynamic formatting. I like to layer as much as possible while mixing and my style ranges from wonky, electro, bass house to groovy, hypnotic minimal. In either case, the sub woofers is always pumping!
What sets me apart from others is my intentionality with my music. I like to make visionary art which I try and pull from the higher realms rather than from a sample pack. With my DJ sets, I like to take risks and push the boundaries of what’s possible, mixing different genres and tempos while curating a consistent fresh and exciting vibe on the dance floor.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Ableton, Serum, Nerve, and Ozone are the software programs I use to produce. I earned a degree in Audio Production which helped me learn a lot from acoustics to electronics. I’ve read books and watched countless tutorials about composing dance music, mixing down tracks, synthesizing, and more. Some examples are:
Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys, and Techniques by Rick Snoman
Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
In general, I like to watch interviews of successful people and I try and pull from their experience and apply it to my own life.
Pricing:
- Name Your Own Price on my Bandcamp
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tripsydipsy.bandcamp.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tripsydipsy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tripsymusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tripsymusic
Image Credits
Diva Hammad
