Genre-defying electronic artist Afriqua started along his musical path when his big brother introduced him to the b-boy scene in Hampton Roads, Virginia when he was around 8.
"I was instantly hooked on the culture," he says. "By my 10th birthday, I'd saved up enough to buy my first DJ setup. Around that same time, I had the chance to meet Pharrell at an event, and saw him on TV with Jay-Z shortly thereafter. That set my young mind in motion on the possibilities of production, so I started learning that side around age 12. It's been serious."
Afriqua describes his sound as, "The sound of a lifetime devoted to music."
His latest release is "FANTA SEA."
"The track came from a very productive period last year, and the process was pretty straightforward," he says. "I felt a sort of '90s acid house vibe once I got the drums going and had fun following that thread from there. The vocal came to me right when I came up with the bassline. It fits perfectly on my friend Mink's label as we're both very into what we call 'sexy spooky shit' - a sound that was all over NYC in the '90s but somehow got lost along the way."
As for gear: "I’d be fronting if I said there were any key pieces of gear to my sound. I could’ve made FANTA SEA with any synth, an iPad, at Electric Lady, or in my home studio where I happened to make it. It’s about the ear, not the gear."
Looking ahead, Afriqua has plenty planned for the coming months. "Heading to St Tropez tomorrow to play at Pablo, and will be at ZeyZey in Miami and BLVCK in Mexico City later this month," he says. "New single with my man Jaden Thompson and one of my favorite new artists Celeste Aria out today. Lots more heat on the way."
