In the wake of his pulsating 2022 singles “Drowning” and “Levels”, indie-forward artist Districtmela also known as Mela welcomes Remixd Mag into his intriguing world of music.
Districtmela hailing from Columbia, SC/ Atlanta has been releasing plush-esque ambient-driven music that cuts across multiple genres since 2021.
His expansive sound grosses rock soundscapes, rnb, trap, dance, afro, reggae tone just to name a few and this encapsulates his groundbreaking artistry. In a nutshell, it’s hard to place him in a box. He can offer a little bit of everything, from emotive productions, to cathartic vocal inflections, immersive sounds, and more – Mela is here to take over the game.
Mela’s mysterious and enigmatic visuals are also tinkering. Forcing us to look deeper into ourselves and wander mentally, the aesthetic posed makes for an introspective experience while still retaining an enjoyable value to his brand, sound and art holistically: From the photography, imagery, minimalist approach oozing art mastery, it would be invalid to say his offerings do not arouse a lot of curiosity into who the person behind this musings he shares actually is.
Following his earlier musical releases this year, the mythical and talented act talks about his musical plans, thoughtful music, among a range of topics as we find out more about him, and what makes his body such a spectacle. Check it out below:
What city are you from/ Where are you based now?
Columbia, SC/Atlanta
What is your artist name? What is your real name? How did you get your artist name?
‘districtmela’, Lamela Juarez, mela is a Greek root that means “dark”. District is simply a space so together it’s a dark space. When you’re somewhere without light, your other senses become heightened, specifically your hearing. So that is really the meaning behind my name. When people listen to my music, the goal is not to necessarily have them envision themselves in a completely dark/unlit environment. Rather, the emphasis is to listen. Listen as if you were in a place where you couldn’t see, where visibility was 0, and in order to navigate, you had no other choice but to thoroughly and carefully listen to the sound around you
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
Me and my brotha FOURIA, coined it as “fuse”. It’s a fusion, a blend of different sounds and elements spanning an array of genres. There’s hints of rock, rnb, trap, dance, afro, reggaeton, etc. But most importantly, it’s a feeling, it’s THE feeling. Something abstract and intangible, something that words or titles cannot encapsulate—it’s spiritual.
What’s one reason you are passionate about music and what inspires you?
I began singing at 2 years old. I love sound and I love the correlation between different frequencies and different moods. It’s an incredible phenomena. A lot of things inspire me, I would say it’s the creator‘s complex that inspires me the most—the capacity to create. It’s inside all of us and it is exemplified in multiple ways. Bottom of the line is I love the way sound makes me feel, I love the way I am receptive to it. There’s no greater feeling than creating sound; It’s what I was created to do.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
Nirvana and Sade are my two biggest influences
Tell us the name of the project you are currently promoting? What inspired this project?
I’ve yet to release a project. I’ve really been creating and stockpiling songs so I may release them at leisure. My latest singles ‘Drowning’ and ‘Levels’ are definitely records that I believe I could build a project around.
Date that this project dropped or is set to drop?
‘Drowning’ dropped on New Years and ‘Levels’ dropped in early February.
What is this project about in your own words?
Both records have similar sentiments but are also unique. ‘Drowning’ illustrates being consumed by a lover, to the point where one is figuratively drowning. ‘Levels’ is more upbeat and was really a freestyle of me just talkin my shit. I’m in love with intro/outro of that record; I could listen to it on an endless loop. FOURIA went crazy on that beat.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for? Include some dates if you have them.
No dates specifically but I’ve got a lineup of a couple singles for these next few months. I’ve got one scheduled for the end of April and I’m currently working on getting the visuals for all of them. I’m really excited about the sequence of these next few records. Again, I believe they share some similar sentiments but are, ultimately, unique.
What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from this project?
I have no concrete message but I will say this: Music is spiritual, music goes beyond what the eye can see—it’s solely about the way it makes the listener feel. I feel everyone is so uber-critical nowadays and to me that criticism can ruin art or ruin the point of art. So when you listen to my music (and music in general) focus on the sound, focus on the frequencies; the melodie’s, the harmonies, the composition. Focus on how your spirit receives what you’re hearing and whatever it makes you feel, never forget that feeling.
Where can we follow you on social media? Include links.
IG, Twitter, SoundCloud: @districtmela
IG: https://www.instagram.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/districtmela
