“This has been nothing short of a dream.”

GORDO first gained recognition as DJ Carnage, and became known all around the world, performing at some of the biggest festivals including Tomorrowland and Ultra while producing EDM and hip-hop collaborations too. In 2021, he rebranded as GORDO, shifting towards more of a house/tech-house sound. Gaining more and more recognition, he'd go on to produce for Drake and continue to tour worldwide. We asked him a few questions about his journey, plans, and process.

I’m not sure anything specifically made me want to become a producer or DJ. If anything, I feel like I was born to do what I do. I’ve always had a passion for making music. For as long as I can remember, whenever an idea hits my brain, a melody – some lyrics, a chord progression, whatever it may be – I've had this need to put it down on paper or find some way to save it.At a young age, I taught myself FL Studio, which eventually gave me the ability to take those ideas and actually bring them to life. From there, touring and performing those records as a DJ just made sense. I love to travel, I love to perform, and I love giving people the opportunity to forget about reality for a few hours at one of my shows. This has been nothing short of a dream.

It was the middle of 2018 when I started having a really difficult time understanding who I was as a person and what the future of the DJ Carnage project looked like. I’ve always been very open about it, Carnage just wasn’t moving the same number of tickets it had in previous years, and the harder-hitting records weren’t connecting the way they used to. In many ways, it felt like the project ran its course. 

Then the pandemic hit in 2020, which became such a pivotal moment for me. It felt like the entire world had reset to zero. With touring completely gone, I finally had the time to re-evaluate where I wanted to be personally and professionally when the world rebounded. So I kicked my feet up and went to work. I moved to Hawaii, embraced proper health and wellness, and lost over 150 pounds through nutrition and investing in an at-home gym, sauna, hot tub and cold plunge. At the same time, I locked myself in the studio with no expectations, and started livestreaming from my house followed by posting sets on YouTube filled with new music.

Ultimately, all roads were leading to the same place. The person I started to become and the music I was creating no longer felt like DJ Carnage. I had to trust my gut and follow the music that was naturally in my head and heart… and then eventually release it under a fresh alias which later would become GORDO. It wasn’t about running away from Carnage, it was about accepting that I had grown beyond it and was ready for this next chapter of my life to begin. 

Absolutely! Some of my biggest records ever have been hip hop or featured a hip hop artist. I have always wanted to bridge the gap between house music and hip hop, and I think a couple of my upcoming records will especially prove that… and you can never count out a Carnage anniversary album somewhere down the line!

You know, it’s tough to pick just one artist, but producing for/with Drake has really been an honor. We’ve produced over 20 records together that have been released, and each one comes with a story that I’ll never forget.From being in Toronto at his house/studio to traveling across Europe with him and producing music on the Anita Max Win Tour, there’s never been a dull session, and that’s what makes the creative process so much fun. Drake has inspired me long before we ever started cooking together, so the fact that he has that much trust in me as a producer is all the motivation I need to keep making as many hits as we can.

I love music and truly listen to everything. You’ll probably catch me listening to someone’s live set on a long flight. I frequently find myself trying to break down records in my head because I love sound design and composition and understanding how everything comes together. I am also a big podcast guy, short-form content is where all the hype is right now, but an episode of Joe Rogan at 30,000 feet just hits different.

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to play the world’s best nightclubs, venues and festivals, and I will never take that for granted. As a first-year resident at Pacha, I feel overwhelmed with excitement, pride and even some nervousness because I know how big of an opportunity this is and how much of an honor it is to be here. There are only so many clubs and venues in the world that remind touring DJs why we do what we do—promoters that go out of their way to make the artist feel like family— and Pacha definitely does that. I could not be more excited for my TARAKA residency to begin at Pacha Ibiza on August 25th. 

I always do some set prep depending on whether I’m playing a club, venue, arena or festival, and I especially consider where I am culturally so I can include some of the music I know that audience wants to hear, but for the most part, a lot of what I do is on the fly. Every once in a while I’ll see someone on X questioning why I have six CDJs in the booth and if I really need them. The truth is, no, of course I don’t need six, but I really enjoy having them because it allows me to read and react faster, get more songs queued up, and change direction with minimal heads-up. Performing is an art form and I want it to be perfect, but I also want to be engaged and connected with the crowd giving them what they want in that moment rather than playing a predetermined set list I assumed they would want back at my hotel.