Andrés Artist Bio

There are two artists that go by Andrés.

1)Detroit house and hiphop don DJ Dez aka Andrés was destined for a life in music. The son of Humberto ‘Nengue’ Hernandez, an original player on Detroit’s jazz scene who sang and played percussion with the likes of Mongo Santamaria, Santana and Cachao López, got his first drum set aged three, and was raised on the Motor City’s rich musical history. Partly brought up in California, Andrés cut his teeth DJ-ing on the Cali underage party scene, before moving back to the 313 with his family. Already a certified crate digger and vinyl archivist, he started working at the legendary Buy-Rite Records store, the very same place that Kenny Dixon Jr. received his paycheck from.

After spending some time at Amp Fiddler’s home studio, Dez met J Dilla, who recruited him to DJ for his hiphop crew, Slum Village. Parallel to revolutionising the US rap landscape with the new-found electrified smoothness of S Villa, Andrés started to explore his hometown’s house legacy from the late 90’s onwards. He hooked up with his former recordstore buddy to release a string of freewheeling house-not-house 12-inches on KDJ, leading up to a highly prolific relationship with Mahogani Music. After three acclaimed full-length albums for Mahogani, which really put him on the map as one of the most versatile figures on the Detroit dance music circuit, in 2012 he launched his own imprint La Vida with the future classic “New for U” 12”.

2)Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Andres Aparicio started his musical journey at the age of eight when he picked up the violin after seeing an orchestra performance. During his teen years, he picked up a guitar and listened to early 2000s post-hardcore and emo bands, which would later become the primary influence for his first band, Terra Alive.

“Bands like My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, Dance Gavin Dance, The Used and From First to Last really inspired me to chase a lifestyle in music and touring,” Andrés says.

After seven years as Terra Alive, Andrés decided to rebrand his music by using just his first name like rappers Drake, Kehlani and Kyle. Revamping the Terra Alive sound on his first Andrés debut Strange Memories on This Nervous Night in 2017, he amplifies his pop, hip-hop, R&B and jazz sensibilities to the forefront of his new, polished demeanor with his Latin roots making slight cameos. Gradually gaining popularity among the scene, Andrés has made big strides, having collaborated with scene favorites such as Kurt Travis and Strawberry Girls along the way.
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