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Photo by Brandon Burton

Quadeca is one of those rare artists who makes you feel respected just by pressing play. It's very common to see artists today succumbing to the riptide of the algorithm, sacrificing risk for safety. It actually makes sense, in a lot of ways. But it is clear as water that Quadeca creates from a different space. He creates for art itself, despite the surrounding currents. Even I, someone who craves a little ear candy from time to time, couldn't help but feel cleansed by his latest album — a true brain wash in the best sense of the word. If not for the literal waves embedded in the tracks or oceanic visuals that wash over you, then for the experience of being overcome by art the way you would be walking through a gallery.

The short film accompanying Quadeca's latest concept album, Vanisher, Horizon Scraper, saw the young sailor navigating Filipino waters to tell the story of a man searching for himself, yet motivated by self-destruction. With nothing but drugs, a radio, and some food, he sets sail and lets the wind guide him. The project is an orchestral tidal wave of intricate poems delivered with artistic mastery. And, even though he shot it with a terrible fever – read on – you can tell he had fun doing it. 

Below is our uncut conversation where we dive into the vulnerability of ambition, his massive upcoming tour, and the joy of making music that reclaims the mundane as magical. 

OnesToWatch: Where are you from originally?

Quadeca: I was born in Los Angeles, and then I moved to the Bay Area when I was at the conscious age of seven.

Conscious. Haha. How do you feel about spirituality? Is that a part of your creation or yourself at all?

Yeah, I think more so in a magic way rather than a spiritual way. But I think sometimes there is definitely some kind of magical realm that you don't see that you tap into as an artist. And I think that if you ignore that, you'll never be a great artist. I only started making things that I thought were truly great once I felt like, damn, I'm accessing something outside of me. And the more I live, the more I believe in magic. 

Do you feel like that concept of the superhero that you had when you were a kid, that thing that you were kind of calling into yourself, is that the same kind of space you get into when you create music and visuals?

That's really interesting. Sometimes when I make albums, specifically these concept albums, I do feel like I am trying to create a universe. And I think in the pursuit of creating a universe, you take on some kind of miniature God within yourself. And so I think that I am trying to do a lot and really convey my experience as a human in the most all-encompassing way. 

There's lots of different ways to be a superhero. I think every artist takes on their own superhero version. And sometimes you can be a super villain. That's also valid. You could be kind of the dark arts superhero, or you're someone that's super public and you're a spectacle, and that's another version of it. 

Totally. Do you feel like Quadeca is a separate persona for you, or is it that superhuman extension almost of your human experience?

That's a really good question. Yeah. I think it's both. I think it is me though, at least when it's working it is. When it's not, then sometimes I don't like it. That's what ends up not making it. I do probably have the unhealthy line blurring thing within me where it's the art versus the artist. I feel like I very much live more of my life being an artist than not. So I think that is who I am – and that way you can kind of reclaim the mundane as magical.

So if something's fucked up in your life or you feel like regret or guilt, you can make that part of your arsenal. And that's actually where the power of music is, low key. That idea of having a horrible day and then letting it make your best song. You feel like you just won. You know what I mean?

Like the art speaks with you, or for you.

Yeah, exactly. You feel like you just conquered that. I dunno if that's healthy, but you know what I mean? It's like this kind of romanticization of strong emotions and being able to take hold of them with art.

You're expanding your own lens and it's really brave. I mean, everything that you've created that I've seen so far is I would consider brave. Is it brave? Is it scary for you to be so ambitious and create these big worlds?

No, I don't think it's brave. I think that would be giving myself too much credit. That's still very nice. But I think there are instances where I have shown bravery if I'm super vulnerable or it's something that is actually that deep, or I know that it will cause embarrassing consequences in real life. I don't know, that wouldn't be my first adjective, I guess.

Was there anything on this album or in this film that felt like you were nervous to expose?

All of it.

Why? 

Just because I think that there is vulnerability in ambition. I think that there is a vulnerability in trying. There is a sacrifice in trying to do something that you put every fiber of your being into. I guess I was nervous for the whole expression of it. I am aiming high. So if everybody can see that you're aiming high and feels as though you didn't reach it, you are taking a bigger risk than doing something that's safer.

Totally. And it sort of gives other people permission to seek freedom when you embody your own art so deeply. I'm curious, when you were making your film, what came first? The music or the visuals?

The music, for sure, but the music - I see it visually when I'm making it. When I realized that in my own music I had all these worlds I was building, but I wasn't necessarily bringing them to life in the right way, it inspired me. I already think about music so visually that I want to make sure that when I bring it to life, I'm doing justice to the scene in my head that serves the song. So it's like, if a song is cloudy and you'd film it in a sunny day, you've just fucked your song.

Brilliant. Quick pivot. Rose, bud, and thorn for the journey at sea. The rose is the good thing that happened. The bud is something you learned from it, and the thorn is something bad or something you could have done without.

Okay. The rose is that it's very cool and special to just be where you are, to be in the sea and to look out, and you're away from everything. It's very visually beautiful and you feel the ocean. I think that you're in the poem. 

The bud, you learn that you're just a small thing that doesn't matter, and that being on the ocean's really hard. And then the thorn is that it's very uncomfortable and it's cold and it's difficult.

And I had hand foot mouth disease.

What's that?

It's like a baby disease that babies give you. When I filmed my last concept album, we went to the Mediterranean, and on that flight I got hand foot mouth disease. You get bumps and shit on your hands and your mouth and your feet, and it hurts and it itches. It feels horrible. I don't know why, but when we went to Greece, I got it again. We were on the ferry in the 20 foot swells, freezing. And I had a fever the whole time, and it was a bad fever. I was going in the ocean, fully clothed, doing these shots in the freezing cold. And then I was like, that's obviously why I'm cold. But I felt so cold.

Oh my God.

That was the thorn, for sure.

Wow. That's wild! That must've been a lot. 

I just like making music. That's what I like to do, that's my favorite thing. So I've just been thinking about practices that I have learned, what I learned from this album and what I want to apply to my next pursuits. There's all sorts of ideas. 

Speaking of next pursuit.

Yes.

The tour. What is this live setup going to be like? 

We're going to have a sail on stage and have cool lights, and I'll be in my Sailor Fit.

Oh, dope.

And yeah, just try to make the songs as immersive as possible and fire. We'll have full band, flute, singing, piano, drums, guitar, all that. So it should be, yeah, it'll be a good show. It'll be my most fully realized show. But yeah, I'm really excited about the set. I like my discography now, I don't think there's any other set that is going to be quite like it.