Though his social media handle asks “Who is Ken”, the multi-genre bass DJ and producer has quickly made his name known throughout Florida and beyond, playing support for massive names like Joyryde, Crankdat, Valentino Khan, and NGHTMRE. On a creative tear this year, the Cuban American producer released his wildly popular single “Gravity” in February, followed quickly by two rip-roaring remixes and his debut EP Aftershocks. This latest two-track hitter features longtime friend and mentor Odeeus with vocals by Glennellen Anderson, a multi-talented singer and actress you may recognize from the TV series Stranger Things. When asked to describe his unique sound, Ken says,
“It’s going to have to fall under screechy, distorted, heavy bass. Whether it’s on a 4×4, on a bass house track, that’s the same sound I’m going to go for, regardless if it’s dubstep, bass house, or DnB. I’m going after that bass in your face, that kind of makes your face swell up.”
He didn’t always know what his sound was. The Miami-born musician listened to hip-hop growing up, but that quickly changed after he attended his first rave. Enamored with the culture and community, Ken got hooked on big room and artists like Dmitri Vegas and Like Mike. This spurred him to get his first DJ controller and dive deep into the depths of electronic music. “I discovered Joyryde, Tchami, and Tony Romera and that’s when I fell in love with bass house,” he recounts. However, when it comes to your sound as an artist, that can take years to find.
Ken first learned to DJ in 2018 and began dabbling in production in 2020, owing much to his good friend Odeeus who took him under his wing and taught him the foundations. Over the next few years, he refined his craft before releasing his collab with Odeeus, “Rhythm” in 2023. Even then, it wasn’t until his Pharaoh Phonix release, “Gravity” that Ken truly felt he had honed in on his sound. His subsequent remixes of Acraze’s “Heard It Like This” and Mau P’s “Beats For The Underground” along with his Aftershocks EP all encapsulate this gritty, driving bass that makes Ken an exciting artist to watch.
Ken believes that, as an artist, the people around you are vital to your success. From your team to your network to the community you create. He attributes much of his success to his manager, Tyler Turnbull of Bull Artist Management, whose support and commitment has catapulted Ken’s career to new heights. Early in their partnership, they pitched an event to Oasis Wynwood in Miami that turned into a series of three events before going on to throw events in Fort Lauderdale at venues like Rosé, Green Room, and Nowhere Lounge. Ken affirms that throwing your own events is a good way to build a community and kickstart your career as a DJ. Having recently met DJ Susan and Rich Dietz, he admires the way the Hood Politics family support each other and hopes to emulate that as his career grows. When speaking about the importance of networking, Ken tells us that he fell in love with the idea of a DJ career after Damaged Goods took him backstage at Confessions shows. Earlier this year he also connected with LA bass house producer Typo, who works alongside artists like ALRT and Joyryde, and went B2B with him at a warehouse rave.
The Florida bass producer is very grateful for all of the people who have had a hand in his rise, “I don’t think any of this happens without my team. I’m thankful for Tyler and Keith, my managers. Thankful for Odeeus, he’s the one who made everything happen and taught me everything I know. All my friends, my family, people supporting me, and Moon Lvnding for this opportunity. People who are playing my music, people who are coming out to my shows, promoters who take the risk, I’m just thankful for anybody that makes all of this happen… Have to be thankful for everything that has happened because it’s a dream that we’re living.”
When asked about his goals, Ken said he doesn’t like to look too far in the future. “Coming into this year, I wasn’t really producing too much. My goal was to release two to three tracks. I was just setting a realistic goal, I had only released one and I said, let’s triple it this year. So I’m at five right now and I have six and seven ready to go. I have another remix on the way and an original that I sent out to Rich Dietz… Looking back at last year, we’ve played way bigger venues, way bigger crowds. So for the next year I really want to hammer down on production and hammer 8 to 10 songs and drop 1 every six weeks, that’s the goal and just always, ‘What’s next?’ is the motto I live by.”
Looking forward, Ken has many more shows in store. Now a regular at DAER Nightclub, he just played support for Jauz last weekend and will do the same for Joyryde this weekend at the Ritz Ybor in Tampa. Two weeks from now he will play Home Bass Orlando for the second time in his flourishing career. Having recently played in New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, who knows where Ken will go next! “I’m not quite where I want to be, but I can see the vision and you have to enjoy the ride while you’re doing it. I’m enjoying the journey—even though it’s tough sometimes, it’s fun seeing the progress.”
Listen to Ken’s Mothership Radio Guest Mix and get to know him using the links below.
