'A Sort Of Chaotic Beauty': Dreams Is Rising Fast And Breaking Rules

“Los Angeles is a great place to make tracks because it allows you to disappear, if you want to.”

Positioned behind a Roland MC-307 Groovebox, making beats in a bedroom-built studio, audio visual artist Jesse Pimenta is avoiding the beach. Taking time off from his day job to craft immersive, sun-drenched soundscapes, his tracks are created primarily in darkness. Operating under the alias Dreams and setting up independent imprint Private Selection, Pimenta is part of an important circle changing up the LA underground music scene.

Peering from his window while watching a woman doing yoga on her lawn, munching down a slice of Enzo’s pizza, Dreams scours endless Youtube, Soundcloud and Bandcamp links looking out for that next killer sample.

“Usually, I spend a few hours before making anything just listening to all sorts of shit. Funk, industrial, R&B, classical, female choirs from Peru, really anything besides electronic music. I get a lot more ideas that way,” he said.

Give In2U a spin for that staple ‘90s beach vibe Dreams weaves. After releasing his first and most successful mix, 'Gridbugs', his track went viral and received support from the influential Night Slugs crew and L-Vis 1990.

Pouring as much love into his own material as the imprint he has established alongside fellow producers Arkitect, Ariel and Crash Override, Dreams’ overriding vision is to realise a purpose for the music he promotes. “I've always been sort of obsessed with creating a mood or a vibe,” he said. “If someone else can feel what I'm trying to create, that’s enough for me. It's all about communication. Thinking kills the vibe.”

Growing up listening mainly to hip hop, R&B and soul before progressing to more left-field electronic territories, Pimenta’s skills are self-taught.  “Everything I've learned up to this point has been independent,” he said. “Learning through listening. I've taught myself things over time, but I mostly rely on my ear. It's freeing this way.”

Living and breathing west coast culture, the birthplace of evolving, splitting and morphing musical subgenres, Dreams caters for a chill crowd. Playing an LA-based Boiler Room gig a couple of years ago, lush synths flowed in industrial tech from beginning to end of his 45 minute progressive, dopewave set. Against a backdrop of entrancing projected visuals, hype quickly grew for Dreams’ mesmerising live show.

“I like abstraction, dark images, and a sort of chaotic beauty,” he said. “I think that comes out in my tracks too. The one and only Crash Override is a big part of my live project and an amazing AV artist. We’re currently collaborating on videos and artwork. He's got some really sick stuff in the works.”

Describing his shows as "raw shit, the best tracks you’ve never heard", Dreams’ USP is the ability to make the seemingly inaccessible relatable through the use of clever hooks, distorted rhythms and mixed up BPM melodies. His music sounds equally good through headphones as it does blowing speakers in a dirty, derelict warehouse space. Such is the LA way. Everybody just wants to bob their head. Rebelling against the dictatorship of signing to a major label has allowed the 23-year-old, smoke-blowing beatweaver total freedom.

“‘Independent labels sign artists that major labels won't take a chance on, allowing artists or groups to produce and release music that otherwise wouldn't be,” he said. “They also don't demand the level of control over releases that the major labels would. Once major labels realize the potential of these artists, more possibilities become available for an artist who has already created himself/herself without the creative control of a major.”

Also gearing up for his label’s first set of physical releases in 2015, the multi-disciplinary shows Dreams and his team are mastering will be groundbreaking.

“Our visions for creating visceral AV experiences and our passion for creating new concepts in art and music are universal,” he said. “We've got demos from people around the world and right now we're working on projects with some gqom producers from South Africa (DJ LAG, UNITED BOYZ) and our boy Zeadron from Japan. We love the idea of releasing musicians with different cultural backgrounds and seeing how it influences their tracks.”

Striking a balance between affording the bills and changing the world, the best from Pimenta’s Dreams project is yet to come. “I have a lot in the bag for 2015. An EP coming out with UK-based label Trax Couture a solo EP on Private Selection, a full length, and a project with this incredibly gifted singer I’ve been working with," he said. "It's been really cool to write tracks with someone else. I'd like to do that more with R&B singers. I also gotta shout to my managers and mentors Jimmy & Henoch who run Gene's Liquor. They're doing dope things with their label right now."

Supporting new talent while pushing his own, he is a man of fine taste. Fuelling a healthy haven of heady escapism, the beauty of this underground LA chill rave scene is the antiestablishmentarianism Dreams’ crew upholds.

By day the body beautiful sashay down sandy plains. His bunch of blissed out kids operate below decks. They tap out beats only by the night, feeling good without a tan. Exporting their homegrown noise across oceans, infiltrating UK circles, Night Slugs’ Bok Bok is backing Dreams for big things.

"I've always been inspired by Slugs' aesthetic and vibe,” Pimenta said. “I remember hearing Kingdom's record years ago and couldn't get over it. I think we're all like-minded in the sense that we like pushing the limits of contemporary club music and they're always thinking of new ways to break the rules.”

Mind expanding and funky fresh, Dreams crafts next level, life-enhancing music. Check out of reality and click onto his wavelength.

Dreams' 'World Series Vol.4' EP is out on January 21 through Rushmore/Trax Couture

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