Second-year graphic design major Tanner Walsh has a passion for music and instruments. Tanner, who goes by Dplx, is a DJ, producer, piano mixer and beats maker. He lit up the stage at the popular 1078 Feb. 17, performing songs such as “You Are” and “Your Eyes.” He also made a remix of Local Natives song titled “Heavy Feet.” With his amazing piano skills and sound production, the crowd went wild. Dplx sits down for an interview to talk about his future plans with music here in Chico, his love for making beats and samples and much more.

Tell everyone your name, major, and what you do.

Tanner Walsh but my stage name is Dplx. I’m a DJ and I make electronic music and beats.

What made you first seek an interest in music?

I started first making music freshman year of high school. I’ve always liked music and technology and now here I am, performing shows. It’s working out step-by-step.

What instruments do you play and what genre does your music consist of?

Right now, I’m in the process of honing the keyboard. I can play a little bit of guitar, keys, drums and just trying to up my skills and get professionally mastered in music.

In what ways do you implement sounds and instruments into your music?

I like to use weird sounds and samples that I can find. I like to make music sound interesting and have different textures. I use a lot of sampling, whether that’d be recording stuff with my microphone, or just chopping up drums.

When it comes to production and mixing, what’s the key element you need to make sure you have the right sound?

There’s a lot of stuff. Honestly, it’s about having a balanced mix. Having the levels equal and having a high-quality sound I’d say is key.

I understand you work at the on-campus radio station. Tell us a little bit about that and how that’s been like for you so far.

For the past two semesters, I’ve had a radio show at KCSC, which is the on-campus radio station. My show is called “Soundcloud with a Chance of Rain,” and this semester, it’s every Sunday night (from) 8-9. Basically, I play a whole bunch of music I like and sometimes, I do live mixes and have friends who are fellow DJs that come on.

How’s it been like working for Underhouse Music and doing shows for them?

Underhouse Music is huge and they’ve been great. They put me on and building more and more of a scene here in Chico, so it’s pretty cool to be a part of that.

What are you trying to bring to the electronic scene here in Chico?

I think the electronic scene here in Chico is very EDM and aggressive. However, I like to just put my own spin on it and play weird hip-hop acapella over random beats. I try to keep it interesting and show that people can get down to different types of music.

Who are musical inspirations you look up to?

Some of my inspirations and influences growing up were alternative rock and punk music. Bands like “Brand New” and “Modest Mouse” inspired the emotional aspects of my music. Right now, I’m into producers like Jamie xx, Ryan Hemsworth, Mount Kimbie and James Blake. Combining my different influences and creating an interesting sound is what I’m attempting.

What are you currently working on and do you have any major releases out or coming out soon?

I’m currently working on a trailer. I’ve been working on an EP for the past four months and it’s going to be called “Poison Ivy” and it’s going to have a lot of Chico’s talented artists. That should be coming up in the spring!

Where can people listen to you on SoundCloud and find you on social media?

You can find me on Soundcloud.com/dplx. My Twitter and Instagram are both @dplxmusic. Stay tuned for what I got coming up!

Niyat Teferi can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_arts on Twitter.