In 2018, Compton native Channel Tres splashed onto the music scene with a unique blend of West Coast rap, classic house, and modern electronic music. Known for his distinct baritone voice, he’s a sought-after collaborator in the dance scene, working with artists like Diplo, Polo & Pan, JUNGLE, Tyler the Creator, SG Lewis, and Kaytranada. His first full-length album, Head Rush, came out last month and features Thundercat, Ty Dolla $ign, and others.
Channel Tres, born Sheldon Young, conjured up his moniker in 2016. At the time, he was a session musician and producer experimenting with musical styles from R&B to country.
“I didn't want people to call me by the name my mom gave me. So then I was like, ‘Oh, Channel sounds like a great name.’ Because I'm channeling things and I'm working in different environments.”
The stage name is also an homage to his favorite TV channel as a kid. He added the “tres” because he grew up around Mexican culture in Compton.
“When I was a kid, Channel Three was the channel where you plug your VCR into. You plug your video game into. You're not on regular TV no more. When you plug into Channel Three, you go into another vortex.”
Channel was raised by his great-grandparents and immersed in his family’s southern roots and traditions. He fondly remembers shining his great-grandfather’s shoes, which he saw as a badge of honor. His family taught him discipline and hard work — sleeping in on Saturdays was not allowed.
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Channel was also part of his church band, where he learned to play music from Kirk Franklin and John P. Kee. He received his first drum set — and an introduction to smooth jazz — from his great-grandfather. But when he was 11, his great-grandpa died, followed by his great-grandma a few years later.
The loss thrust him into adulthood early. Amid chaos in Compton during the early 2000s, he found solace in art.
“I don't want to shine a light on my city — making it seem like it was just a crazy place, because I really had a great childhood. … It was just those little things you have to avoid. Growing up in an environment where a lot of gang culture is, I learned a lot of lessons from a lot of those people. I just wasn't really cut out for the other life like a lot of my family members were.”
He adds, “I was encouraged to keep playing the drums and keep skateboarding and keep learning how to rap. … A lot of those people kept me out of trouble honestly.”
Channel found inspiration from funk icons like George Clinton and Ohio Players, R&B band The Delfonics, and genre-chameleon Prince.
“I didn't want people to call me by the name my mom gave me. So then I was like, ‘Oh, Channel sounds like a great name.’ Because I'm channeling things and I'm working in different environments,” says Channel Tres. Photo by Julian Burgueño.
Today, that confluence of musical influence has led to Channel’s own style, which he describes as “Compton house.” He sees it as a blend of traditional house elements, including four-on-the-floor beats, with influences from his childhood growing up in South LA. He’s also drawn to the inclusive nature of house music, with its roots in Black and queer Chicago.
“That was a place where a lot of people were accepted. Minorities were accepted. Your sexuality wasn’t questioned. I have been, I don't want to say weird, but I've always been different from the environments I've grown up in … so house music as a culture really, really influenced me. Yes I’m from Compton, but I’m not the typical person you would think that’s from Compton.”
As house music has gone global and become popular in places like Europe, Channel says it’s important to remember how the genre started.
“Music is for everybody, so how [it] develops, I’m not in control of that. But if you have a conversation with me and you experience me, you're gonna know that it's about Black precision. And I'm gonna give you the history lesson of where things come from.”
Since Channel’s earliest days in music, he’s always collaborated with other artists.
“I love collaboration because I’m very influenced by the people I’m around,” Channel explains.
The song “Cactus Water” off his new album started in a studio at Janelle Monae’s house.
“There’s a lot of great creative people that live there. It's like a Black compound of artists. And so I went there and I was working with my friend and frequent collaborator, Roman GianArthur, and we made that beat. I just got on the mic, and I just started flowing and it came out.”
On “We Hungry,” Young worked with British musician Estelle. The song was inspired by a breakup he had at age 26.
“When I got more notoriety and I started making more money … I changed up on a lot of people — best friends and my girlfriend at the time. … I was just feeling myself. … And so it was a song about that. But then towards the end of it, you hear about how that stuff made me sad, and I lost the person in my life that I really loved. And when you go through a breakup, you can't eat. So that's the title — ‘We Hungry.’”