Meet Chaboi aka Gabe Madera | DJ / Producer / Curator / Artist Relations

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chaboi aka Gabe Madera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chaboi, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?

I was born in Mexico City and grew up between between different cities in the U.S. during the 90s, mainly Los Angeles. I was a young immigrant Spanish speaker that spent his adolescence in a new country trying to learn to adapt to a new culture while striving to maintaining his native one.

From early on, music was a big point of curiosity, focus and passion, whether it was going to backyard indie shows or starting metal bands in garages with friends or going to record stores just to listen to CDs, I was always looking to find the newest and most exciting bands, genres, venues, scenes, magazines, or anything cool that had to do with music culture.

Today I work in music as a DJ, producer, curator, and artist relations rep in Latin music, which has enabled me to connect with both my Mexican roots and Latin music community internationally. I’ve been able to translate my love for music, Latino culture, and connecting with artists into a professional and independent career.

I also recently joined the artist relations team for the music icon that is Fender guitars which has also allowed me to support and showcase Latino artists at all levels, from legacy legendary bands to new up-and-coming breakthrough artists.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a DJ / Producer that has been making music and curating events in Los Angeles since the early 2010s. I’ve collaborated with artists in the Latin and electronic space and have performed at festival stages like SXSW, Coachella and Bonnaroo. I host a monthly radio show on Halfmoon BK called Satélite, freelance as a latin music programmer, and am also an Artist Relations rep for Latin music at Fender (guitars).

Over years I’ve worked in different capacities on and off stage in an effort to amplify the voices of Latino, POC & underrepresented communities through music curation, live events, A&R, talent booking DJ mixes and networking.

What sets me apart is that I have experience both on stage and behind the scenes. I’ve worn many different hats throughout my career and this insight has helped me gain a wider perspective and deeper appreciation for the different roles that it takes to put on and perform at a show building a community around music. I know the amount of work it takes to build a live experience, from designing the flyer, to hiring staff, booking the talent as well as how to navigate the industry as an independent artist making a name for himself. As a DJ and beatmaker I can play a bit of a chameleon, dipping in and out of different styles and finding the common thread between dembow, house baile funk, rave music, cumbia, hip-hop, afro beats and everything in between. Once constant is always keeping an ear on the underground and building and uplifting the artists and communities.

I am most proud of the amazing people I’ve met and places I’ve been through my musical journey and being able to share my favorite artists from Latin America and the world as well as my own original music.

Last year my song “Batimami” with Mami Sandunga was featured in the Netflix show “La Flor Mas Bella” by Mexican comedian Michelle Rodriguez, which was a surreal moment! We’re very excited to release our next original collaboration ‘Respeta’ which released on Nov 10th!

I got to where I am today through the help and motivation of lots of great friendships, mentors, and community support . I’ve ensured to surround myself with friendships that I could always rely on to help fuel my passions to grow.

I also worked very hard and always looked for new opportunities to grow and learn through new experiences.

I took on internships at record labels, worked freelance and volunteered for gigs in the music industry, as a way to try and gain as much perspective and experience.

A lesson I learned along the way is that there may come many times when things won’t pan out exactly how you envisioned, but these experiences are valuable stepping stones to growing and must not be treated as defeat but rather the foundation for evolution. I’ve also learned to always be kind to everyone you encounter and always put your best foot forward – you never know when it could come back around.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

LA has such a wide variety of food, would definitely recommend Fogo de Chao for Brazilian steak or La Guelaguetza for authentic Oaxacan specialties. Definitely street tacos. Ramen Tatsunoya is also a must!

I love going to Barcade in Highland Park or EightyTwo in Arts District for a drink and some video games or the Alamo Drafthouse in DTLA for an extra special movie going experience.

LA also has countless venues with so many different types of shows happening every day, I would (and often already do) go to a different type of show every day of the week: Cumbia, Reggaeton, House, Metal, Hip Hop, Reggae, Afro Beat, Electronic, no matter the genre there’s always a great show happening somewhere in the city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Huge shoutout to my LA DJ community, my Late Night Laggers crew: Dani Stone, Bryan Davila and Eddie Do as well as Canyon Cody, & the whole Subsuelo Crew. I’ve traveled the world and had countless adventures with these folks and owe them everything I’ve learned about the music game, being a professional and what it is to be a good person.

Also a VIP shoutout to my life and musical partner Ashley Tavarez aka Mami Sandunga for being my biggest supporter on stage and behind the scenes.

Website: linktr.ee/chaboi2000

Instagram: instagram.com/chaboi2000

Twitter: @chaboi2000

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chaboi2000

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh0JF4_AeBQ 

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hOrLqrQnFH1Eq8vh4twh5?si=RmRx9w0QRCqwmNYaJkpBmg

Image Credits
Shine Media, Adalid Ada, Jon Monterrosa & Jerri Rose White