Meet Sean Kallas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sean Kallas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sean, how do you define success?
Success is being able to do the things that I want to do, make the art that I want to see in the world. I know that my music doesn’t always fit into a DJ set or isn’t on-trend, and that’s okay. The music represents me and tells the message I want to put out into the world. The ultimate form of that lately has been making music that can fit into a DJ set and still be as expressive as I want.

In my personal life, it has also meant having a life full of good people and fostering the communities that raised me. This past year has been full of crazy ups and downs, I’m so thankful for my community around me. I’ve had many new opportunities because of them and I’ve been in a position to give back so much.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My music very much started as strict EDM, but influenced by a lot of the other media I was into. For example, I used to be really into anime, so a lot of my earlier output has that very “kawaii” cute aesthetic you’d find in Japanese media. I’ve since moved onto a much more mature and sometimes darker sound, but I have been listening to really cute music again… Maybe I’ll revisit that! Even today, the music I put out is often a reflection of what I listen to. In the last couple years, it’s been a mix of city pop, jazz fusion, DnB, old UK bass music, future funk, disco, and a bit of hip hop.

Originally, I went to school for audio engineering, so I’m really better at mixing than making music. All of the music I make is totally mixed and mastered by me, which I’m very proud of! If there’s anything I’ve learned from this whole career, it’s just practice, practice, practice. It was a lot of trial and error to figure out what mixing style I liked, lots of mistakes and then figuring out how to make it better. Having friends with ears you trust is a massive help for learning this, but I also had to learn to pick out objective from subjective feedback. And the biggest key was remembering that you’re not going to be amazing instantly. An old friend once told me that “drumming is a lifelong zen,” and I think that can really be applied to all music.

I want the world to know that my music will never have a real focus. It’s always a reflection of me, what I’m going through personally, what else I’m doing in my life, and who I’m around. My music is never really planned to go viral, it’s there for the music lovers that are tired of “perfect” releases and want to dig for something real, something honest.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a perfect question because I’m actually doing this with a friend really soon! I would definitely take them to eat at my favorite places in the 626. As an LA Asian American, I grew up in the San Gabrial Valley and got to have really amazing Chinese food every weekend, then boba for dessert. There’s a lot of great Asian food in Alhambra, Temple City, Monterey Park, etc. Lots of good Taiwanese sweets, Hainan chicken, hot pot, dim sum, and delicious sea food. As for boba, I can’t recommend One Zo and Formosa Aroma enough, top tier tea and very fresh boba.

There’s also beautiful places full of nature to visit in the greater LA area. So many hiking trails and scenic adventures are up in the hills above LA. My personal favorite is Huntington Library, which I’m taking a friend to next week. Perfect place to picnic and be at peace around the wonderful gardens. Actually, a really good date spot too! But being in SoCal, you have to do some kind of beach thing, and I actually really love Long Beach for that! Long Beach still has a bit of that 70’s surfer vibe if you go to the right places. I’ll admit, some parts are sketchy, but there’s a lot of vintage stores and fun places to see along 4th St. and Redondo. Then of course there’s the Queen Mary park to visit or the aquarium.

My dream is actually to do an early Sunday morning drive along PCH and watch the sunrise over the ocean, I think that would be an incredible end to someone’s visit. There’s also a lot of roads into the hills above Malibu if you want to find a great lookout spot for it.

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?
I really want to give a big shoutout to the Common Love collective in Pomona for being amazing friends and giving me a space to be me. Jon and Byron have been so generous and caring, they’ve even taught me how to run lights for their events! Even before Common Love, Byron and his wife Sam provided a space for me to explore new genres and have so much fun with DJing. They also provided a space for fire spinning, which has been fun to get back into!

A big shoutout goes to my Ground Control family and the raving community at large. Raving has been my home for the last 11 years and allowed me to feel safe to be myself when my daily life hasn’t. Working on Ground Control’s harm reduction team for the last 6 years with them has led to so much growth, learning, self-reflection, and comfort in my life. From working with them, I’ve collected so many memories and magical moments, big and small. The community never judged me as I wrestled with my gender identity and greeted me with open arms when I began transitioning. I’m so glad that Ground Control exists so I can give back and stay connected with ravers.

Lastly, I want to shoutout my younger sibling for always being there for me. They’ve supported everything I’ve gotten into, pushed back when I needed someone to, and met me halfway when I felt misunderstood.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sychodivergent/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sychodivergent

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SychoDivergent/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sychodivergent

Other: https://bsky.app/profile/sychodivergent.bsky.social