Reflection in Breaks: Reminiscing with Dazegxd

By Mello Ige | Photos by Tian Zhang, CoolyFooly and Brian Contreras |

Amid the ever-evolving storm of the electronic music scene, Brooklyn’s Dazegxd has firmly etched their name into the dynamic world of dance music. The 22-year-old Junglist made waves with the release of Exhibition Mode, their sophomore album, in June, and followed the drop with a cross-country tour that sparked international fanfare. From London to Tokyo, Dazegxd reflects on their artistic growth over the past year and speculates plans for the future.

Dazegxd has always gravitated toward House, Jungle, and Breaks, stemming from the video games like Jet Set Radio and No More Heroes, but long before the release of his 2023 album Girls Love Jungle, the 17-year-old creative was using FL Studio as his canvas, crafting tracks for friends and collaborators in his Daze’s Game trilogy. Despite landing notable placements with artists like Texako and Hi-C, he felt his authentic influences and unique style were getting lost in translation. “It was a bunch of styles hidden between the Glo stuff, the Digicore stuff, the R&B stuff, the Trap stuff,” he explained. “I was just kind of seen as ‘the guy’ if you wanted a beat or whatever. And I wasn’t feeling that, because at the end of the day, I’m still Dazegxd.”

Fast forward to today where Daze has released several electronic projects to critical acclaim such as his debut album, vKiss, being listed as number 33 on the Fader’s top 50 list of 2022. The album consisted of ethereal pads, whiney yet soothing leads and lyrics founded in introspection. But not to many people’s surprise, he continued to reinvent his soundscape.

Exhibition Mode breaks through the mold with abrasive breaks and heavy 808s while still maintaining liquid melodies. “Yeah, it was just really a matter of like angst, I'd say. Like, I didn't feel like vKiss represented [the] entirety of me fully,” the NTS resident said. “But since that was the first album that I put out as an electronic artist, that kind of gave people that kind of set people's expectations for what I am as an artist… And I wanted to disavow that really quickly, but still retain some of the stuff from vKiss,” he said.

Daze continued to open up about the shift in sound between the two albums. His music featured in the indie racing game Nightrunners has brought in fans from his previous era while striving to create a sonic landscape. “I'm always gonna do my own thing. But I'm always gonna feel like I'm pushing the OG fans to the wayside, which I really don't want to do,” he continued. “It's just the period of where I was making V-Kiss, it was like, what I was feeling in the moment as like 19, 20 years old. And this where I'm at post 20 years old, like, where I'm at. And I'm always gonna do my own thing,” he said.

Announced in August of this year, Daze embarked on a tour performing in cities such as Miami, DC, and Houston, and also made his way to London, where he previously opened for UK Junglist Nia Archives. “I've not only listened to Nia for a long time, but I would listen to jungle music for a long time,” Daze said. “[To] be up there with somebody that's really passionate and somebody that's a part, as somebody that's a part of the new generation, it felt like a really crazy moment.”

Daze's love for anime made Japan a natural choice for the final leg of his 2024 tour. Though it was his first time visiting the country, the experience proved to be one of the most rewarding. Reflecting on the differences between performing in the U.S. and Japan, Daze shared his thoughts on the nightlife culture. “Honestly, it’s pretty similar,” he said. “The big difference is the trains. In Japan, they stop running after 1:00 a.m. in most cities, so people heading out to nightlife events or clubs are really committed to staying out all night.”

Daze has already set plans to return to Japan in January 2025, this time alongside fellow electronic collective, Eldia, members Gum.mp3 and Swami Sound.

Looking toward the future, Daze plans to continue exploring different facets of electronic music, as he did on the album cut “bang my shit,” where he experimented with elements of acid. “But I also want to branch out to stuff that I've seen like work for other artists,” Daze said. “I want to see how my take on that would sound.”

With every milestone achieved, Daze took a moment to acknowledge the journey that brought him to this point, appreciating the growth that has shaped his artistry and solidified his place in the ever-evolving world of electronic music. “I definitely feel proud of where my career is heading. Cause it's been like a consistent upwards trajectory,” he said. “I'm happy that the little bit of success that I've achieved has not turned me into somebody that feels like they're better than they are.”