Carlos Gonzalez, a 2015 graduate of SAE Institute Miami’s Audio Technology Program, released ‘Dear Neighbor,’ an EP under his performing name Flapo, featuring Jenni Potts.
‘Dear Neighbor’ is the second single off Flapo’s forthcoming full-length album, tentatively scheduled to be released later in 2016. Noted industry blog, Thissongslaps, describes ‘Dear Neighbor’ as “a smooth flowing tune, having chilled-up vibes, infectious and groovy; a definite crowd pleaser.”
Originally from Bogota, Colombia and now residing in Miami, Flapo is the name to watch in post-summer 2015 electronic music. His music is described by EDM Sauce, a top website for EDM news and reviews, as ‘Odesza-like,’ an infusion of clean, melancholy vibrance – simple music. Flapo’s passion for music started at an early age. He grew up playing guitar and bass, and credits his discovery of hip-hop as the inspiration for making beats – giving him ideas and creativity to craft the type of music he enjoys making today. It is no surprise that some of his influences are hip-hop artists such as Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, Eminem, N.W.A, Dre, Wu Tang Clan, Ice Cube, Scarface, and Nas.
“It all started when my parents gave me an electric guitar as a birthday present…I then discovered hip-hop, which literally changed my life and it’s the reason why I do what I do. Hip-hop gave me the inspiration, the ideas and the creativity to make the music I make today.” “When I discovered hip-hop, I became really curious about the concept of ‘beat making’. I spent a long time making electro and progressive house music, but I guess I wasn’t completely comfortable because it wasn’t a natural fit for me,” he said.
Flapo’s enthusiasm for dance music, the art of mixing, producing, remixing inspired him to pursue an education in audio engineering and production at SAE Institute Miami, a school he describes as one of the best in the world for audio production training.
“The Audio Technology Program is perfect for people like me, looking for a depth of knowledge, but who want to learn fast and get straight to the point. The amount of things you learn is amazing, you can easily dedicate yourself to any area in the music industry; from producing and mixing to live sound, film scoring and post-production,” says Flapo.
“I am very proud I had the opportunity to learn from internationally known talents like Charles Dye, Frank ’El Medico’ Rodriguez, Frank Socorro, and Dave Poler. It was an amazing experience.”
His new album will feature Jenni Potts and other talented artists like Mothica, Jordan Sheath, Layna, and Josh Rubin. Flapo turns his emotions into music to connect with listeners, and he describes his album as personal: “It’s the story of my break-up, how I dealt with it and got over it. On the other hand, it’s also the story of how I found myself, went back to my roots, and started making the music that I truly love.”
Flapo is a multi-talented artist. In addition to making music, he DJs and is working on creating a new live show, which will incorporate live instruments, synths and programmed sounds.
