When I describe DRIGUO, I usually place the project somewhere between melodic, progressive and Afro house. Each of those names points towards something I enjoy, but none explains every decision I want to make.
Hypnotic grooves draw me in. So do organic textures, emotional melodies and vocal hooks that remain in my head. The interesting part is discovering which combinations feel natural in my own music.
Start with what keeps drawing me back
A musical identity can begin with noticing recurring preferences. Which sounds make me want to keep working? Which passages do I return to after closing a session? What do I miss when an arrangement becomes too crowded?
My questions about leaving space for an instrumental and deciding whether another vocal line is necessary point towards something I care about. I want the groove to have time to develop, while giving a melody or voice enough presence to connect.
That is a creative direction I can explore across different tracks. It does not require every release to use the same instruments or energy.
Let references answer specific questions
Reference tracks are useful when they help me listen with a purpose. I might focus on how a bass supports the rhythm, how a vocal enters or how long a section holds before something changes.
Trying to match every feature of one reference would make it harder to hear what my own idea needs. With music that sits between styles, different references may be useful for different aspects of the production.
The point is to understand a decision well enough to consider it, then hear whether it belongs in the track I am making.
Leave room for collaborators
A singer can introduce phrasing or emotion that shifts my expectations for an instrumental. That is part of why the possibility of different vocal interpretations interests me.
I want that exchange to have room to affect the music. If every part of the arrangement is fixed before the collaboration begins, it becomes harder to respond to what the other person brings.
Keeping a direction while allowing that response feels more useful than trying to define a finished sound in advance. The project can remain recognisable while a particular track takes an unexpected turn.
Use releases to make the direction audible
Herebia is one release within this wider exploration. Other tracks may lean further towards a melodic or progressive feeling. What matters to me is the connection between the musical choices, rather than how closely each release fits the same label.
To hear both sides of the project, Nikupe leans towards the Afro house side of DRIGUO, while Take Me Higher shows the more melodic one.
This journal gives me a place to share those choices as they become clearer. An article can introduce a question; the music can show where it led.
I do not expect a description of DRIGUO to explain everything a listener will hear. I want it to offer a starting point and leave enough curiosity for the next track.
Explore a few releases and notice which details feel connected to you. That connection is part of how an artist’s sound becomes recognisable from the other side of the speakers.
Keep reading: Inside Herebia · From the studio to the DJ booth
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