“Fear is a tool, not a feeling. Use fear to your advantage.
Pablo Alcántara, also known as “mediopicky,” born on June 30, 1989, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, applies this rule to his new artistic phase. This music producer, singer, and DJ who blends sounds from bedroom pop, urban, electronic music, and Afro-Caribbean genres has decided to take a step towards his audience after his self-titled album caused a sensation in 2022, receiving recognition from media outlets such as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone (US), KEXP, NPR, Remezcla, among many others.
In March 2023, he was invited by SXSW to perform, among others, at the Rolling Stone showcase, Future of Music, which would allow him to present his new and impactful live format. “I feel like I should get closer to the people who support me: do concerts, go to other places to perform, shake hands, etc.,” says mediopicky after several years and albums laying the digital foundations of a meteoric and innovative music career.
Mediopicky studied advertising but left it because at the university he was attending, “the professors wanted to give me fewer classes than I wanted to take, and I felt it was outdated, not modern enough.” However, this did not prevent him from developing a successful career in that field, which has allowed him to work on his musical style and sound with dedication.
“I have always been an ‘artist,’ it’s just that in my evolution, I keep changing tools and forms, in constant search of my craft, my sound, my technique… for which I like to take my time, without rushing.” His influences, ranging from System of a Down, the first album by Calle 13, the whole moombahton movement, and Dominican dembow, crystallize into a sound that finds its way into younger audiences open to enjoying less standardized proposals.
“I remember that my first drum set was a small trash can that served as a kick drum, and an old lamp as a cymbal. The snare was my biology book because it was thick and had a similar sound,” says the Dominican before stepping on stage at the legendary Micky in Mexico City. This nightclub welcomes him with open arms since, unintentionally, his music has been an inspiration for Susi, its owner and manager, and is one favourite of Latinos’ neoperreo movement.
