CMQuivero’s Revelations: From Rock to EDM
interview + photography by Jorge Perezchica
This is a story of a self-taught artist, and an adrenaline junkie ready to leave his mark on the world of bass house and beyond. Meet Jorge Ruvalcaba, better known as Quivero, an electronic dance music producer from Coachella Valley. Inspired by witnessing Martin Garrix’s electrifying performance at Coachella in 2016, Quivero embarked on a musical journey of personal expression, where he’s free — without rules.
Recently, Quivero released his debut EP, “Revelations,” a labor of love that took nearly a year to craft. The EP reflects Quivero’s interpretation of house music. His exploration of different sounds, synthesizers, and ambient elements resulted in a dark, hard-hitting, and groovy journey that leaves a lasting impact on listeners.
Although not formally trained in music, Quivero possesses an innate ear for blending various sounds and genres seamlessly. His energetic and bass-oriented DJ style sets him apart, incorporating elements of tech house to create an uplifting and electrifying atmosphere during his performances. Beyond his musical endeavors, Quivero shares his knowledge through tutorials on music production and other topics on his social media channels.
As he continues to grow and evolve as an artist, Quivero envisions a future where he travels the world, showcasing his music to diverse audiences. With consistency and a clear vision, he aims to impact the sound of music and inspire others to pursue their dreams. In a world where music is a universal language, Quivero’s believes in the possibilities of artistic expression, freedom without rules, and the power of connecting with others through music.
Indio, California, at Everbloom Coffee, Coachella Magazine sat down with Quivero, to delve into his world of music. Over cups of their signature drinks, we explored the journey that led him to the electronic dance music scene, the inspiration behind his stage name, his ambitious dreams of traveling the world and gracing the stages of Coachella.
INTRODUCTION
Coachella Magazine Okay. We’re here at Everbloom Coffee, Indio, California.
Quivero: Yes, sir.
CM: What kind of coffee you get here?
Quivero: I got the butterscotch here at Everbloom. The butterscotch is really good. So if you’re a fan of like a caramel macchiato at Starbucks, think about it 10 times better here at Everbloom. You just call for the butterscotch.
CM: Have you met the owners?
Quivero: I met the co-owner (Efrain Mercado), I believe it was at one of the events at Desert Underground. I think Papa Headz was there and a couple other local businesses. And I met the owner through Angel (Chavez). The owner’s a really nice guy. He got something going on here for sure.
CM: They launched at the beginning of the pandemic right?
Quivero: They started, I believe, back in 2020. You know, the first time I heard about Everbloom, I believe it was on my birthday, on October 8th. My aunt gave me a gift card for here, and I was like, “Okay, I’m gonna go try it out.” And, you know, my aunt told me, “Get the butterscotch, get the butterscotch.”
CM: Is that your to-go drink?
Quivero: That’s my go-to drink. Yeah. No more Starbucks for me, man.
INTERVIEW
Coachella Magazine. Introduce yourself and tell us about your background in music.
Quivero: Hello. So my name is Jorge Ruvalcaba and my stage name goes by Quivero. I am an electronic dance music producer. I’ve been producing electronic dance music since 2018. What really inspired me was when I went to Coachella in 2016. I went to go see Martin Garrix. You know, Martin Garrix is the reason why I wanted to start this whole, electronic dance, music production business that I got going on. But yeah, that’s how I started in 2018, and we’re still going strong right now.
CM: Were you born and raised here in Coachella Valley?
Quivero: I was born and raised here in the Coachella Valley. Lived here all my life. I’ve lived in Coachella, now I’m in Indio. And it’s awesome being here because, you have lots of variety here in the valley. When it comes down to the weather, it could be hot one day, it could be cold the next day. It could be raining the next day.
CM: This is known as the City of Festivals. Is that something that motivated your journey through music?
Quivero: Yeah, because you know, my main goal is to be able to have a slot time at the festival (Coachella). I’ve been a big fan of the festival for a really long time, and I’ve watched the documentaries and everything. I really enjoy the way it came up to be the festival. And so my dream is just to hopefully be a part of this big festival at some point.
CM: Has your experience growing up here been mostly positive?
Quivero: Yeah. You know, everything’s been positive for me. So far there has been moments where things did get a little rough, you know, but that’s just the way it is. You grow up, you learn a lot of new things, and you just kind of learn on how to overcome those boundaries. But for the most part, everything’s been positive, nothing but good support out here.
CM: What’s the story behind the stage name “Quivero.”
Quivero: <Laugh> So, it’s funny because the name behind Quivero is, there’s actually this DJ called Quintin or something like that. And I literally just took the first three letters, the “Q U I,” and then I put them in a random name generator. And then, I think I spent like 30 minutes just generating names and names and names. And then it combined the QUI, and there’s this name like, V e r o, like Veronica or something. And so (Quivero) sounded nice. I was like, “Okay, you know, I’ll take it.” And it just sounded different, unique, you know, so that’s why I kind of took it.
CM: Lets talk about your debut EP titled “Revelations.”
Quivero: So, Revelations, I’ve been working on the EP for, I wanna say, almost a year. And the reason why I took a whole year to make this EP is because, I wanted to kind of interpret my version of what house music is. I began experimenting with lots of different sounds. I took a long time for that because, I really wanted to bring the quality to the people who listened to my music. I started thinking, “Okay, what can I do different for the upcoming year, 2023?” I’ve never released an EP. I’ve been a part of an EP, but never released my own.
And so I told myself, “Let’s experiment with some sounds.” My music kind of takes you into a dark journey with hard knocking drums, groovy bass lines. And so that’s what I wanted to interpret into this EP. I wanted the music to take people into a journey, this is a serious, dark, groovy, hard-hitting, you know, music. This journey is gonna take them where it’s just like no other.
I created the sounds. I experimented with lots of little things. And so the “Revelations,” it’s been a long time planning. It’s just a matter of, you know, “What am I gonna do different from before?” You know, “What am I gonna do differently from my other music?” But I really feel, I stepped over the boundaries on Revelations because, I took my time. I really aimed for what I wanted to go aim for. Revelations is something that’s for sure gonna stick around for a long time for me. It’s gonna be an awesome thing.
CM: How would you describe your creative process, when it comes to starting on a new track?Quivero: The way I start my music or the way I create a new track is — I like to combine different sounds, synthesizers, ambient sounds. Maybe it could be like a waterfall or something. And I’ll probably add a baseline to it or something. But it mainly starts off with just me placing random sounds in a composition. I’ll add more of this, and add more of this — my imagination just flows with it. If I think it sounds good, then, I’m just gonna interpret it and leave it there.
CM: Do you play any instruments?
Quivero: Surprisingly, I don’t, you know, it’s funny because I actually tried. I went to College of the Desert for piano, and I know some piano, but I don’t know music theory. I don’t play any instruments, but, you know, I kind of have the ear for it. I have the ear for what might sound good on something. For sure.
CM: How would you describe your style as a DJ?
Quivero: My style and my sound, I feel like I’m more aggressive. My music’s more aggressive for sure. It’s more hard hitting and it’s more aggressive because, when you go to a club out here, they’ll play that calm, groovy, tech house. My sound when it comes to performing at a nightclub, it’s a little bit more aggressive. It’s more bass oriented, we call it bass house.
And so I feel my sound is definitely a little bit more aggressive, but, you know, I’ll throw in some tech house in there as well. So I like to mix tech house and base house at the same time. As a DJ, I feel like my sound’s a little bit more uplifting, and more energetic for sure.
CM: How would you describe yourself in three words?
Quivero: Oh wow. That’s a good question. I’m happy, energetic, really energetic and adrenaline junkie. I’m an adrenaline junkie for sure.
CM: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Quivero: In my free time, when I’m not making music, I’m kind of thinking about what kind of content I can produce for myself. For example, my Instagram page, I also have a YouTube channel. I like to do tutorials on music or different other things.
CM: How do you go about reading the crowd when you’re DJing?
Quivero: That’s actually the number one thing that you gotta do when you’re DJing — you wanna read the crowd because when you don’t read a crowd and you’re just playing the music that you want, then people are just gonna leave. So the way you read a crowd is like this, say I’m playing some tech house, but people are leaving me because music’s too calm, and if I play some bass house, they’re gonna come back, and I’m gonna keep playing more of that, more aggressive stuff.
Reading a crowd is a way where you could learn what people are interested in listening to and what they’re vibing to at the moment. So reading a crowd is important for sure. It’s something I’m definitely learning as well. Reading a crowd, it’s important, you want to keep people dancing, you want to create a good image for the venue, so that way, people could be constantly going there.
CM: What kind of music did you listen to when you were growing up?
Quivero: You know, it’s funny because when I was in middle school, I didn’t like electronic music at all. I didn’t. And you know, my sister was actually the one that showed me EDM and I was like, “How could you listen to this?” You know, “What’s the point of EDM?” And I grew up listening to a lot of rock, a lot of Iron Maiden. I was kind of just sticking to like more of the live band music. And so it changed when my sister showed me electronic dance music though.
CM: Did you have any music mentors or are you self-taught?
Quivero: I’m self-taught. It’s funny because back in, I wanna say like 2017 when I was barely starting, I actually had another name, it wasn’t Quivero, it’s called Deluxe. And that name was mainly like an experiment kind of name. I kind of wanted to see how the music stuff works. I technically just taught myself on how to use the software and how to mix and master. And so I learned all of that on YouTube though. But no, I didn’t have a mentor, I taught myself mainly how to implement sounds and everything.
CM: During the Pandemic, did you spend more time developing your craft or was it more challenging?
Quivero: I think during the pandemic things got harder because of work. I work at the post office in Cathedral City and so the music wasn’t a priority during the pandemic. It was only not a priority for like one or two months because at work. We were just doing like 12 hour shifts, 13 hour shifts and when I get home, I was just tired. I just wanted to go to sleep and I couldn’t work on music for a long time during the pandemic. It was, it was tough. It was tough during the pandemic for sure, you know? But other than that, I just kind of had to pull through it and keep going.
CM: Is music something you want to pursue full-time or do you have other career interests
Quivero: Music is definitely something I wanna do full-time because I just enjoy music a lot. I’m able to express myself through it in a way that people could actually understand what I’m trying to express, you know? Music is an art form where you’re just free. There’s no rules in music, and that’s something that I wanna accomplish in life.
My goal is to retire my parents in a way. I don’t want them to work anymore. And I’m not saying music will do it, but you know, if something ever happens, I don’t want my parents working anymore and I wanna be the ones to take care of them now after that.
CM: Where do you see yourself in five to ten years from now?
Quivero: That’s a really good question. If everything goes well, and because I made myself a New Year’s resolution for 2023 that I have to stay consistent with my music. I wanna say definitely, hopefully God allows us: Traveling the world and being able to showcase my music to different other countries and everything. For sure. I see myself doing that. It’s just a matter of — can I keep it consistent? But if I continue on this path and if I keep investing into myself, that’s a possibility. It’s been the most challenging part of DJing, I mean, getting yourself out there and going to venues and things like that.
CM: Do you reach out to venues, or do they reach out to you?
Quivero: There’s been promoters. They’ve reached out to me and I’ve reached out to them as well before. But the hardest part was when I was coming up. When I was barely starting, I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know who to reach out to. I didn’t know any musicians out here.
It’s funny because my neighbor back in Coachella, he would throw backyard shows, he’ll throw like backyard concerts. And so, I remember for my first ever performance, I told my neighbor, “Hey, you think I could borrow your equipment, so I could throw my first set ever in my backyard?” And he’s like, “Yeah, sure.” And so he set up the whole backyard, almost like a full stage and lights and everything against the wall. It was fun. And so that was my first ever performance.
But it was hard though because, he was the only guy I knew for DJing. I started going on Instagram and following all the Coachella Valley pages and everything. And I followed you as well. And I just kind of started going to these events that they’ll have. And so I’ll try to network, but the problem is that I was shy back then. I was really shy. I wouldn’t really talk with anybody. I’ll just be there, kind of enjoying the moment. But it’s hard. And to this point, it’s still hard because, I’m just, doing everything myself.
CM: What do you love most about the music industry?
Quivero: You know, the biggest thing I love from the music industry is just the wide amount of upcoming artists, and the music that they produce. I remember when I didn’t make music, I just liked rock, that’s it. But now that I started making music, I started opening up myself with other different genres. Like, I love fast jazz, I love rap cuz I didn’t like rap before either. That’s just the thing though, when you open yourself up to different music genres, you kind of get a more of an understanding of what music really is, and what defines that genre of music.
And then especially documentaries that they put out about music, it’s insane because it motivates you in a way. They’re like, “Music started from here and now it’s all the way at this point.” You just got this wide amount of music that you could listen to. And it’s just great because, I come across a lot of new music every day and I love it.
Music is just an expression, it’s an expression for people that they’re able to show what they’re feeling, you know? It’s just an awesome art and music has no language. It’s a universal language, everybody understands it. Everybody enjoys it, you know? And without music, I mean the world would be just not a good place to be at.
CM: After the pandemic, I feel like, we’re in a big culture shift. So how do you see yourself being part of a new generation that’s going to impact the sound of music?
Quivero: It’s funny because, when I first began, there was all these artists that was going on, you know, we had like my good friend Provoke, there was a guy named Versa Style, you know, there was all these music stuff happening and then after the pandemic, all that just like shut down everything, everything shut down.
I feel like for my music, now that 2023 is here, I know what my plans are. I feel like people are gonna be able to understand what my music is, cuz it is hard to kind of understand, “Okay, this guy is making like aggressive music, what’s the point of it?” But, you know, people are gonna begin understanding what my expressions are in the music, and what it’s meant for. But for the next generation of music, you know, there’s a lot of people coming up too.
CM: What direction do you see music shifting towards, and is there anything your interested in exploring?
Quivero: I see it definitely because, look at Desert Underground, they’re making something, they’re creating a big movement. And then you got the music venues not giving a lot of artists a chance, you know, they’re not giving certain artists a platform to perform in. But when you got Desert Underground building full stages in the backyard with 300 or 500 people showing up, then that’s just the next generation right there, you know, it’s bringing up the new talent of music. So I definitely do see a shift, especially with Desert Underground, because they’re doing something that no one has ever really ever done.
CM: Is there anything you want to say that we haven’t talked about or you want to mention?
Quivero: I just wanna say, I hope I bump into you guys at the Coachella festival, but nonetheless, I just wanna thank every single person. I love you guys a lot. You guys are awesome. For the people that have been supporting my music, the people that have been with me throughout the journey of my music, I know sometimes the beginning’s always kind of slow, but you know, once the momentum starts picking up — that’s where everything starts to open up. I just wanna thank everybody and really wish everybody accomplishes their dreams.
CM: Where is the best place to get updates on on your music?
Quivero: The best place to keep to keep up with me is definitely on Instagram. I’m very active on Instagram. I mainly promote there first before any other platform.
CM: Thank you very much for your time. Appreciate it.
Quivero: All right, thank you. Thank you so much for having.