Berklee Professor Daedelus Talks Performing with André 3000

Boston’s Wang Theatre recently became a portal to the ethereal as André 3000 unveiled his New Blue Sun Live sound—a profound departure from his hip-hop roots. This departure, which fans first heard on the artist’s 2023 release, New Blue Sun, has taken the form of meditative, flute-heavy instrumental compositions that blurred the boundaries between jazz, ambient, and avant-garde. At each stop on the New Blue Sun tour, André 3000, armed with his captivating woodwind arsenal and an extraordinary band—producer and percussionist Carlos Niño, keyboardist Surya Botofasina, and drummer Deantoni Parks BM ’03—called on expert local musicians to join him on stage for entirely improvised sets. For his Boston date, fresh off a visit with Berklee students, the artist invited Berklee’s own Daedelus, an assistant professor in the Electronic Production and Design Department, to join him for his set at the Boch Center’s Wang Theatre.

In this candid conversation, we catch up with Daedelus—a fore-figure of Los Angeles' beat scene with an impressive discography of 26 albums, 21 EPs, and multiple singles and notable collaborations, and a founding faculty member of the electronic digital instrument (EDI) program at Berklee. They share some of their thoughts on the evening's celestial sonic explorations and how they navigate unexpected musical landscapes.

What was your reaction when you were invited to perform with a living legend like André 3000? How did you approach preparing for an entirely improvised set?

Awestruck, but not entirely unprecedented. There are very few whole truths in music, but one persistent one is to be prepared for your wildest imaginings. The “entirely improvised” part actually meant for me a lot of instrument design as an EDI sitting in with André and the New Blue Sun band. In this situation that meant focusing on modular synths that could play between note values, and a separate system using Playtronica’s TouchMe that allows impedance and touch sensitivity to control an Ableton instance.

There are very few whole truths in music, but one persistent one is to be prepared for your wildest imaginings.

— Daedelus, Assistant Professor, Electronic Production and Design

You've collaborated with musical icons like J Dilla, Flying Lotus, MF Doom, and many more. What qualities or creative approaches do you see André and other legends share, especially in moments of improvisation?

I believe these icons have signature qualities that are either loud in the mix or subtly heavy-handed. Cueing into that often means eliciting those sound spaces, but wholly improvised as this? I’m not sure if I’ve any precedent. Even my work with Kneebody or Nels Cline was not nearly this free. André was decidedly uncentered in the group, seemingly by design.

Could you describe your setup for that night? What specific sounds or techniques were you aiming to explore and release through your performance?

You referenced the night’s expectations. New Blue Sun member Carlos Niño shared some insights to guide my role: “no key centers, no one rhythm, just constant playing.” I interpreted that as a hands-on instrument at all times, but not constant din. Searching through a group-created reality. I wasn’t the only instrument on stage that was electronically enabled. Surya Botofasina and Deantoni Parks respectively could summon up very considered responses to my wildest sound design. I felt very cared for. I was left to make beds, billowy synth-scapes, some pushy melodic ramblings.

As a listener, the set felt like a journey through tension and release, with dramatic arcs and deeply introspective moments. How did you experience these dynamics from your perspective as a performer?

I appreciate your ear’s experience. On stage, it was swirling and difficult to parse individual moments. Felt not unlike a DJ set with undulating overlapping waves; through-composed perhaps, to borrow the phrase. I didn’t come up for air once I was onstage.

Reflecting on the experience, what are some things you would take away from this collaboration and perhaps utilize in future performances? Did this experience bear a personal significance for you?

This was deeply significant. Not only the person André is, but the world he’s envisioned and willing to share in. How many musicians as they age actually become more than their most famous songs or caricatures? I’m still giddy that I got to do that, and hope in some small way the audience felt the same. We played in rare air!

Any other thoughts you would want to share with us?

Here’s the difficult admission. I don’t feel I stuck the landing. As the energy came to a true conclusion with André really loud on what seemed to be a bombard, I had some open channels that echoed out beyond the ending. I don’t know if anyone else heard this. The audience [was] unphased. André was gracious, same for the others on stage. However that feeling has messed with my experience of the night. How much onus should I place on such a brief moment missed? I need to do the bigger work to allow what was—to have just been . . .