SWAYLÓ Ignites Electric Forest with Multiple Divine Performances [Interview]

While every artist has a unique artistic vision of their own, SWAYLÓ ‘s vision is one unparalleled to the rest. The New Mexico native was destined to blossom into a captivating, soul-stirring creative one day. He’s much more than just a DJ and producer. He touches lives through his every move and through every mind, body, and soul-altering creative endeavor.

Surrounded by spirituality his entire life, he expresses his spiritual beliefs wholeheartedly through each note and live performance. For him, music isn’t just an art form. Music is one of the many ways he practices his spirituality and is what allows him to connect with those aligned with his higher-self and celebrate the beauty of the human experience. His music is created with the intention to purify, regenerate, and heal. It’s all about enhancing others’ lives in any way he can.

“Creativity is infinite and imagination is limitless.. How do we share and use it? How can we multiply it for the greater good of all, if it were used for something greater than us?” – SWAYLÓ’

SWAYLÓ’s ascending soundscapes are truly one-of-a-kind, and he’s supported like-minded artists like ZHU, Nora En Pure, Gioli & Assia, and more throughout the course of his flourishing career. Following a plethora of thrilling performances at renowned festivals like EDC Mexico, Voodoo Music & Arts Experience, Sundance Film Festival, and Spring Awakening, he was finally slated to perform at this year’s highly-anticipated edition of Electric Forest.

The Electric Forest grounds are already extraordinarily magical all on their own, but this past edition of the spellbinding festival was even more memorable thanks to the vibrant energy and sounds of higher consciousness that SWAYLÓ exposed to festival goers all weekend long. Originally scheduled to only play at the Honeycomb stage on Friday, festival organizers ended up recruiting him to play at Grand Artique and at Tripolee throughout the course of the weekend. No matter at what time or at what stage he performed at, the vibes were always immaculate.

Anyone who attended either (or all) of SWAYLÓ’s sets at Electric Forest is most likely vibrating at a higher frequency to this day. As an artist that caters to the dreamers, the creators, and the adventurers, the forest was the most pristine ambiance for him to shine his inner light and share his mystical, pure intentions with everyone in attendance . His exotic blend of ancient folk and tribal melodies that intertwine with uplifting house and techno notes are soundscapes bound to move music aficionados for an eternity.

We got the opportunity to chat with the divine musician ourselves on day two of the festival, so read on to learn more about his artistic vision, views on spirituality, ongoing projects, and more below.

The Nocturnal Times: How does it feel to be playing at Electric Forest for the first time? How would you describe the vibe of the entire festival grounds?

SWAYLÓ: For me, it’s all about the way the festival is integrated into nature. Bringing all these 50,000+ people into the forest so they can experience music, nature, and art all in one place is so magical. It brings out people’s sense of spirituality, which is something I admire.

The Nocturnal Times: Speaking of that, you describe yourself as a pretty spiritual person yourself, correct? Tell us more about that, how did your spirituality come about?

SWAYLÓ: I grew up in New Mexico on the Zuni pueblo and it was a special place in which I was born into. My parents are also both pretty spiritual. My mom is from South Africa and my dad is from Switzerland and they’re the ones who introduced me to all of this. They used to practice trance drumming when I was younger and I always thought it was so intriguing.

The Nocturnal Times: How would you say that your spirituality goes hand-in-hand with your artistic vision and entire creative process along the way?

SWAYLÓ: We all have to make a lot of decisions in our lives, and for me, it all stems from our intuitive energy which is a form of spiritual energy. My entire creative journey has just been about being able to trust myself whenever I make a decision and just going with my gut feeling, following my heart, and truly believing in my path.

The Nocturnal Times: How would you say this spiritual journey has impacted your personal life and how you hope to make others feel along your path?

SWAYLÓ: More than anything, it has allowed me to connect with myself and nature. I’m definitely looking to bring that natural sound into my music so that people can reconnect to their hearts, the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars when they listen to my music or attend my events.

The Nocturnal Times: You produce and release your music based on the moon cycles, which is so fascinating. Tell us more about that.

SWAYLÓ: There’s so much energy on Earth through each moon cycle, especially during a full moon. I put so much energy into my music so why not have it coincide with the energy of the world at a specific moment in time? To me, the moon cycles and the different energies they create are such a beautiful concept that Mother Nature intended for us to experience as one.

The Nocturnal Times: You have a very unique artistic vision that offers a wide array of exotic house and techno sounds, unlike the rest. How would you describe your signature sound in just one word if you had to?

SWAYLÓ: Heartbeat.

The Nocturnal Times: What are your intentions with your music? How do you aspire to make your listeners feel?

SWAYLÓ: To go deeper and further with nature. I want my music to act as a reminder and as a form of reconnection to nature and to one another. Human connection is an essential part of life and I aspire to do that through my music. I want us to go back to our ancient human roots. We’re all a tribe, we always have been. I also promote a futuristic vision because we are who we are becoming and anything is possible for each of us. And I want people to remember that.

The Nocturnal Times: What should we expect from your upcoming sets here at Electric Forest? Will they each vary in sound and style?

SWAYLÓ: The first one is going to be more vibey and big on my house sounds since the Honeycomb stage is in the heart of the forest. Tomorrow I’m playing a late-night set after the headliners but before a special b2b surprise set so I’m going for that big, fiery energy to get the crowd excited. My third set on Sunday is early in the day so it’ll be similar to my second one but will expose more of my original productions, visuals, etc., but they’re all going to be done in SWAYLÓ fashion haha!

The Nocturnal Times: You’ve supported amazing artists like ZHU, Gioli & Assia, and Nora En Pure (who we also love by the way). What inspired you to support these artists and get yourself involved with their creative ventures?

SWAYLÓ: You mentioned earlier that my sound was unique in its own way, and I feel like those artists also have a distinct sound of their own that makes them stand out from the rest. They just do what’s true to them and it’s obvious that they’re genuine in their productions and creative ways. It’s all about being authentic and I can just tell that they’re as authentic as it gets.

The Nocturnal Times: Are there any upcoming releases or unannounced projects you’d like to share with our readers?

SWAYLÓ: I have a lot of releases coming! The first one is at the end of July, then I have one with Noizu in August, and then one out on Enormous Tunes in September. I’m sitting on a lot of ammo at the moment. I’m also aiming to bring my new Ancient Future project forward which is an event brand, fashion brand, and record label. We want to incorporate mindfulness, meditation, sound healing, etc. into all our events to get attendees activated and then go into a celebration of music. I’m so so excited about these because the ones I have launched in the past in NYC, LA, Austin, and Denver back in 2019 were incredible.