An Interview with Skiis: On San Diego Roots, San Francisco Dreams, and Mexican Heritage
Amidst the sprawling, world-class lineup of San Francisco’s Portola Festival, one name carried the spirit of San Diego north: Skiis. As the sole artist with roots in America’s Finest City to grace the festival’s stages, his set was a testament to a journey that spans borders and artistic styles. Born in Mexico and raised on the streets of Chula Vista and South Park, Skiis has since carved out a home for himself in the Bay Area’s vibrant electronic scene, all while keeping his heritage and hometown pride close to his heart. ListenSD had the chance to sit down with the artist to discuss his deep connection to San Francisco, how his Mexican and San Diegan upbringing shapes his sound, and what it felt like to represent the 619 at one of California’s premier music festivals.
ListenSD: Tell us a bit about your connection to San Diego.
Skiis: It’s the place we came to when I first came to this country. First, we were in Chula Vista, in the Eastlake area, and then when I went to high school, I lived in South Park. I went to San Diego High School, class of 2015. I took the 2 bus to get to high school, so yeah, I’m very firmly rooted there. I grew up around a bunch of other Mexican Americans; everybody speaks Spanish, everybody’s kind of just like you. Then, when I was 17, I went to school in Santa Cruz and I’ve pretty much been in Northern California since. I went to school there and moved around a lot, but I’ve lived in Berkeley and then San Francisco. I’ve been up here for five-plus years.
LSD: What was it about San Francisco that made it special? Was it the music scene, your musical influences, or something else that made you want to move there?
Skiis: A little bit of both. I think San Francisco is that kind of place that, when you’re growing up, looks like this dreamy, inspirational, movie-esque kind of place. You see pictures of it, and you’re like, “That’s a different place, you know? That’s a real city with a story and a history that you can see in the walls and in the architecture.”
Not only that, but about five or seven years ago, when I was first getting into DJing—I’d always been into house music—one of the few California labels I knew of was Dirtybird. They were making Tech House out of San Francisco. So then I had this idea of San Francisco as this dreamy, cultural place, and I was also seeing it as, “Oh, there’s a group of people out of here making dope music that everyone likes and listens to, that makes people dance.” I knew I wanted to end up living up here for one reason or another. I didn’t know exactly why, but I was like, “I want to go there. I’m going to fucking find a reason to end up here.”
And I did. I was just getting really deep into music, and those interests, passions, and hobbies all just came together. I happened to meet the right people who were all doing the same things. Almost immediately after I moved here, I started meeting all these people who were doing the same thing as me, and who seemed to be from different parts of the Bay Area. People flock to San Francisco for the same reason, it seems. That’s what drew me here. To me, San Francisco still can and should be one of those places—a culturally and musically interesting place, not just a fucking AI tech hub. I want this to still be a place people come to for those reasons. That’s why I came here, and I found what I was looking for, whether I knew it or not.
LSD: San Francisco has always been a cradle for cultural diversity and music. Growing up in San Diego with your Mexican heritage, were there any San Diego artists you listened to or would like to collaborate with?
Skiis: Oh, wow. Honestly, when I was much younger and first getting into smoking weed, Tribal Seeds was big. It was that California reggae vibe—very at the beach, sneaking around, trying to be this beach rat kid, which I wasn’t. I was never a surfer or that kind of person, but that piece of the culture was always really cool and comforting to me.
Now, I think it’s probably most inspirational to see somebody like ISOxo. They’re in a very different lane than me, so I don’t necessarily think we’d collaborate, but what they do for trap, EDM, and that younger, hard-rave music, and the fact that they rep San Diego really hard, is sick. It’s cool because I don’t think I saw something like that when I was growing up. It was only as an adult that I saw them come up. They’re a couple of years younger than I am, and they just burst out and are superstars. And they rep the 619 all day.
LSD: On that same note, with your Mexican heritage, are there any Mexican artists you appreciate or would like to work with?
Skiis: Yeah, I’ve met a couple of my favorite artists who are in the underground dance music scene out of Mexico—underground house, breaks, techno. Two of them would be 10010 and DJ Fucci. Both of those guys I’ve met and have had the pleasure of hosting in my studio and building a relationship with, especially Daniel from 10010. He has really innovated a sound that brings in very Mexican and Latin sounds, like salsa and reggaeton, mixing it with jungle and techno. He’s a huge inspiration, and someone I still keep in contact with.
We’ve been throwing parties out here, and I’ve been playing parties in SF for years, and he was the first one we flew out from Mexico. He stayed with me, and it was a very familiar feeling, having a Mexicano staying with me and showing him around. It was awesome, very comfortable, and it was great knowing that he does what we do, in his own way, out of Mexico and for Mexico. That has been huge and cool. He was a dream collab, and we’ve worked together a little bit now, so that’s already sick.
LSD: There’s always something so comforting about connecting with people who share the same roots. Do you incorporate some of that into your own sound? As a Tapatío at heart, do you ever sneak in some of those sounds?
Skiis: A little bit, yes and no. When I was younger, it was just my mom raising me and my siblings, and my original associations with Tapatío music—which was a lot of Mexican pop—were not really positive. It was like, you wake up on a Saturday morning and hear that, and you’re like, “Oh, right… we’re cleaning the house.” So when I was younger, I actually kind of shied away from those things. Also, when you’re younger and you’re an immigrant somewhere, I think you tend to be a little more afraid of your background and the things that make you different.
As I’ve gotten older, it’s a very natural thing to come to fall in love with those things and care for them a lot, which I do more and more now. When I first started producing and DJing, it was a very hard house and techno-oriented sound. That’s still there, but in the past few years, and especially after meeting people like Daniel, I’ve incorporated a lot of dembow rhythms. They’ll sample a lot of salsa or these very Latino trumpet sounds. Even though dembow isn’t exclusive to Mexico, it’s very Latino. If I go home and there’s a family reunion, we’re dancing to cumbias. So even though it’s not what I make my project about, those things are very apparent now in the way I mix those sounds and rhythms in between hard house and breaks. That reggaeton swing has to come out in every single set.
LSD: Your visuals during your set featured a lot of nature and landscapes from Northern California. What’s the inspiration behind pairing those visuals with your music?
Skiis: A lot of the project that has come together has been about community. The moment I got this festival offer, I knew it wasn’t just going to be about me; it’s about all these friends around me who I work with, who are my best friends, who share studio and creative spaces with me. My friend Julian and I sat down to design some merchandise; he printed it all, took all the orders, and did everything. He helped me make those visuals, largely by himself. My friend Fern did a lot of the VFX on it. Julian is a Bay Area native, and we’re just two dudes that like to hang around outside at night, sing, and smoke cigarettes.
We have a studio in the Mission, and we spend a lot of time there. I love being around the Latino community in the Mission. I wanted my visuals to reflect my journey in the past five years here in a way that was very unpretentious and kind of unserious. Julian comes from a big skate background, so he had camcorders from making skate videos. We were just like, “Let’s just go around.” A lot of times, I was too busy working on music, so he would go on his own to these spaces with his camcorder, recording the city, the hills, and the lights. Then there are a few clips from when we would just go to the bar that we play pool at. It’s really down-to-earth shit.
LSD: It was impeccable. It really projected what you’re trying to portray—that you are from San Francisco, you are from California, and you want to represent that. It really came through. Now, I have to ask, as I’m originally from Mexico City, have you performed there or would you like to get into that market?
Skiis: I haven’t. It’s 1,000% my goal. The first time I play out of the country, I want it to be Mexico City. I already have my eyes on it. The friend I mentioned, Daniel (10010), is based out there, and I’ve already told him, “I need to go visit you, whether or not I’m playing a show.” I want him to show me around. I think it will happen sooner or later.
LSD: Let us know, and we’ll definitely help you out there!
Skiis: Awesome, thank you! I’m glad you asked that because that’s 1,000% on the list.
LSD: Since we’re both Mexican and from San Diego, I have to ask, hat’s your favorite Mexican food?
Skiis: Ah guey! Es muy básico pero tacos de lengua! If you’re in a place that’s worth its shit, if they don’t have lengua, the place is not valid. I don’t know if I can dig a little deeper than that, but that’s my root.
LSD: And before I forget, is there a record store in San Diego that you like to hit up when you’re in town?
Skiis: Oh, there’s one in the Kensington area, It’s on Adams Avenue in Kensington, WM Record Store, it’s very cool and I love going to dig through their records.
LSD: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We’ll be watching for what’s next, and hopefully, a hometown San Diego show is on the horizon