dreamcastmoe Is Bringing Washington, D.C.’s Groove Back
WORDS BY SHAUN HARRIS
PHOTOS BY KEROBEL SOLOMON
It was also a part of the family morning ritual. Growing up, he remembers his father listening to D.C.-based Go-Go band the Northeast Groovers and local radio stations — 93.9, Magic 102.3, and WPFW — in the car on the way to school with his mother. His mom’s fondness for Mary J. Blige and ‘80s soul music provided him a glimpse of New York’s very own musical renaissance. “A lot of my ability to float on a beat comes from the experiences of being in the house, listening to the core of that late ‘80s, early ‘90s R&B. A big inspiration for me would be Roy Ayers. His ability to express his writing in an unforced way. He had a cadence; he had a message, but the song would do most of the speaking from the production, the music that surrounded his words.”
The D.C.-based artist talks performing with Roy Ayers, ‘Lost Tapes, Vol. 3,’ and the forgotten art form of the mixtape.
Photographer: KEROBEL SOLOMON
WRITER: SHAUN HARRIS
Executive Producer: Elana Staroselsky
Senior Producer: Sarah Schecker
Production Coordinator: Gina Lee
Executive Creative Director: Paul Heavener
Associate Creative Director: Jamier Boatman-Harrell
WEB DESIGN: YENNA CHANG
Stylist: Stone Jarboe
Photo Assistants: Leo Murray
Stylist Assistant: Shakirah Cornwell
Production Assistant: Mayra Cardona
DATE: SEPT 16 2025
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dreamcastmoe’s passport is unlocked. “I got my passport at 25,” he tells me, fresh off a flight from Detroit after attending the city’s Movement festival. “I had never left the United States. I never left the mainland, so to think that within seven or eight years, my passport books would be filled — it’s humbling to know that I’ve been able to travel the world.” The sonic chameleon, born Davon Bryant-Maso, is patiently waiting in a fluorescent airport lobby, a notepad in hand to help him gather his thoughts as we chat. It’s a sign of his intentionality. In 2017, dreamcastmoe released what would become a soulful, genre-bending, three-part project, led by The Lost Tapes, Vol. 1, followed by Vol. 2 in 2018. After signing with Ghostly International and dropping Sound Is Like Water in 2022, dreamcastmoe is back, this time, with the long-awaited Lost Tapes, Vol. 3, released on June 6 via Rhythm Section International. Even before his rise to fame and acquiring stamped-out passports, dreamcastmoe has made one thing clear. He hails from an original Black mecca, which was once championed as America’s “Chocolate City.” Washington, D.C.’s neighborhoods have significantly shifted in temperament since Parliament-Funkadelic released its seminal 1975 album of the same name as a tribute to the city. Most audiophiles would be remiss not to credit the city’s Go-Go music scene, birthed by Charles Louis Brown, as a notable contribution to the city’s rich musical legacy. R&B, jazz, and soul legends like Marvin Gaye, Duke Ellington, Roberta Flack, and Donny Hathaway carry the tune of the city’s not-so-distant past.
D.C., at its core, outside of the political mass the world sees, is vibrant. It’s Black. It’s a musical city made of tastemakers from different backgrounds.
WORDS BY Beatriz Ceita da Costa
PLANTA INDUSTRIAL
“D.C., at its core, outside of the political mass the world sees, is vibrant. It’s Black. It’s a musical city made of tastemakers from different backgrounds,” shares dreamcastmoe. “At a young age, I saw all these types of highs and lows, not just financially, but the struggles that people are dealing with, from one side of town to the other. But my mother provided the essentials for me and made sure that I was never in need. Music was the middle ground for us. It was the ability to have all of those beautiful moments with music in the background at family gatherings.”
These musical references are laid bare throughout dreamcastmoe’s discography, and on Vol. 3, he hits full throttle, stretching his voice as an instrument over a trippy concoction of soundwave, R&B, funk, soul, and hip-hop. “I'm still a student within the space of creating music. I am working the muscle of my voice because I'm not a lifelong singer. It starts with hearing the drums. I call it the ‘walk of a song.’ It's the direction that allows me to use my voice as another instrument.” A typical studio session lasts several days, and during these immersive listening sessions, he studies wax and classic records that inform his colorful mythopoeia. On “Flowers,” tangy guitar chords and fizzy keyboard synths capture the syrupy nature of time, moments of fleeting pleasure salvaged with flowers as long as they bloom, with dreamcastmoe positing that no amount of gold can recompense our corporeal clocks. “At Molly’s Request” sees the artist tackling doubts surrounding commitment and family planning — the familiar, anxiety-inducing “When are you going to give me grandchildren?” plight of gainfully employed thirtysomethings. But, with dreamcastmoe behind the mic, there’s humor woven into every layer to brighten up the heady realities of partnership and life. On “Couple Plays,” amidst enamored voyeurism, he finds the time to rep his “old-school G-SHOCK” before getting back to his daily grind.
I'm still a student within the space of creating music. I am working the muscle of my voice because I'm not a lifelong singer. It starts with hearing the drums. I call it the ‘walk of a song.'
Before the passing of Roy Ayers on March 4, 2025, dreamcastmoe performed with the celebrated vibraphonist, composer, and producer alongside R&B artist Yaya Bey at Elsewhere, exactly two years prior. Many contemporary artists carry the torch of Ayers’ storied legacy. And dreamcastmoe attests to the cultural tapestry Ayers designed, for himself and the countless artists who sample his discography and influences across jazz-funk, acid jazz, and neo-soul. “It was a moment for me where I saw the mortality and lifespan that artists have,” says dreamcastmoe. “It was his last show in New York City. I would've done the show for free — it was like a childhood dream. It felt surreal seeing him on stage, seeing how his band came around him to make sure that he was good. To see his wife at his side of the stage, waiting for him to get down and walk him back to the green room. He was present, and I feel like he remembered a lot of his music purely on muscle memory. I was teared up watching it because this man — he's given his life to music.”
The experience brought into focus the importance of collaboration and networking with like-minded artists. He’s quick to credit D.C. producer Black Moses with refining Vol. 3’s sonic direction. “He might not hype himself up, but he is one of the best producers and music heads in D.C., and I gotta show him some love here for being a standup Black man in the city, who works hard, has a job, and loves music just as hard. His hands are all through the project.” Most recently, dreamcastmoe collaborated with LA-based producer Real Bad Man and Detroit rapper Boldy James on the single “Come Back Around,” released on Real Bad Man Records. The process clarified his larger goals, his desire to strengthen his lyricism and compose full-fledged albums with a beating pulse — and to know when to ask for help. “I'm growing. I used to lock myself in a room in those early SoundCloud days. I would just be feeling some type of way and not leave my room for two, three days at a time. And then I’d drop something on SoundCloud. It’s my evolution, though, to have a sense of humility, and remain a student who still wants to learn.”
His hook on “Come Back Around” carries this sentiment at the core. Nothing about life is easy, and getting knocked down is merely the cost of having a heartbeat. “My initial introduction to Real Bad Man was through the clothes and gear that they were dropping. I happened to reach out and get connected with Adam from production. We just started talking, and I expressed that I want to continue to build myself as a writer and work on albums. I was able to write down that hook and get him to hear it. It was the story, the energy behind it, that I feel speaks to Boldy James’ story.”
The interaction also reignited dreamcastmoe’s relationship with another city rooted in Black history: Detroit. The birthplace of techno at the hands of the city’s Black youth, Detroit’s connection to electronic music is finally receiving its flowers Sound Is Like Water is an amalgam of dreamcastmoe’s influences, but it’s also his homage to the city’s techno scene. Much like the Belleville Three (Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Sanderson), he found himself experimenting with warped rhythms and wobbly synths — effortlessly blending genres and expanding his creative scope. Visiting the city over the years, he’s developed a love affair that could potentially rival his loyalty to D.C. “It’s the birthplace of Motown. It’s the birthplace of so many musicians. They produce great music, and they take their craft seriously. Their musicianship is second to none. It’s like the churches back at home — it’s the same quality as gospel musicians based in my area. There’s a time and a place, and they take their craft seriously.”
Not everything needs to be polished. I wanna get the music to the people. I feel like that's the energy that I miss about growing up. I grew up in an era of DJ drama [laughs].
But he’s also one to enjoy the mess of it all. Gravitating to the exploratory nature of house and electronic has its perks in the studio — like recognizing how to piece together certain chords, where to place a comedic interlude, and when to let the rhythm move on its own accord. Trial and error is a part of the process, and though not every beat lands, eureka! is not too far from the synths. “Not everything needs to be polished. I wanna get the music to the people. I feel like that's the energy that I miss about growing up. I grew up in an era of DJ drama [laughs]. People were putting out these crazy mixtapes and flooding the streets with great music. I think that’s the energy I miss, being able to find those gems, those lost tapes — a blank CD with no writing on it.”
Nueva Generaciones also celebrates music’s ability to foster community. This is top of mind for dreamcastmoe, who believes music is inherently a force for unity. “I think people everywhere are just looking for something real. My music is rooted in my experience, but the emotions behind it — joy, loss, growth — those are universal. So, whether you’re in Berlin, Abidjan, or Tokyo, if you’re searching for something honest, I hope my music finds you. D.C. shaped me, but the sound is meant to travel.”
As our conversation comes to a close, dreamcastmoe mentions that he’d like to dedicate the interview to his former high school teacher in photojournalism at School Without Walls, the late Mr. James Cunningham. “He was one of the first people to tell me to leave the country, go explore, go see something, go see your people all over the world, and see what you're capable of. He was a mentor, and among other Black men in my life who gave me a push along the way. To tell me to go for my dreams, to not live for anybody else but me. Shoutout to him and his two children, who are still here on this earth.”
When a brand as established as Corona [Extra] puts real energy behind emerging creatives, it shows that they understand the value of authentic voices and fresh perspectives. I’m grateful for the opportunity and visibility, but I also see it as an invitation to other companies — to keep showing up for artists in real, meaningful ways. Support shouldn’t be a trend; it should be part of a long-term commitment to culture.
It’s a sincere bottle cap to the discussion, one where he takes a look at his notepad to remember and celebrate the communities he’s traversed. dreamcastmoe may lean toward psychedelic-laced compositions and murky, hazed-out R&B ballads, but his head is on straight. With The Lost Tapes, Vol. 3 now out in the world, he’s relieved his passport is renewed in time. In the interim, smaller comforts — food, family, and good vibes — keep him grounded. He says his go-to is pasta, but then again, as a self-proclaimed foodie, home is wherever a good cooked meal is, and it’s likely in D.C.
As someone who appreciates the creative format of the mixtape as a transitory medium, dreamcastmoe is the type of artist who invites metamorphosis, shedding and regrowing where necessary. It’s this same sense of sonic adaptability and genre-fluid artistry that Nueva Generaciones, powered by Corona® Extra, looks to spotlight. He is among a cohort of musicians embracing authenticity over conventionality, ushering in art that disrupts and informs.
Asked what it means to be celebrated by Corona Extra, he touches on the brand’s authentic presence in music and a long-rooted history in spotlighting rising talent. “When a brand as established as Corona [Extra] puts real energy behind emerging creatives, it shows that they understand the value of authentic voices and fresh perspectives. I’m grateful for the opportunity and visibility, but I also see it as an invitation to other companies — to keep showing up for artists in real, meaningful ways. Support shouldn’t be a trend; it should be part of a long-term commitment to culture.”
Executive Producer: Elana Staroselsky
Senior Producer: Sarah Schecker
Production Coordinator: Gina Lee
Executive Creative Director: Paul Heavener
Associate Creative Director: Jamier Boatman-Harrell
WEB DESIGN: YENNA CHANG
Stylist: Stone Jarboe
Photo Assistants: Leo Murray
Stylist Assistant: Shakirah Cornwell
Production Assistant: Mayra Cardona
DATE: SEPT 09 2025
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WORDS BY SHAUN HARRIS
PHOTOGRAPHER BY KEROBEL SOLOMON