DREA THE VIBE DEALER
Sonic collager Drea the Vibe Dealer uses their multi-disciplinary lens to shatter the confines of genre. Combining their love of music, fine art, spirituality, and poetry, Drea aims to heal herself and others through entrancing lyrics that are authentically Drea.
Drea’s most recent 3-part series Priestess of Vibrations dares to push the boundaries of genre as we know it. Drea has released their final installation of the series and all 3 parts are streaming now.
Born into the church and raised on 90’s punk and new wave, Drea’s sound is as vast and ever-changing as their music taste. Growing up idolizing the voices of Brandy, Fiona Apple, Erykah Badu, and Nina Simone, these jazzy inventive songwriters became Drea’s “vocal bible” in which they found comfort and inspiration. Being a vocal jazz student, Drea’s vocals emanate the richness of these iconic female voices, with a modern alternative twist. But more impressive than Drea’s sultry voice is her perplexing, yet effortless combination of gospel jazz roots with raw, ethereal punk sounds. Pulling sounds from all parts of her creative identity, Drea challenges what music fans thought they knew about genre.
After touring Europe with Indie grunge group Pyyramids in the mid-2000’s, Drea poured her creative identity into her present-day solo project Drea the Vibe Dealer. Creating compositions primarily from the comfort of her bedroom, Drea uses nothing but her guitar, a looper pedal, and creative samples to build sounds in support of her poetry. Capturing the warmth of their intimate recording space, each song feels uniquely written for the listener. Her catchy melodic hooks use “slight of hand” to tuck honest reflections of her experience in the context of a dreamy punk haze.
“Be brave enough to make a sound you’ve never heard before.”
Drea’s most recent three part sonic series Priestess of Vibrations is an ode to genre-non conforming artists. Aiming to capture different parts of her identity through varying music styles, this project transcends any one style. Similar to ever-evolving artists such as Radiohead and PJ Harvey, Drea saw each part of Priestess of Vibrations as an experiment in sound evolution, “not leaving out anything” from her vision of where her sound could lead her. Welcoming a non-linear, eclectic approach to songwriting, Drea maintains their immediately recognizable sound in the midst of constant experimentation- a rare and inspiring combination.
As their style grows and evolves, Drea describes herself as “a forever student,” dedicated to finding her actualized self in her spiritual creations.
In addition to the exploration of genre, Drea uses other media to find meaning and truth. Between essays, collages, Punk zines and DIY cassette tapes, Drea is an inspiration to multi-media creators who refuse to be limited to one form of creative expression.
Though a staple in the Chicago music scene, Drea expresses that often “Chicago looks for permission.” In a generation of tentative songwriters, Drea’s musical ethos is daring and authentic. Drea found her true self in the process of creating her art honestly, expressing that she’s “not sacrificing anything to be marketable.” Paving the way for a new generation of DIY Chicago artists, Drea is a guiding force for those who too, don’t ask for permission.
Aiming to press vinyl of the 3-part series Preistess of Vibrations this summer, Drea’s creations continue to grow. In addition to continuing with her music, Drea continues to work on writing and art through “Punk Fairy” Zines (available via Bandcamp). Diving into the world of scoring, Drea is also behind the scenes of an upcoming independent film Elephant led by director Maria Judice, in which she recorded a series of ambient music.
There’s no telling where Drea’s expansive talent will take her next, but we can rest assured it will surprise us again and again, never failing to hold that signature Punk Fairy sound.