INTERVIEW / DJ Bufalo – the first DJ in the world to launch a tour in the Metaverse

Get ready to blast off into the future of music as we sit down with DJ Bufalo, the groundbreaking DJ who’s breaking barriers and setting the stage for a whole new world of sound! As the first DJ in the world to launch a tour in the metaverse, this cutting-edge artist is shaking up the music industry and taking fans on a journey like no other. With his electrifying beats and immersive performances, DJ Bufalo is paving the way for a new era of music and entertainment.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background? How did you become DJ?

My name is Bufalo, I am a masked Parisian producer dj, and visual artist deeply involved in Web3. I was immersed in music from a very young age and decided to go to a DJ and animation school, at the age of 18. I graduated valedictorian and then evolved into the French nightlife scene as well as a musical production, where I forged my weapons in Bass House, Dubstep or Trap. Then I created Bufalo as well as the visual universe “Futuristic Western”, and the “Futuristic Western Music” in 2018.

I produce a style of music that I call Futuristic Western Music, which is a mix of folk, blues, country, with electronic music as we know it today. I produce each track, remixes, bootlegs or mash-ups that I play live with the aim of uniting the greatest number of people, and of all ages around this new style. My dj-set is an authentic journey between the music of our past revisited up to date with original and daring productions; one of the important points being to break down the barriers and codes that may still exist between certain musical genres.

How did you first decide to try Metaverse and the performing in Metaverse?

Out of curiosity, and also driven by the blockage of my environment, that of the night, which particularly suffered from Covid, from 2020 to 2022. I educated myself and informed myself for months on the principle of NFT, on the technology behind and how it could potentially make big changes for my industry.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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How often do you perform in Metaverse?

I’m performing 3-4 times a week in various virtual spaces, mostly in Decentraland, the biggest metaverse platform so far, each time for a large audience. I’ve made around 125 performances last year and i’m also the only web3 performer touring in Europe with performances for 2022 in Croatia, England, France, and Austria, all related to web3.

Can you share with us any projects or accomplishments you are particularly proud of?

In 2021, I was the first DJ in the world to launch a tour in the metaverse broadcast in a whole country (France) by a national radio (Radio FG). I also did a track with one of the singers from Django Unchained, Brother Dege, with whom I released “Country Come To Paris”. I also have several collections of NFT’s to my credit, (Music NFT with commercial rights, 1/1 3D Art, “ready to wear” virtual items that can be resold).

I performed for the launch of major French brands in the metaverse last year, like the newspaper 20 MINUTES, YKONE, RADIO FG, or other international brands and web3 conferences like Brave Software, Art Basel, NFT NYC or NFT London. I am also doing a partnership with Clubbing TV, broadcasting my music on television in more than 95 countries and spreading my love for the web3 anywhere I can.

Have you tried other virtual worlds besides Decentraland? Do you use it beyond your work?

I did try every other metaverse that are out now, such as Spatial, Monaverse, Somnium, The Sandbox, Cryptovoxel etc. But i’m not using them for now, or really visit often but this is something I intend to change soon, as there is so much more to discover.

What inspired you to start performing in the metaverse and how has the experience been different from performing in physical venues? Would you say audience is more or less interactive comparing to the real world?

So far, it’s been a really great experience. I play dj-sets from one to two hours in front of people from all over the world who discover my work. We feel a huge enthusiasm overseas, and a community that is growing day by day.

The metaverse offers us new possibilities of expression but is based on principles of our life that are not unknown. It is not designed to replace real life but more to act in support, “on the side”. A party in the metaverse will not replace a real party. It can, on the other hand, be totally organized in duplicate. If 1000-2000-3000 people have the opportunity to “stream” your party by connecting with their avatar in the metaverse, being physically on the other side of the world, and interacting with your art, it’s probably a good point.

Having the opportunity to play in front of all these avatars, personalized through items and other virtual clothing reminds me of the feeling of playing in front of a crowd of people who will have dressed up to go out. The same is true with energy. The cries of people in the evening, the hands in the air, the animation… this is something that can also be found with the expressions of the avatars, which can create several types of emoji. Again, one is not there to be compared to the other, but if you want to do it, the intention in both cases is the same, only the method changes. I had the opportunity to notice a lot of similarities in the genre with the real world, while being on something completely different and I think that when VR headsets will be fully compatible with the first metaverses, it will be another new evolution.

How do you think virtual reality technology will change the way we experience music in the future?

Virtual Reality will in my opinion deeply change the music industry in the future. It bridge a gap where you don’t necessarily need to go out or spend sometimes quite a lot of money to enjoy live concerts, or to be entertained by another artist you like. It put virtuality one step closer to reality. And let musicians and other music artist express in a new way, breaking a ton of barriers on the way.

Can you tell us about your experience performing in Blockdown Festival? How did you like Croatia?

The Blockdown Festival was one of my favorite gig that i’ve made in 2022. I had the chance to perform in an incredible fortress, The Saint Michel Fortress in Sibenik, and we live-streamed the show and the venue into the metaverse for the whole community. For the occasion, we customed The Rocking Uniquehorns ( one of the first live venue in Decentraland) and gave it a beach look, to match with the convention. I’ll never forget it and I honestly can’t wait to be back to perform in this beautiful country!