Text by Henrylito D. Tacio
Photos courtesy of Xavier Yates T. Dedeles
Imagine a world without music. That’s next to impossible, indeed. The world will be drab, void, and boring without music. “Where words fail, music speaks,” wrote Hans Christian Andersen.
“Music is the language of the spirit,” said Kahlil Gibran. “It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” To Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “music is the universal language of mankind.”
Now, you get the importance of music? “The strongest form of magic,” said Marilyn Manson. It is “the great uniter” and “an incredible force,” pointed out by Sarah Dessen in Just Listen. And Robert Fripp described music as “the wine that fills the cup of silence.”
The sound of music can stand alone. But sometimes, lyrics should accompany these songs in order for people to remember them, to sing them to their heart’s content, and to make them part of people’s lives.
Xavier Yates T. Dedeles readily agrees with that. He may be only 19, but he has already accomplished what most of his contemporaries haven’t done yet. So far, he has released ten tracks (both originals and unofficial remixes); more works are in the offing.
One of his songs entitled “Timeless Smile” is already being played on different radio stations around the world. It was played on FReSH FM (in the Philippines, through Sora Radio’s House Party) and Record Dance Show Radio (in Russia, through Chester Young’s “Young Nation Show”).
His remix of Shadowkey’s “Yours Tonight” with AlmOss received massive support from Slovakia’s hit radio station Europa 2.
Some of the songs he produced have already caught the attention of some noted personalities.
There’s Nicky Romero. “Last year, he played my track on the first episode of his’ demo:drop’ series, which was live on Twitch,” he said, adding that there was some positive feedback after the track was played.
Even before his single “Timeless Smile” was out, Chester Young supported his song early on his radio show live from Russia. Jenil, together with Ian Sndrz – two of the top disc jockeys in the country today – also caught their attention of his recent works and even provided feedback on his demos.
Among the songs XYTHESIZE – that’s his screen name – has composed, “Timeless Smile” seems to be the most popular. “It’s a song about remembering someone you used to love and trying to win that person back,” he explained.
He described the song as “a fusion of progressive and future styles.” He produced and wrote it with Kelvin from Davao and Danielle, who’s from Los Angeles. “Kelvin and I started working on a project in 2020,” he recalled. “After months of forming the foundation, we sent over the project to Danielle for her to finish what I initially wrote and for her to record the vocals.”
After finishing the whole song as a demo, they sent it to different record labels until it got accepted and signed on Seal Network, a Germany-based dance music record label. It was released on June 11, 2021.
When it was released in The Netherlands, the song charted at No. 27 on the Amsterdam dance chart on iTunes. “I didn’t expect that much support at all,” he quipped. “I was super happy that it had the potential to peak on that chart, particularly in Amsterdam.”
On why it became popular, XYTHESIZE opined, “I can say that the song was well-promoted and many people from my age group also appreciated it. DJs from around the globe supported it, too.”
The success of the said song inspired him to write more. “I have new music to be released in the coming months,” Xynthesize said. His next release, with Small Tok from Israel, entitled “Back to Reality,” will be out on Storm Music Group this coming out on July 22.
XYTHESIZE indeed has come a long, long way. He is the second son of Philip Roy C. Dedeles and Shella E. Tecson (now deceased). Before him, there’s Xerxes. He was born in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, where grew up living with his grandparents (Rodolfo and Erlinda Dedeles).
Right now, he is still a first-year student at the Liceo de Cagayan University, where he is taking up Bachelor of Music in Music Management in the university’s Conservatory of Music, Theater and Dance.
The good thing is that his family fully supports him. “Since they know I love music so much and that I like to expand my knowledge about it, they gave their consent,” he said. “In fact, they are very excited about it.”
His flair for music comes up naturally. “I started writing songs late as a follow-up to producing music because, as possible, I wanted to bring more originality to my works,” he said. “Since I like randomly coming up with poems, I make up melodies for them.”
When asked where he gets his inspiration for coming up with various songs, he replied, “What inspires me are my past experiences in life and the songs I’m listening to lately, which relate to love mostly.”
XYTHESIZE tunes in on OPM songs. Among his favorites are December Avenue, Ben&Ben, Moira Dela Torre, and The Juans, among others. “Their songs are just great,” he said. “Well-written and full of passion.”
He also loves to sing – but not in front of a crowd. “I’m still not confident with my voice, but I would like it to improve,” he admitted. “I used to sing in the church when my mother was still alive. She used to always encourage me.”
One of the songs he sang before a crowd was “God Will Make Me a Way” by Don Moen. “After my mother passed away, I didn’t have enough courage to sing again. But now that I’m studying in the conservatory, I hope I can improve my voice since we have singing classes there.”
XYTHESIZE doesn’t only compose lyrics but provides melodies to them as well. “By doing so, you are able to express the emotions and thoughts within you through harmonies and melodies and the combined sounds of synths, drums, and effects. It’s like a painter doing their crafts and arts with a profound meaning,” he said.
He was in 8th grade when he discovered electronic dance music (EDM) and listened to songs from Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Vinai, and more. “I was then curious about how they made their tunes, so I started exploring music production when I was in 9th grade,” he said.
When he was in 10th grade, Xynthesize started sharing his first works on YouTube and then released signed music on leading streaming platforms like Spotify.
“By 2020, I thought of taking it seriously and not just a hobby,” he said. “After all, music has been a part of my life. It’s been with me through highs and lows, and I can express my feelings through music.”
Aside from being an artist and a student, XYTHESIZE also works with people in the music industry – as a sideline. “I gradually build myself up there and gather new connections as well,” he reasoned. “I closely connect with record label managers and radio personnel.”
Currently, he is working as a graphic designer and social media manager of Sora Music Group, the EDM sub-label of Warner Music Philippines. With FReSH FM, he works as one of its sales managers nationwide and a talent manager and scout. Likewise, he is connected with the Djooky Music Awards as a seasonal ambassador for the platform.
Still young, XYTHESIZE doesn’t think of the future yet after graduating from college. “I’m not sure about it yet,” he says, “and I don’t want to expect, as I don’t know what the future holds, but I’ll continue to progress in the present and let God make His way for me. But if God-willing, I would like to pursue a career as DJ, raise a foundation to support potential rising artists and unprivileged children for education, or become a music teacher at an institution.”
On why he selects XYTHESIZE as his screen name, he explained: “Synthesize means ‘to combine or produce something,’ which relates to me as an artist. But I changed the ‘s’ to ‘x’ to symbolize my nickname, which is Xy. So, it’s XYTHESIZE.”
