Toyzz

Imagine having your music described by Diplo as “super dope,” and “like being in a submarine in the deepest water” by Dillon Francis. Well, that’s exactly how Spanish electronic music producer Diego Diaz, better known as Toyzz, has been praised.

Growing up in Alicante, despite music always being top of mind, DJing wasn’t necessarily where he thought he’d end up. When he was just five years old, he attended music school, where he reluctantly learned to read music and play the clarinet.

“Becoming a DJ wasn’t my top goal," he says. "I think it’s a tool for showing music to people.”

When I asked Diego the reasoning behind his playful artist persona Toyzz, he said he chose it “to remind myself who I want to be. And what kind of artist I want to be. I want to be remembered as an artist who enjoys the process of creating music.” For Diego, keeping the spirit of the music and creativity at the core of what he does is essential.

“We are children because we are always creating,” he says about the uniquely youthful mindset of artists. “We all have the spirit of creation inside, but when we get older, we lose that spirit.”

While Toyzz describes his current sound as “dark and elegant, not in an arrogant way,” it was not always like this. In its earliest stages, he favored more of a "crazy dubstep" style. Upon showing his early tracks to his friends, he says, “they were horrified because dubstep has a lot of crazy sounds going on.” The harsh, honest feedback inspired him to switch directions to something that was still an expression of self but had universal appeal.

He’s left behind the throbbing wobble of dubstep, yet he confidently states that Skrillex remains his ultimate inspiration.

“Skrillex has always been my favorite producer," Diego says. "He’s very good at designing crazy sounds and composing. He works with top artists from Latin America like Jhay Cortez and J Balvin. That’s a good reference for me because I want to be involved in that kind of scene. I want to be collaborating with those kinds of bigger Latin artists.”

This dream may not be so far off, as the support from the international artist community has been astounding. After only two days of signing with a new management agency, he released “Work It Back” on Hardwell’s Revealed Recordings.

“I signed recently with Forever Talent Management Agency. I signed the contract and two days later, Luis came with the news that we signed with Hardwell. Just two days and we have this crazy record label contract. It’s so crazy. Ten years ago I was going to school listening to Hardwell's “Spaceman.” That song was so, so epic for me. It’s like a movie. I’m so happy to be there as a part of the Revealed community.”

It’s a welcome addition to a small but mighty catalog that includes releases on Jauz’s Bite This!, tastemaking US label Ghetto Ghetto Records, and Brooklyn Fire Records.

When asked about what he hopes for as a performer, he explains humbly that he needs “to release more music and get more fans. Because without the fans, you are nothing. I’m in that early stage of my career.”

However, given his overwhelming success, he’s not afraid to dream big. And despite being modest about his accolades thus far, he says that “Coachella could be amazing… And maybe also Ultra and Tomorrowland could be top goals. And Burning Man could be super dope.”