Blake Williams, known professionally as Midas Well, has been making music for more than a decade.
But, of all the songs he’s released, none has excited him more than his most recent project. He says the style is unique, but it’s also the first time he’s worked with a producer who’s only 13.
“It’s leaps and bounds better than people that I’ve been working with for years,” Williams said.
Colin Koch, whose stage name is VeX, started making music at 9 years old when he heard a DJ and decided that’s what he wanted to be.
“It truly was the one thing that he would go up in his room or the playroom and do this on his own for hours,” Colin’s mom Leigh Koch said.
“I love it,” said Colin. “Truly. Music is like a passion. It’s like a love.”
He got his first crack at music at a charity event when Leigh asked the DJ for advice. After some guidance, Colin soon had his own equipment and was booking gigs as often as possible.
By the time he was 10, at least one nightclub in the area took notice and snuck Colin in the back door to perform.
He now has an entertainer’s permit that allows him in without having to be so sneaky.
Eventually, Colin started creating more of his own music. He can often put together a beat in 10 minutes and estimates he’s made more than 1,000 total beats in the past few years.
“I can almost hear the beat in my head before it’s done,” he said.
He puts most of his songs on the internet, which is how they found their way to Williams and engineer and co-producer Brandon Crabtree.
“There’s been times where it’s been 30 minutes and he’s cooked up three different beat ideas,” Crabtree said. “And it’s like, ‘Well hang on!’ It’s almost like we have to tell him to slow down.”
Together, the three of them will release Colin’s first album later this month.
Colin says all the beats, which he created, came naturally. That’s not to say there haven’t been challenges.
“We gotta call his mom and see if my producer is out of tutoring or not,” Williams said as he laughed.
“I’m making good music because I genuinely want to make people happy and give them the same feeling that I felt when I listened to these artists.”
Music has already taken Colin places most 13-year-olds have never been. But the real payoff came just last month when he scored an invite to the Grammys.
He mingled with stars, walked the red carpet and got a glimpse of what he hopes his future will be.
“If you want to be on stage in the Super Bowl, you have to believe you can do that,” he said. “You have to see yourself there.”
By the way it sounds, he’s on the right track.
Colin plans to release his debut album in time for the start of South by Southwest.
To learn more about Colin, AKA VeX, click here.
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