Damian Valverde is an unabashedly divergent composer and songwriter. He creates evocative electronic soundscapes that lend themselves to film scores and, under the name Fretless Fox, writes poetic rock songs that often center a strong guitar track and intricate lyrics. Bryon Harris of Please Pass The Indie says, “Lyrically, Fretless Fox has a psychedelic vibe with writing that leads you down many portals.”
Though he picked up the drums at age six, Damian only became serious about music at age fourteen after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. While he was in the hospital, he met a music therapist who helped him make a song with a midi keyboard and the sound of his IV drip after Damian commented that the drip sounded like a drum rhythm. That experience inspired him to start exploring electronic music. He soon expanded to the synth, guitar, bass, and even the melodica, and began writing both instrumental pieces and songs with lyrics. His influences run the gamut from Aphex Twin and Burial to Pink Floyd and Radiohead.
For his Make-a-Wish experience, he jammed with Moby, who said, “He is a great musician. He makes some of the best, most unique electronic music I’ve heard.” During this period, Damian also performed on melodica onstage at Radio City Music Hall in the Darryl McDaniels-led Garden of Dreams talent show and performed with the band O.A.R. as part of a backup group onstage at Jones Beach.
[Photo credit: Zack Lane/MSG Photos]
He’s composed diegetic music for the acclaimed FX TV series, The Americans; two separate diegetic music cues for the upcoming second season of American Rust on Amazon Prime; and background music for an Editor’s Guild promo video as well as scores for book trailer videos. His song, “Dying World,” was selected to be featured on the first Mastermind Grad compilation album, “Hey Mom, Just Want You To Know I’m Not Crazy.”
Damian is a recent graduate of SUNY Purchase’s Music Conservatory, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the Studio Production program in December 2022. Lately, he’s been working with SUNY Purchase film graduates Egor Subbotin and John Costa on their upcoming short film projects and spending time in his Catskills music studio developing his sound as a film composer.
You can find him on Facebook as Damian Valverde and Instagram and occasionally TikTok as Fretless Fox.