Inside proppaganda's Sonar Sessions: from sharks to hot air balloons and everything in between

Most artists talk about pushing boundaries. California-based producer proppaganda (Bry Stevens) actually does it. After a decade of planning, the self-described "Dance Music's Daredevil" launched Sonar Sessions in 2024 with an underwater DJ set surrounded by live sharks in the Bahamas. The viral moment immediately established him as electronic music's most fearless creative, but it was only the beginning.

Earlier this month, proppaganda released Aerial Sessions 001, a breathtaking hot air balloon performance filmed 11,200 feet above Brazil. But the project carries significance beyond its death-defying visuals. During the shoot, proppaganda connected with Paola Moreira, a local high school student and promising skateboarder, and integrated a charitable mission directly into the stunt: a QR code attached to the balloon basket raises funds for her college education and skateboarding career. It's a testament to his belief that even at extreme altitude, art should create opportunities for the next generation.

Alongside the visual release, proppaganda dropped "Takeoff," the first single from his forthcoming debut mixtape arriving in February. The collection will feature new music and unreleased IDs from both Sonar Sessions episodes, including tracks like "AERIAL" and "ALL TALK," which marry cinematic production with uncompromising dancefloor energy. Each song is crafted to soundtrack the impossible scenarios he orchestrates, creating complete sensory experiences where electronic music becomes the heartbeat of extreme performance art.

We caught up with proppaganda to discuss the decade-long journey behind Sonar Sessions, how his best friend's wildlife photography sparked the shark concept, why giving back to local communities matters as much as the stunts themselves, and what's next for Dance Music's Daredevil (hint: more balloons, and a few twists).

When did you first envision performing in the extreme environments presented in your Sonar Sessions concept, and what was the spark that made you think, "I need to DJ underwater with sharks"?

The project itself took me around 10 years to share because I wanted to make sure my music was ready and had a vision for all of this hard work ive been putting in. Content creation is essential for artists nowadays, and without a clear vision/content plan, good music doesn’t get heard, in my opinion.

My best friend from high school came up with the idea because he's a professional wildlife photographer and helps run a shark diving company out in Florida! We wanted to work together on a project because we both found the passions that helped us get out of getting into trouble as young adults. In the short term, we partied too much and didn't have our priorities straight. He found a camera, and I started making music, and it helped us deal with our addiction habits.

Now with the hot air balloon episode launching in January, you're releasing your first extended-length project – a mixtape featuring music and IDs from both Sonar Sessions. How did you approach producing tracks that needed to work both as standalone releases and as soundtracks to these visual spectacles?

My sound is naturally cinematic, so that helps quite a bit, but my favorite thing to do is to study the area that we are making music in and create based on what they listen to. It allows me to also try new things in the studio and not feel like my sound is repetitive.

During the Brazil shoot, you connected with Paola, a local high school skateboarder with a promising future. How did that relationship develop, and what made you decide to attach a charity component – raising money for her college and skateboarding career – to the balloon launch?

Our mission for every set is to leave a positive impact in the location that we shot in to show thanks for allowing us to come in and do our thing. We asked Igor, who helped us orchestrate the entire set, to help us find someone who could use a bit of a push, and she was a perfect candidate. Oddly enough, it also helped me with my fear of heights to pull off the set because I was doing it for her. I love giving back, and I always will.

Your singles "AERIAL" and "ALL TALK" show a commitment to cinematic, detail-oriented production. How does your studio work inform these large-scale visual concepts, or is it the other way around – do the extreme environments inspire the sonic direction?

My chief aim in the studio is to create the feeling where you can still dance and enjoy the music in a club setting, but because I'm such a sucker for cinematic elements, I keep them in there lol!! I want you to feel like you are in a cinematic movie setting, combined with original visuals like aerial and sonar sessions.

The whole Sonar Sessions philosophy centers on making audiences question, "Is this all real?" In a time where everything can be faked or AI-generated, why is that uncertainty important to you as an artistic statement?

Our goal is to show fans the efforts made in pulling these stunts off that could seem like they are AI-generated in the hopes of them being blown away and respect that fact that we could have prompted these sets in minutes virtually, but still chose to risk a lot to pull them off. We’re really just trying to create our own lane and be different. Not better or worse than anyone, just trying to be original.

You've assembled teams of professional stunt coordinators, drone operators, and extreme sports experts to execute these visions. What's it like orchestrating these productions, and how do you maintain creative control while working with specialists in fields outside of music?

I've managed large-scale creative projects for a few years now and have been involved in high-level marketing for almost 8 years. I've been dreaming of being able to have the opportunity to create films like this. Even though I have a great track record and experience, I don't maintain creative control. It's a huge team effort, everyone's input matters, and I let the experts do their thing and offer input if they see an opportunity to.

With two Sonar Sessions completed and the mixtape dropping, where does this series go next? Are there environments or concepts that feel too extreme even for the "Dance Music's Daredevil," or is the sky – literally – no longer the limit?

We will be doing another Sonar Sessions with a twist ;) and another Aerial Sessions with a twist as well, and maybe more balloons ;) I'll leave you with that.

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