Denver-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Robbie DelPrete, aka Dark City Agent, is hitting a long-awaited stride after years of evolution across bands and genres. Blending Bostonโs jam roots with Coloradoโs bass scene, heโs crafting a sound and a creative world thatโs entirely his own.
In this Electric Hawk exclusive interview, he dives into the realities of identity, burnout, neurodivergence, and building a sustainable creative life, while sharing the lessons that shaped his path.
In Conversation with Dark City Agent
seradopa: Letโs start with an introduction for our community! Let our crowd get a brief introduction to who you are!ย
Dark City Agent: Iโm Robbie DelPrete, also known as Dark City Agent. Iโve been in Denver for about six years now, playing in different bands and producing music. I started when I was 20, and now in my 30s, itโs been a long road. But it finally feels like everything is clicking. Iโve really honed in on what I want to do, and Iโm excited about the music Iโm putting out and the projects Iโm building.
Dark City Agent actually started back in Boston and has gone through many iterations over the years. At one point, it was a full band, with drums, bass, and myself on guitar. The sound has shifted, but the core ethos has always stayed the same since Iโve been the primary songwriter. Lately, though, itโs evolved into something that really reflects Colorado, a sound Iโve always loved and feel deeply connected to.
At the end of the day, I just love music. Iโve always been completely obsessed with it.
seradopa: What is the meaning behind Dark City agent?
Dark City Agent: Thatโs kind of a funny story, and I donโt know if I should admit this, but the name goes back over ten years. At the time, Dark City Agent was a duo. I was on guitar, and my collaborator Mike, who lives in Germany now, on synths and keys. After writing our first few tracks together, we needed a name.
So we had just watched Dark City, and at the same time we were messing around with randombandnamegenerator.com. So it ended up being this weird combination of part movie inspiration and part chance. โCity Agentโ came from the generator, and we thought, โWhat about Dark City Agent?โ And it just stuck.
Over the years, Iโve definitely had moments, like a lot of artists do, where I questioned it. You go through phases of thinking, โIs this the right name? Should I change it?โ especially as the project evolves. But I always come back to it. It feels like me at this point.
What I really love is that people have naturally started shortening it to DCA, first in Boston, and now here in Denver too. Thatโs probably my favorite version of it. I still like Dark City Agent, Iโm very used to it, but yeah, thatโs how it all came together.
seradopa: Speaking of Boston! How did Boston challenge or refine your identity as an artist compared to who you are now?
Dark City Agent: I went to Northeastern University, which is right across the street from Berklee, and I was really drawn to that whole scene. There was this spot students called โthe beach,โ where people would sit around playing acoustic guitars until three in the morning. Iโd wander over and basically be like, โCan I join? Can I come jam?โ
One of the biggest challenges for me early on was identity. Iโd played saxophone through high school, jazz band and all that, but I didnโt always see myself as a โrealโ musician by trade. Being so close to Berklee, surrounded by people who were formally trained, it was hard not to compare. In college, what you study kind of becomes your identity, and I was studying computers. I taught myself guitar, so when Iโd jam with those guys, they were talking scales and theory, and I was just going off what sounded good.
It took time to shake that insecurity, but I realized I did have a natural instinct for it. And once I started connecting with people in that world, everything opened up. I became friends with Berklee students and eventually lived with some of the guys in the band Lespecial. Thatโs when I really got immersed in the scene; it was inspiring to watch some of my friends go on to do incredible things.
seradopa: You got into this next one a bit. Who were the artists or collaborators who quietly shaped your sound?
Dark City Agent: Definitely Lespecial. One of my favorite moments back in Boston was when Mike McCarthy, who was part of Dark City Agent at the time, and I teamed up with Luke and Rory for a show. We ended up covering a Snarky Puppy track together, and that was just an incredible experience.
Early on, I was really into jam bands, Umphreyโs McGee, STS9, and I loved that super technical, over-the-top guitar style. I had to kind of grow out of thinking that would translate directly into electronic music, even though I still love it. Pretty Lights was a huge influence on me as a producer. I actually once got his managerโs business card after a show in 2010 and sent over a beat I made. Looking back, itโs likeโoh manโbut those are the moments you learn from.
Thereโs that quote, maybe itโs Ira Glass, about how your taste develops faster than your skills, and eventually your skills catch up. That really stuck with me. Some of the things you make early on still have great ideas, even if you donโt have the ability yet to fully realize them.
Even now, working on an LP that should be out this summer, Iโm revisiting older material. Thereโs a track from ten years ago that Iโm finally finishing because I know I can do it justice now. Another song took a few years and multiple versions to get right; it even started with me rapping on it using a voice changer. Now it features Denver Hip-Hop artistย She Who Wonโt Be Named, who absolutely crushed it.
Thatโs probably the biggest lesson Iโve learned over time: things are done when theyโre done. When youโre starting out, you want everything to happen quickly. But eventually, you start thinking in years, and you realize itโs okay for something to take that long if it means getting it right.
seradopa: You mention jam band and jazz influences. What made you want to make the shift into more electronic-focused?
Dark City Agent: I started producing back when I was hanging around Berklee students in Boston. One of them showed me Ableton, and it completely blew my mind. As a computer science major and a total nerd, it was just the coolest thing Iโd ever seen. Iโd messed around with Fruity Loops in high school, making some pretty terrible rave tracks, but this felt different.
Early on, I didnโt really have anyone teaching me, and I was also dealing with undiagnosed ADHD. Sitting down to learn the technical side of synths like Massive, LFOs, compressors, gain staging etc. was tough. I just wanted to create. Looking back, I didnโt really know what I was doing, but I was having fun. Now, the music Iโm making feels polished, something that could stand up against the people I have looked up to all these years.
At the time, I was also really influenced by jam bands, and part of me always thought the grass was greener with full live instrumentation. My bandmate Mike played in a group called Wobblesauce, and that setup, live drums and guitars, was kind of my ideal. But he pushed us toward a more electronic direction, which, in hindsight, probably helped shape what I do now.
We had some great early opportunities, opening for acts like Big Gigantic and GRiZ, and that phase also taught me a lot. Thereโs this perception that if youโre a producer who can play instruments, youโre automatically elevated, even if your production skills arenโt fully there yet.
After Mike moved to Germany, I tried turning the project into a full band. That came with its own challenges, lineup changes, personalities, and the logistics of moving gear. It made me realize how complicated that path can be.
Moving to Denver shifted things again. The culture here is differentโitโs more rooted in electronic music in a way that Boston wasnโt. I had this idea when I arrived that I needed to build a band again, but over time I realized that was more of a limiting belief than anything else. Especially coming in right before COVID, I didnโt know anyone. I was just making music, hiking, skiing, and figuring things out.
Eventually, I came back to the core of it: I just wanted to make music that felt right. And I realized you donโt need a full band to do that. Artists like GRiZ can show up with a USB and move a crowd. That really shifted my perspective and helped me refocus on what Dark City Agent could be.
seradopa: What did Denver unlock for you creatively that other places didnโt?
Dark City Agent: It really did feel like a turning point when I decided to take electronic music production seriously. For a long time, working with a full band wasnโt a crutch exactly, but it does simplify certain things. In a traditional setup, youโve got your drummer, bassist, and guitarist, and you can send it off to be mixed and polished. But when youโre producing electronic music at a high level, you have to think about everything: every sound, every frequency, every detail in the mix.
That was the shift for me, starting to think like a producer in that way. Not just writing songs, but designing sound. Youโre asking, โWhere does this element sit? How does it feel?โ You can take something as random as a chain rattle, turn it into a hi-hat, and shape it so it only lives in a certain part of the frequency spectrum. That level of control completely changed how I approached music.
Denver played a huge role in that evolution. Being in what people call the โbass capitalโ pushed me to explore that sound more deeply, but still in my own way. Iโve always felt like Dark City Agent could move between styles; I could make a desert rock EP or a bass music project, and it would still feel like me. But being here, and seeing how strong the bass scene is, especially with artists like Pretty Lights coming back, it made me reconnect with that side of my sound in a new way.
What really unlocked things creatively was realizing how much space you have as an electronic producer. With traditional instruments, everything sits in a more fixed range. But when youโre working across the full frequency spectrum, itโs like painting with a much bigger palette. Once that clicked, it unleashed a whole new wave of creativity, and honestly, it just became a lot more fun.
seradopa: Do you think the Denver audience is more open to genre blending?
Dark City Agent: Thatโs an interesting question because yeah, I used to think so for sure – I still do but itโs evolved. Itโs definitely more bass/dubstep-centric now. 10-15ย years ago, you may have called Denver the Glitch Hop Capital. I think it also just comes down to how things change over time. Denverโs a funny place like that.
Even when I was living in Boston, I really idolized it. A lot of my favorite artists were based here, and Iโve always loved skiing. Growing up, my dad would go on trips to Colorado and bring back trail maps from Vail and places like that. Iโd just stare at them and think, โThis place looks incredible.โ By the time I finally visited in college, going to shows at Cervantes, seeing the lineups around 2009 or 2010, it felt like this was where the music I loved was really happening.
But I think the version of Denver I built up in my head, the one I romanticized, isnโt exactly what it is now. And thatโs kind of how it goes with anything. You imagine a place a certain way, and then reality is always a little different.
I joke with friends back in Boston who still see Denver as this dream destinationโtheyโre like, โYou must be living the life out there.โ And Iโm likeโฆ yeah, itโs great, but also, come hang out on Colfax for a night and youโll get the full picture.
One thing Iโve really come to understand is how long it took me to figure out what I actually like and how to define success on my own terms. Early on in Boston, we had some great opportunities. In a funny way, we were kind of the โColorado soundโ in that scene around 2010. Promoters would bring in artists like Savoy or Big Gigantic and have us open. We did that multiple times. We became this sort of local bridge to that Denver-style sound, which, looking back, is pretty wild. But when you aren’t ready for that success, you can get ahead of yourself and not learn the types of lessons you need to be taught to turn your art into something sustainable – you can burn out quickly.
seradopa: Youโve mentioned to me about your neurodivergence – how does that duality of Autism and ADHD show up in your creative process day-to-day?
Dark City Agent: A big part of my journey has been understanding how my brain works. I was only diagnosed with ADHD a couple of years ago and more recently ASD. That unlocked a lot for me. It helped explain why Iโd say yes to everythingโnew bands, collaborations, projectsโand then burn out or lose interest. Learning how to set boundaries has been huge. Now Iโm much more focused on what actually matters to meโmy goals, my time, my energy. It also explained why some elements of the music scene and industry could be so confusing at times.
That self-awareness has changed how I move through both the music and the community side of things. Thereโs always something you could be doing, but knowing your bandwidth- how much you can realistically give between your work, relationships, and creative life is everything.
Creatively, though, that same wiring can be a strength. I move fast. I like seeing ideas come together quickly, itโs part of how I stay engaged. Thereโs an obsessive element to it, in a good way. Music has always been my central focus, my โspecial interest,โ and I think thereโs a real connection between neurodivergence and creativity. Iโve had people reach out after Iโve talked about it publicly, saying they relate, and thatโs been meaningful.
At the end of the day, I see my music as its own world, something Iโm constantly exploring. Thatโs why I can move between genres and still feel like itโs all coming from the same place. Whether anyone else hears it or not, I want to keep building and discovering within that space.
But the biggest thing Iโve learned is that taking care of your mental health and really understanding yourself is essential. Once you get to that place, you can start to get out of your own wayโand thatโs when the best work starts to happen.
seradopa: Recently, you filmed a multi-angle live set in Golden. What inspired you to do something creative like that for your project?
Dark City Agent: Last summer, we put a TV out in the backyard and spent a lot of time watching live sets. Things like the Rufus Du Sol Joshua Tree performance and Cercle videos. Iโd be lying if I said that didnโt spark something. At a certain point, I just thought, โWhy not try this ourselves?โ
It was a pretty wild idea, but Iโm lucky to have friends whose level of โcrazyโ matches mine. Once the idea was out there, the right people believed in it, and thatโs what made it real. We just started rehearsing and figuring it out as we went.
Nobody involved had really done anything like it before. I had never shot and edited a multicam long-format video, and my friend Jeff had never flown a drone before. We had my friend Pat take on lighting – we installed the software on his laptop, and he just learned on the fly. It was very much a trial-by-fire situation for all of us.
We actually filmed a separate project first for my friendโs tent company, Good inTents, a few days before at the same location – a Halloween-themed DJ Set to showcase her tents that had a tight deadline. My friend and I stayed up editing it until three in the morning. We were completely fried by the end. It honestly took me a couple of months before I could even open editing software again after that.
We made a lot of mistakes on that first shoot. We originally planned to film both projects in one day, but park rangers asked us to leave because they weren’t sure if we needed a permit or not. That ended up being a blessing in disguise – thereโs no way we could have pulled both off in a single day with the time constraints of wanting to shoot at sunset.
After confirming with the permit office that we didnโt need one, we headed back to film The DCA set with one run under our belt. We knew what not to do, we were more prepared, and even though everyone was still learning as we went, it all came together.ย
For something none of us had done before, I think it turned out really great, and itโs something I am extremely proud of. If I wanted to introduce someone to the world of Dark City Agent, I would point them at this video.
seradopa: Looking back, what version of yourself would be most surprised by where you are now?
Dark City Agent: I think the person whoโd be most surprised is that version of me back in Boston, just opening Ableton for the first time. And honestly, the version of me who almost quit. There were multiple points where I was ready to walk away. So the fact that Iโm still here, still building thisโฆ I think that version of me would be both shocked and proud.
At this point, Iโm creating because I genuinely want to explore the world Iโve built through my music, whether people are listening or not. That said, I know it connects with people, and I see it brings them a lot of joy. Thatโs what keeps me putting myself out there, even when itโs uncomfortable.
seradopa: And looking forward, what kind of artist are you still trying to become?
Dark City Agent: The biggest mindset shift for me over the past few years has been sustainability. I remember Mikey Thunder once joked to me at a gig, โOh, you didnโt bring your whole synth wall tonight?โ and I told him, โIf Iโm going to do this, it has to be sustainable.โ That really became my approach; I didnโt want to burn out. I want making music to always be a part of my life.
For me, itโs about balance. That can mean making small choices like not drinking if I have a show, so I can still show up the next day for my life, my relationships, my fiancรฉ. Iโve seen too many people burn out, and I love music too much to let that happen. I want this to be something I can keep doing for the long run.
Looking ahead, a big part of what I want is community. Teaching is something Iโve started to exploreโhelping people with production and sharing what Iโve learned and I really enjoy that. But more than anything, itโs about finding your people. Thatโs been the most exciting shift lately: meeting others in the scene and building real friendships. Itโs that feeling of being able to talk for hours about music, about ideas, about the things youโre obsessed with.
Of course, would I love to play Red Rocks someday? Absolutely. But Iโm more focused on the process. My goal is just to keep putting my heart into it, keep getting better, and see where it goes.
Creatively, Iโm pushing toward something more improvisational in my live sets, bringing in that jam band ethos I grew up on. I want it to feel alive, like anything could happen. Being able to build and reshape songs in real time, go off into space for a few minutes, and then come back, thatโs always been the magic for me. And now Iโm figuring out how to bring that into what I do.
seradopa: I’m excited! Which leads to this: What do you have coming up and what would you like to share with our community?
Dark City Agent: Iโve got a new single coming out on May 7 through a new label called Subwave Collective. Iโm actually the first artist theyโve signed. Weโre rolling out a full LP this summer, with another single in June and the full release in July.
For the second single, I kind of went down an ADHD rabbit hole and started programming a short video game to promote it. The idea is a short, playable experience, about ten minutes, where the track plays in the background, and when you beat the game or die, you can unlock and download the song. Itโs called โGucci Mama,โ and the main character literally runs around with a cane, taking people out. Itโs a little ridiculous, but thatโs part of the fun.
Iโve never really seen anyone pair a music release with something like that, and Iโm always looking for more creative ways to share my work, beyond just posting clips or doing the same kind of promo. I try to create the kind of experience Iโd want as a fan. Every time I play live, I want it to feel different. Iโve gone to shows where Iโve seen the same artist multiple times, and itโs exactly the same setโand for me, that takes the magic out of it. So I hold myself to a different standard.
Weโre also filming another long-form live set in Moab in May. If everything goes smoothly, we hope to have it ready to premiere in June. Itโs definitely going to be a step up from what weโve done before.
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