Continuing along in our monthlong highlight of this legendary producer, we’ve finally arrived on the portion that we’ve been looking forward to the most – an exclusive interview with Mr. Flux Pavilion himself. As we’re sure you’re just as excited as we are, we’ll let you dive right in.
TMN: Hey, Flux! Thank you so much for being our Resident Artist of the Month. In all honesty, it’s kind of difficult to figure out where to start, given everything that you’ve accomplished through the years. But, why don’t we kick it off with Tesla, which just dropped a few months ago. The album somewhat reminded us of hip hop albums in the late 90s/early 2000s, in the sense that you had a collaborator on almost every track. How did you go about selecting them?
FP: Firstly, thanks for making me Artist of the month! I think in this day and age, there is so much speed and movement when it comes to how we consume music, and as artists, we gotta stay on top of things. When I write, I tend to just keep writing as long as I have ideas, which also include sessions and collaborations. Then, the best stuff I work on turns into a project, in this instance, Tesla, is the best of what I have been working on for the past year.
TMN: One of our favorites on the album was definitely “Emotional,” which features the seasoned Matthew Koma. We couldn’t help but notice some future bass elements in there. Is this a world you’re going to delve into more?
FP: I’m just in the world of making music. I don’t really see music that way.
TMN: Following up on that, there are many different influences throughout the whole album. We hear some reggae in “International Anthem,” some 80’s hip hop in “We Are Creators,” and trap in “Who Wants to Rock.” Do you approach the album as a whole, wanting to include some of each, or do those tracks just naturally come up?
TMN: Moving back in time a bit, did you work with Kanye on “Who Gon Stop Me,” or was it just a simple green light on use of the sample?
FP: There were conversations, but I was happy to let them take the direction they wanted. It’s their track, and I had already done all my work on the original.
TMN: Speaking of “I Can’t Stop,” it seems to have had some new life breathed into it, from what we just mentioned before, to Jack U using it in early sets. Has it been fun seeing that track hitting some of the newer dance music fans?
FP: Yeah, it’s a really good feeling seeing a track just take on a life of its own, like a kid. I did everything I could to bring it up properly and it’s great to see it out there in the world doing its thing.
TMN: Let’s go back even further. We’re honestly shocked when we caught your birthday doing some research! We couldn’t believe you’re only 26! Before you started releasing hits and touring the world, what was the one thing that got you into producing music?
FP: I guess listening to music and it making me feel a certain way. I have always loved music’s effect on me since I was a kid, and I became fascinated with it and wanted to write my own. I started producing when I was 13/14.
TMN: You helped pioneer the mass appeal of dubstep around the globe – how do you feel about its trajectory, and what kind of a footprint it left on electronic music?
TMN: You’ve seen first hand at how the scene has changed with commercialization. What are your views on that? Do you feel like a seam is splitting through it all, turning some people back to the underground where everything was once born?
FP: I can only talk from personal experience really. I don’t think it’s a case of turning back and going the other way. I think it’s important to be sure of your foundation so you can build a bigger future. I think a lot of people are just jumping down to have a quick check of the foundation again to remind themselves what they are building on.
TMN: How are things at Circus Records? Care to give a shout out to any up-and-coming artists?
FP: Thing’s are all gravy. Diskord, Outrun, Dr. Meaker, Big Voyage and Standard and Push are the newest guys, but everyone has been writing some monsters ready for next year.
TMN: Before we head into some random questions, let’s wrap this portion up with what’s on-deck for 2016?
FP: Lots of music from me, that’s for sure. I have had a little writing frenzy and I’m trying to get as much finished over the next few months as possible, so expect to hear some new sounds as early as Feb/March!
TMN: Alright, let’s switch gears a bit and fire off a few random questions. If you were headed to a deserted island, and could only grab three albums (assuming something was already on the island to listen to them with), what would those be?
TMN: You have just a few minutes to grab one bottle of booze before heading to that island we mentioned above. What do you grab? Pappy Van Winkle?
FP: Balvenie 15yr Single Barrel.
TMN: Name three things that are inside your fridge, no matter what.
FP: Ham, Water and BBQ sauce.
TMN: What’s the weirdest interview question you’ve ever heard?
FP: Nothing phases me, really, to be honest, so I couldn’t tell you what’s weird or not.
TMN: Last, but not least, is one of our favorites. If your music were an animal, what would it be?
FP: A Dragon!
