Fox Stevenson – Go Like

By starrymag | May 20, 2019

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) At this point, it’s kind of hard to fully describe. But I guess what I aim for is to mix dance music with a sort of poppy rocky punkish ethos I really like to write songs and I feel like that dance music generally misses songwriting.

 

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Most of my musical influences are outside of dance music one of my favorite bands is Counting Crows. I also really love Rufus Wainwright and Beck. On the other side of that, I’m into a lot of heavy dance music to an obvious choice for me as always Noisia. I’m a huge fan of pendulum and the prodigy and then there are countless younger less established artists that I also love and it would take too long to name them all!

 

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Go Like.”

 

A) “Go Like” originally started as an easy dubstep tune to play out at EDC I believe I started on the flight over to play a joint set with my brothers from Disciple. This was around the same time I was playing with a lot more real instruments and more revealing songwriting. So, eventually the track took the direction of being a little less of a straight up dubstep tune and much more I think a alternative pop rock kind of thing with a dubstep influence. I believe there are actually videos of me playing go like in its first form from that show at EDC last year!

 

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think what people connect to in this song would be the way it shifts from being a song about self reflection and doubt to a place of celebration with the instrumental “drop.” That contrast is something I often try to bring to my songs because I think it’s quite a powerful thing, especially for people who are cutting loose at a show and they’re dancing their cares away. I guess that that is most accurately portrayed by the way it goes from the bridge, which is just a guitar, and my vocal singing what I guess quite intimate things and then it rising back up to being a full-blown dance tune.

 

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) Sometimes my lyrics are formed before the music exists, but I really enjoy the symbiotic relationship between creating a beat at the same time as writing the song. You can be informed of phonetic decisions just by what vocal sounds may work better over your track and then that in turn can inform your decisions on what to sing or write about and then going forward from that the songs writing process can inform where you want to take the instrumental even further and the two things that bounce off each other in a really fun way. It keeps me on my toes! [laughs]

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) This track in particular was completely produced by me. Although going forward there have been songs that have been written produced with my longtime heroes Nik Roos and Martijn van Sonderen of Noisia, which was an absolute honor I still can’t quite believe that it happened. My last release out my head was an example of this and my next single too

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Fox Stevenson performance?

 

A) In the same way that I am to combine dance music with pop punk and rock influences, I would like to take that for the live show I recently just finished a month-long retreat with two of my best friends (who are also my instrumentalists). within the last month. We have built and rehearsed an entire Fox Stevenson live set that will be a much more dynamic emotive experience than my playing is a DJ (which I still love to do and don’t plan on stopping!).

 

I find the differences between a live set and a DJ set very interesting because with the DJ said you’re able to react to the crowd and change it to suit the taste of the people you’re playing for, you can be anything to anyone if you’re able to read the room well. Whereas with live music you have to make something that’s a lot more revealing. If I’m going to be stood up on stage singing my songs it’s about the most exposed I can be as an artist, it’s an exciting new frontier, but also a scary one

 

Q) Will there be a full EP or album coming in the near future?

 

A) Yes, an album is coming. [smile]

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) Belgium and the Netherlands have always been an amazing hotbed of support for me, so playing there is always a lovely experience because I feel like I’m playing at home (even though I’m from the UK). Other shows that have been really special were ones in South Korea and Japan. Those were my first shows in Asia and I was a little apprehensive about them but the support there was incredible and completely unexpected, really awesome. [smiles]

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I would love to write a song or produce a song for or with Adam Duritz from Counting Crows, Aesop Rock would be another dream collaboration, Gorillaz, Beck and also Space Laces are all up there in the top of my list! All for very differing reasons.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

 

A) I recently took the time to listen to the last N.E.R.D. album (which was in 2017) and I absolutely love how different it is from everything else I’ve heard. the sort of punky youthfulness mixed with the obvious hip-hop influences along with the fast tempo that you’re not used to hearing with those sound sets really made my ears stand up and I’ve been listening to it a lot. Also, Gaz Coombes’ last album worlds strongest man is another favorite of mine at the moment.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) It’s important not to let yourself just stew creatively. I think followers are always the first to call you out when you’ve made a mistake, but equally so people who truly connect with your music or creative output are also often very open-minded to try new things. I think I’m very lucky that I definitely have a set of hardcore fans who will listen to what I do with fresh ears, even if what initially drew them to me isn’t present in that particular piece of music. It’s a delicate thing because it’s liberating to be believed in, but you can’t betray that trust. Social media is the first place for honest feedback. What you do with that feedback defines you.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) To anybody out there who follows and likes what I do, even by a small margin, I’m at a point where I’m starting to find what it is that makes me tick. And it’s not just dance music and it’s not just songwriting. It’s not just real instruments or Loud synthesized sounds. It’s a strange mixture of all of them and it’s going to vary from track to track. That doesn’t mean I’ve lost who I am and what I have always been. I’m just trying to find something new all the time and maybe that’s damaging to me but we all do things that damage us. I’d rather try and fail than just make the same track over and over.