Flux Pavilion is on the move touring Around the World in 80 Raves and caught up with Raver Rafting for an exclusive interview. The UK-native Joshua Steele is a legend in the dubstep scene, bringing us back with old favorites like “Gold Dust” and “I Can’t Stop”. Since creating Circus Records with Doctor P, Flux has taken a new direction of sound, bringing recent collabs with NGHTMRE and Snails. Last weekend, Flux kicked off his 80 Raves journey with a killer set at Echostage in Washington D.C. with Kayzo, G-Buck, Bortz, and Rucca.
We sat down with Flux before his set to peek into his mind on touring, his creative process, and the evolving dubstep scene.
So to begin with, it’s Day 3 of 80 Raves, how’s the tour so far?
It’s the strongest opening week I’ve ever had on tour. Every show has been really huge and mad. This is the most work I’ve put into a show before, like building the stage and the atmosphere. I always wanted to create a space where the show starts right when you walk into the venue and you start to see all the inflatables. It’s not about me on stage, it’s about the crowd being in the venue, together, having the experience of soaking it all up. And I feel like we’ve done it better this year than before.
You come from the UK music scene like Rampage Festival. What’s something you notice evolving in the US bass scene when you come back to the States?
It’s becoming more educated in a sense. This music’s been in the US for a long time, but for a lot of people, it’s really new and fresh. Whereas in the UK, with drum and bass and garage, it’s been around the culture for like 20 years, but it was quite new in the US like 5 years ago. Each year, the US is becoming more and more getting into the groove.
There are so many amazing American artists creating stuff that is completely brand new sounding. Sometimes, when there’s a scene that comes from somewhere, everyone in the world tries to emulate that. I feel like with dubstep, the sound is so fresh that everyone else who’s emulated it from around the world has transformed it into really interesting things. I feel like American artists have done a great job with that.
Herobust is a dude that makes music that I wish I thought of, and that’s really exciting to me. I don’t really care about music that’s #1 or gets loads of plays and money. The music that makes me jealous is music that I hear and wish I made. And Herobust is one of those guys that I’m just like, “What the fuck, I wish I made that music!” All those guys like DJ Snake are amazing, but I’m not jealous of them because they’re doing their thing, but with people like Herobust I’m just like, how did you come up with these ideas?
You helped pioneer a whole sound and movement of dubstep. What were monumental things that put it in motion and made it what it is?
The dubstep scene came from a place where anyone can get involved. Normally in dance music scenes, there’s a club scene with DJs who own the clubs and know each other, and it evolves from there. But with dubstep, it’s wild because anyone from anywhere can make it.
Doctor P and I are from a small town in the Midlands and I had never been to a club. I had been to one dubstep show and I knew nothing about it as a culture. The music spoke to me, and I just knew this was the music I wanted to write. And I feel like that was really special because it wasn’t about what was cool or trendy. When you first start to write dubstep, you aren’t trying to fit in. We all found this avenue where you can do the maddest shit as possible and it’s really fun.
Dubstep sort of evolved and it became really cool, and then everyone started writing it to fit in, and then it became uncool, which I think is the best thing that ever happened. And then people like Herobust come along, and he’s a dude who doesn’t really care about fitting in. Same with all of the guys on my record label as well, like Laxx and Kayzo. For these artists, it’s not about being cool and trendy, it’s just about writing dope music. I feel like we’re at an exciting time for bass music now because there are loads of people that don’t give a fuck anymore and just want to write good music. And that’s what I like because that’s what I’ve always been like.
You began writing music at 13, producing at 16, and made your first dubstep track “I Can’t Stop” at 19 as a freshman in college. What advice would you give to your younger self?
I’ve always known I wanted to write music since I was a little kid. For me, it was never something I discovered and thought, “Oh, I really want to do this.” I got into music at such an early age so it was something I had to do, really. So the question for me was, ‘How do I write music for the rest of my life?”
In terms of advice to give myself, it would be to trust my gut. I try to trust my own instincts as much as I can, but sometimes when everything is going crazy, it’s quite hard to hear your own voice. I’ve done a pretty good job staying myself, but if I had to give advice to anyone when they first start, it would be to do your thing.
If something comes along where you can get more money and be more famous, but that’s not your thing, then think about it. You don’t have to do it just because something’s gonna make you successful. If that’s what you want to do, be famous and get loads of money, do that, but if you want to write good music and be a good artist, to me that’s not a part of it. They’re two different things. If I write music and I get that other stuff afterward, then amazing, but if I don’t, then there’s nothing I can do about it.
Your new music “Pull the Trigger” and “Cut Me Out” is different from your older, defined sound like your Essentials Mix 2012. How do you explore and create music that feels like you?
It’s weird, I actively try to think about nothing. Because I find that the more I think, the less I feel. And the less I feel, the less feeling the music has. So, I try not to think too much about anything and make whatever I think is rad. And then, if it makes me feel good in the studio and I keep getting that feeling, then that’s what I want to release. It’s more about the feeling than the sound for me. That’s why my music always sounds different, but as long as it’s got the Flux Pavilion feeling to it, then it’ll always be Flux to me.
I noticed you close out with Gold Dust a lot and now it’s become a tradition. What does that song mean to you?
It’s funny, we were just talking about that last night. It’s one of those things that I’ve been closing with for so long, that now I don’t know if I can close it with another song because quite simply, it just works. Like I said before, I try not to think about things too much. Sometimes, I tried closing out with something else but it doesn’t feel the same. It doesn’t feel like the end of a Flux Pavilion set to me. If it works, and its the right time and place, I’m going to keep doing it.
What’s going on in Circus Sound Records with Doctor P?
The label started as a place where we can do whatever the fuck we want. Then, we started to discover that there are other artists who wanted that freedom too. Circus Records began as an idea. We weren’t sure what we wanted to do with it, but slowly as it became bigger, more artists were drawn towards us.
We wanted to create a place where the artist can do whatever they want, and the label is there to help them. The artist is not there to serve the label. If an artist wants to be experimental, then I want them to come to Circus to do that. But if they don’t want to, then that’s cool too. You can do whatever you want as long as you believe in the music that you do. We always get new artists who want to try to start new shit and it’s fun.
What’re your favorite British sweets from across the pond?
Crunchie bars are a pretty solid choice, but I like Kit Kat. One of my favorites is Ferrero Rocher. It’s like a hazelnut praline wrapped in a wafer, with hazelnut and chocolate on the outside in a ball. They market it as a luxury, so in ads, people are drinking champagne wearing tuxedos, but you can get it at the gas station. But the way they market it, it’s not a glorious luxury item and I think that’s funny.
If you had a spirit animal, what would you be?
Flux Pavilion is my spirit animal and I’m spending most of my life being that creature.
What bands did you listen to growing up and did you like rock music?
I grew up listening to primarily the Beatles, Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix. Basically quite creative and innovative stuff, but I wasn’t really into rock music as a thing, but more punk like The Clash and The Stranglers.
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