Discovering an undeniable talent for music at a young age, subduxtion started experimenting with music by learning how to play different instruments and playing in multiple bands during his early years. It is with his first experience listening to Techno that subduxtion gets deep into the Electronic music world, discovering he can also make use of the appealing futuristic elements genres like Techno provided to create his own music. Developing his own sound, which he describes as ‘Dark Step’, subduxtion has proved himself to be a producer on the rising following impressive releases that includes several singles, EP’s and remixes on renowned labels like Milligrid Records (US), Zero Signal Records (JP), High-Pressure Systems (UK) and I&W Music (US), while new music is in the works, we sat down with subduxtion to talk more about his background story and influences.
Who were your musical influences growing up?
Herbie Hancock, Depeche Mode, Prince, Public Enemy, Belgian New-Beat, Detroit Techno and Nine Inch Nails
Favourite childhood artist?
Queen! To this day I’m still a huge, HUGE Queen fan. I had everything by them along with all the available merchandise. Even had a 12” x 12” ‘News of the World’ album cover mirror. (LOL)
What was the first song you can remember that sparked your interest in music?
Herbie Hancock – Rockit. The first time I heard the song was actually on a Saturday morning video show. That video/song was so new and inspiring that I immediately went out and bought it. It was the first time I heard something that I thought was revolutionary. That track really solidified the idea that I wanted to make music.
How long have you been producing for?
About ten years now. Before subduxtion I had a few other aliases that I produced music as. Prior to deciding that I was going to produce and function as a solo artist I played in a lot of bands. I played everything: Punk, R&B, Electro-Industrial, Metal and Electronic.
Is there a message you’d give to your younger self considering what you know now?
The biggest message would be to learn more about music technology. I think I would’ve greatly benefitted from learning to code. With open-source, JUCE, AudioKit and Linux you can not only customize how your hardware and software work but you can create your own software applications. While I have learned to code on a rudimentary level, I really wish I had gotten into it sooner.
What is the name of the first track you ever produced?
A track called ‘Disrupting the Ghost’. That track was produced under the alias FluiD and was the first track I produced when I moved to Chicago. It was definitely the first track I produced where I thought I had come up with something unique and truly my own.
How far have you come since producing that first track and what have you achieved?
I’ve greatly exceeded my expectations from the time of that first production. I’ve been able to tour, meet some of my musical heroes, not to mention release more music on an ever-growing number of labels. I’ve had my music used in films and as part of audio-visual art installations. It’s been a pretty good journey!
What did you want to be before you started producing music?
A music-business lawyer. As someone who lived and breathed music I wanted to be connected to the industry in some way. To this day I still spend a lot of time trying to educate myself on the business of music. Every artist/producer should learn as much as they can about the business that they are in. Arming yourself with knowledge will go a long way towards making sure you’re getting everything that you’re entitled to. The business is complicated so the more you know the better off you are.
Who taught you how to produce music?
I’m pretty much self-taught. I learned a lot from magazines, books and of course YouTube. It’s been a lot of trial and error.
Finally, if you could start all over again knowing what you know now, would you do it?
Absolutely, even with all the ups and downs I would still do it. Playing and producing music has allowed me to travel the world, see some amazing things and meet some of the most inspiring and interesting people. Without music none of those things would’ve ever happened.
Follow Subduxtion:
Soundcloud / Spotify / Instagram / Beatport
