In our latest Artist Spotlight, we speak to renowned electronic music producer, The Anix about his music, and the creative process.
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How have your goals changed and developed over the last year?
Things have changed drastically. For one, I have taken on the project as a solo artist. This doesn’t change the way the music has been created over the last several albums, just streamlines the approach to developing this into one giant art project. I now have the full capacity to do everything entirely alone, from doing my own photoshoots using an app controlled Leica Q, designing merchandise and album art, promo graphics and social content, and of course full authority over the music writing and production. This allows me to generate new content more rapidly than ever before and to also adapt in real time to what my fans want more of.
What’s motivating you as an artist now, outside of music – think people, places and movies for example?
Music has never been the main influence to my creation process, its always been movies, graphics, fashion, architecture etc. Most recently its the combination of highly technical objects mixed with organic elements. To put this into perspective, think of an extremely angular, futuristic building with a mix of natural elements incorporated into the design to “soften” the look.
This approach is also used in automative design, movies such as “Blade Runner” and even footwear. I use this same approach with my songs by taking a very electronic tech heavy intro and verse parts, then balance it out with live acoustic drums and instruments in the chorus. I think this balance and play between synthetic and organic materials and parts is critical for keeping my listener engaged.
What would you say your biggest challenges as an artist are in 2018?
Being a musician in 2018 has very little to do with playing music. I am finding the majority of my time is being spent with creating the ecosystem around the brand as this is what is required and expected now. Attention spans are non-existent now. A song is only hot for a few days at most, so to fill in the gaps between releases you need to build a world for fans to believe in and want to be a part of.
How has the way you write changed over the years?
The way I write is really the only thing that has not changed over the years. It’s really been the same process for me since I first started recording on a toy Fisher Price recorder when I was nine years old. I start with a beat on a drum machine or a riff on a keyboard so I can play a bass note and a lead on top.
Once I get something going that keeps my interest, I start piecing the song together. I generally finish the music up to 90%, then start coming up with the vocal melody followed by the lyrics. Once the recording is complete, I go through a series of studio and car tests to finalise the mix, then start sending the song out to a few friends for feedback. it’s hard when you write and produce everything yourself because you are completely flying blind and have really no idea if the song is decent or not until you hear back from the few people you’ve shown it to!
What are your goals for the rest of the year?
Finish writing the remainder of the new album, really become engaged with my fans and understand what and why they listen to my music, work on an official video for one of the singles and potentially do a live streamed show. I have a few other plans as well, but they are top secret for now.
For more information visit:
Website: http://theanix.com
Facebook: https://facebook.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.
FiXT Store: https://fixtstore.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.
