Logan Anderson, best known to the world as Defunk, has been making (much larger) waves since his debut at Shambhala a couple years back. It coincided with my first year of attending the festival, and when we met up, there was a sense of first-timer’s wonder that we shared, as we sat on a couch and conversed the day after his inaugural set.
Fast-forward two years later, and we start catching up on how things have been since the last time we talked. One of the first things I bring up is how he’s not playing at his usual stage, the Fractal Forest; instead, this year he was scheduled to play at The Pagoda stage. He asks me if that’s one of the interview questions (SPOILER: it is), and he pacified my eagerness by saying he’ll answer it once we get into the interview.
As we sat at a well-placed round table, each with a cup of Kombucha, we started talking about everything under the sun, and I segued into the interview before we both ended up fully losing track, with the summer heat beating down on us.
How has it been, performing for the festival for the past couple of years?
It’s been pretty amazing, honestly. Every year just seems to get better and better. There’s always that anxiety and stress going into putting together the perfect set for Shambhala. I’ve watched and seen the fan base grow around this festival, and it’s also pretty amazing to see the rewards of being able to play around Canada. The quirks of having played the festival for a couple of years now helps pay off in terms of my other shows around this area. So, it’s been great.
What’s something you’re really proud of between when you started, and now?
Just dialing things in, I think. When I first played Shambhala, I was just feeling it out. I was trying out a style that I thought worked for the festival. Now, I feel a little more comfortable in terms of how to play, how to approach the set, making edits, and stuff like that—the actual approach to putting together what I’m gonna perform. Usually I try to take it a step above what I would play at a normal club show, and I try to make it fresh. I try to throw a lot of new stuff in there, and have it as the marker of where my music’s going for the next year. Everything follows this pinnacle of the summer, essentially.
You’re playing at the Pagoda instead of the Fractal Forest this year—why is that?
There’s a few reasons—the first and probably the most important is that I was approached by the Pagoda to perform. That was the only offer I received, so I took it very quickly. It’s a new experience for me, so it allowed me to take a new approach as to how I was going to perform the set, which I found interesting.
Another reason is that there’s a lot more room on the Pagoda—it’s catered more towards allowing live elements to happen. It’s a bigger spectacle stage, so you can just get those epic moments. In regards to the visual element of the stage, I’m very tied-in to the animators and the VJs that run some of the animations, so I get my own custom show. That’s a big opportunity for me to not only have the music side of the performance, but to have the full visual element of it as well—coming together from some of my best friends, who do very good work.
And lastly, like I said before, it’s the new opportunity—I like to push myself, and I like to try new things. So, it’s still going to very much be a Defunk set, it’s gonna have funk and blues and heavy music—except it’s an 11pm Pagoda headliner set. (Editor’s note: Defunk played around 4AM on the first night of the festival for the previous 2 years.)
I’m giving it my all, so it’s an opportunity for me to try something slightly new, which is very exciting for me. Also, it’s a REALLY kick-ass time-slot.
Part of the beauty of Shambhala is the vibe that they’ve created and managed for all these years.
What did you think of Shambhala 20 in particular, last year?
It was a very weird year. Just with the fires, really—that was the kicker. It changed the whole dynamic of the festival for me. I actually left on Saturday, since my girlfriend was not doing very well. She was having serious anxiety attacks because of the smoke, and the lack of proper oxygen was really tough for her. We ended up leaving on Saturday when they gave us the warning that the festival might be cancelled. Thus, we ended up missing 2 nights, which was unfortunate. Even with the lead-up to it, there was the knowledge that the fire was close to the festival. It put a lot of stress on a lot of people, and it was a different vibe from what I’m used to seeing at Shambhala, in my eight years being here. I thought that [my] set went well—I always try to zone in when I’m playing. It’s not like it was a bad year, it was… full of anxiety, and stress, I think.
Ooooh… tough one, tough one! I saw What So Not play a fantastic set at the Pagoda. Rezz was here… was it 2 years ago? So that was the same year, and that was a great set. I saw… Alix Perez that year as well, it was half-timey music at The Amphitheatre. That was really, really, really good. Ivy Lab was also a great set—I’ve waited forever to see them live, so Ivy Lab was great.
I usually bounce between stages and see a little bit here and there. I saw some of TroyBoi, which was fantastic. I think I caught both of his sets, actually. Drum ‘n’ bass has a big, big, BIG place in my heart, so I saw Andy C. The Village has awesome lineups all around, and those are some of the standout ones, for sure.
You’ve mentioned Shambhala as your favourite festival; if you magically gained control of the festival, what would you do differently?
Woooo! That’s a tough question! Honestly, I think they’re nailing it, especially this year. I don’t know if I would change anything. Part of the beauty of Shambhala is the vibe that they’ve created and managed for all these years. I think… maybe… I don’t even know! It’s pretty perfect, really. And every year, they seem to step it up even more so. The process of getting into the festival this year was great. It was nice and easy, so again, they’ve improved on that.
Maybe I would say, if anything, I would try to create an area for the artists that’s a little more shaded. There’s definitely a large area in the artists’ camping that is VERY, very bright, and very hot. For a lot of artists that fly in from around the world, it can be an overwhelming experience to fly in and then get the ride into this festival. Maybe you’ve never been here before, and to go through such conditions that are extremely hot is tough for some people, and I think that creating an element where they feel really comfortable, well-shaded and really taken care of—not that they aren’t now, but just a really nice area for them to chill in, and to stay cool, would be one of the things I would probably change.
I wanted to make music that I can play out and I was happy to go back to, with catchy vocal choruses that potentially stay in people’s heads for a while.
Last time, you referred to Stepping Out as, “a way to step outside of your comfort zone, and get to do you, as an artist again.” That said, how does your latest EP, Empire, relate?
You know, it’s actually quite similar in that description. Empire, for me, was an EP of songs that I felt would have a lot of replay value. I wanted to make them catchy and punchy—songs that I don’t just drop in and out of as a quick banger. I wanted to make music that I can play out and I was happy to go back to, with catchy vocal choruses that potentially stay in people’s heads for a while.
A lot of my previous works were sample-based. They would have some small vocal samples here and there, or there would be more and more instrumentals. But, I think for me, I wanted to make a very condensed, very action-packed little EP of music. It was in a sense, “Stepping Out” of my comfort zone again, and making music that I felt was just reflective of who I was at the time, and to try things that were new to me. It’s always been very important for me to push my own boundaries, and to keep changing. The idea of me making the same music over and over again—it’s not who I am. I wanna keep moving forward, and I like trying things out.
Would you say you have a particular favourite from the EP?
I do! ‘Can’t Buy Me’ is, stylistically, the most different from what I normally do. Tempo-wise, it’s a lot slower, it’s got a lot of interesting inspirations from trap & future bass, and there’s some elements of Big Gigantic in there, I guess you could say, with some of the piano and the horn lines. I felt that one in particular. For me, it was kind of a standout—it was different, and it was just satisfying to make.
And really, out of all the 4 songs, that [one] came together the quickest, which sometimes, is the sign of a killer track. The songs that come together like that are just meant to be, y’know? And the ones you spend a LOT of time finessing and refining… maybe they get lost in the shuffle. But personally, that’s one of my favourites, yet needless to say, I’ll be playing all of the new EP in my set this year.
What’s been a highlight of your spring/summer tour?
Well, I did a lot of touring this year, actually. I did a lot of touring with Russ Liquid, and with The Funk Hunters, so I was on several different tours throughout the winter, into the spring. And I got to travel and play in a lot of different cities I had not had the opportunity to play in. Everywhere from Omaha to Boston and New York, and down the East Coast; all the way through the Midwest, down to the South, through the West Coast: through Oregon, and Seattle, and Bellingham.
This year, playing shows was pretty liberating. Seeing my reach really grow in the U.S. quite a bit was pretty amazing. And then, I’ve been playing a lot in Canada this summer. So, it’s been a nice balance. I’ve been playing a lot of Canadian festivals, and keeping it very local, which is nice, because I love the crowds in Canada. You can play whatever you want—you can get away with playing essentially anything you want in Canada, and people dance to it. Whereas in the U.S., you really have to think about where you’re going to play. There are certain sounds that don’t go over very well, or they’re not used to them in that way.
Shambhala, obviously, is a highlight. I just came back from Electric Love in Vancouver, which actually blew me away! I hadn’t really heard about it until this year, and it was a well put-together festival. Astral Harvest was a great festival as well. I’ve got a festival in Ohio coming up, called Resonance, so I’m looking forward to that.
And on top of that, what else do you have planned for the near future?
I just actually switched over to a new booking agency, so I’m excited to see what comes out of it. We’re in the transition phase, and getting things rolling – looking at getting fall/winter tours lined up. So, so far, I can’t really speak too much about what I have coming up immediately, but we’re working on a bunch of things. I’ve got a bunch of new music that I haven’t released yet, that I’m gonna be working on, putting together into a little EP, or possibly singles and spreading it out over the course of the next four or five months. We’re also hoping for a nice tour placement – a support act would be great, to get back into some of these American cities. Hopefully a Canadian tour as well.
Bonus Question: Top sets you’re looking forward to this weekend?
Let me see here… I don’t have a schedule in front of me, BUT: Camo & Krooked, for sure. For drum n’ bass, they’re just so wicked! They’ve got their own style, and it’s very well-done. Who else… Rezz, I didn’t get to see her whole set last time, so I’m looking forward to actually seeing a whole Rezz set. And I think Kursa actually, who’s playing right before me—he’s a good friend of mine, and I really enjoy his music. So he’s gonna be a great one to watch, and a great performance—as well as KOAN Sound, who, of course, are my other really good friends. They are the same night as me, after Adventure Club, so that’s gonna be a great set to catch too.
Pictures courtesy of PicJer Photography; check out this year’s Shambhala experience through his album on Facebook!
