Based out of Western Australia, AXEN has quickly developed into one of the most diverse producers from the modern era. While the accomplished Perth-native has formerly been known for composing monstrous torrents of energy, in a style that he’s personally coined ‘Droid Bass,’ his most recent Circus Records album release depicts an equivalent proficiency working with more impassioned soundscapes and vocal-heavy melodies that he can alternate between with ease.
As he continues to broaden the range of his production capability, we expect to see a prolonged diversity in sound that extends cohesively from release to live set. It was an honor to catch up with AXEN directly following his November 16th show at Amplifier Capitol, be sure to check out the full interview and live set below!
How might you compare or contrast the popularity of dubstep in Australia to other major markets such as the UK or the United States?
Australia’s dubstep scene varies from each city, I think Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth have the biggest scenes for bass music – Perth I’d say is the strongest when it comes to underground dubstep. In comparison to other markets I’d say Australia tends to favour the more so aggressive and underground styles of dubstep such as riddim and briddim, rather than the melodic and contemporary ones. I also feel as though because Australia’s touring circuit is so small compared to America, that we miss out on a lot of acts that would usually have the chance to bring their sound that could potentially change what the demographic listens.
I’ve always been obsessed with robots ever since I was a kid…
What initially gave you the inspiration for the droid or robotic-themed profile that has grown to become such a large component of the AXEN brand?
I’ve always been obsessed with robots ever since I was a kid, I’m not sure where it exactly started as cliche as it sounds, most likely was my love of the Transformers cartoons I used to watch as a kid. Back when I first started producing I even then had a logo with robot aesthetics, although the theme wasn’t as prominent as it is now. I get inspired by a lot of robot-related creative work whether that’s movies, anime or video games, which is what I write my music around the feeling I get from these forms of art. I just want to show the rest of the world the stories I try to convey with my music and get them to feel the same way I do about them
With the ability to compose vibrant, vocal-heavy soundscapes, captivating drumstep tempos, and violent dubstep basslines interchangeably, how do you manage to progress in each area, while also catering to the many other facets of producing or performing?
I just want to be the best producer I can be, and cater to as many different audiences because the stories I tell with my music doesn’t have any boundaries, as I might use a different style to convey them differently each time. That being said, I myself get bored very easily too and I know from the many years of partying and going to shows what works for a dance floor and what doesn’t. People’s attention spans are very short now days when it comes to bass music, generally it’s within the first 10 – 20 seconds where people go hard and then after that they are back to waiting for the next drop to happen, that’s why I try to mix so many different genres/styles and bpms in a set to keep things interesting and engaging. After doing this many years as a local DJ I realised it made no sense for me to be playing out all these styles yet only be producing one singular thing, so I did what I always wanted to do and started to branch out. It’s been difficult covering melodic but also heavy sides of music but its overall made me into a better music producer and I encourage everyone to give it a shot.
In what ways has your style matured since the debut of your predominant collaboration with ORIENTAL CRAVINGS and in what ways have you remained the same?
I’ve had a few releases prior to this but this was definitely when I started to branch out into heavier music, I was good friends with the OC guys and teamed up on the track for fun even though our styles were nothing alike. I was going in the right direction but at the time I didn’t really know what I was doing, was a year or so later when I started to find my sound and the vibe behind the brand.
I’m very ready now to spend a few months just writing some new stories about the AXEN brand and releasing some extensive visuals to go with them.
You’ve thoroughly demonstrated the ability to work equivocally with fellow producers or vocalists as in solo efforts. Do you have a preference between working alone versus in a collaboration or do you feel there is a comfortable balance that can be achieved between the two?
Generally, when I’m working on a collab I end up writing the majority of the track just because I have a specific way I want the track to be perceived, it has to have a certain vibe/aura to it, I guess it’s just my sound. What I enjoy about collaborations is the fact that someone can send me a good idea and I can finish the track in a day or two, whilst when I’m doing solo work I tend to spend so much more time on it because I’m so hard on myself on ensuring its the best it can be, which is when you start to second guess yourself. At the moment I’ve enjoyed collabs but I’m very ready now to spend a few months just writing some new stories about the AXEN brand and releasing some extensive visuals to go with them.
my creative work comes out a lot easier when I know it’s all part of the same universe
While many artists choose to delineate a new project or batch of concepts by a new album or EP, you’ve instead chosen to break up the scope of the larger Droid Bass expedition into a two-part saga. How might this arrangement be more beneficial for you as an artist than trying to fully polish/complete projects within a specific timeframe?
I carried on the name of Droid Bass because the stories I wrote for part 2 felt like a continuation to me in terms of the sound and vibe. The way I see it beneficial is that I’m just writing towards a larger all-encompassing goal of trying to bring my universe to life – whether that’s through my music, visuals, artwork or even the names of the tracks. This way my creative work comes out a lot easier when I know it’s all part of the same universe and who knows maybe there will be more EPs following the same branding.
You’ve chosen to preface the inspiration for the release of Droid Bass Vol. 2 as “emotional stories in robot-themed series.” How might this depiction compare or contrast to your intention with the heavier, more chaotic sounds in the first installment?
I think Droid Bass Vol. 1 wasn’t too far off from where Vol. 2 is in terms of the vibe, they are all still very aggressive tracks whether they are melodic or not. The main difference is that the first EP was a bit darker in terms of the vibe and a lot less emotional.
How do you plan to continue to shape and refine this new direction in the coming year?
I’m going to be continuing to do what I have been doing and pushing my sound across a wide variety of different styles and sounds and further develop the AXEN narrative so then more people can understand what I’m creating.
To what extent are the tracklists and transitions of your live sets premeditated versus reading the crowd and situation and playing tracks more off-the-cuff?
It varies, I come to each show with a bunch of different playlists each is for different directions I could take the show into at any time. So for example, if I was playing after a local act that decides to try and outplay the headliner by playing too heavy right before I go on. (instead of easing into the set with ups and downs) I would start off with a bunch of drum n bass to completely blow people’s expectations of what was to come from my set instead of playing it in the midway point of the set. If a night isn’t built up in the correct way by each performer than it can kill the vibe and ruin the entire dynamic before the headliner even comes on.
I always do a mix the same way I would for a show, I think it would be misleading to be having a crazy amount of pre-made double drops in Ableton and insane transitions when you can’t back it up live at your show
How might you have approached this set differently if the mix was put together independently of a live show?
Probably the same to be honest, especially considering the mic at the event wasn’t working so I wasn’t able to engage with the crowd at all, I always do a mix the same way I would for a show, I think it would be misleading to be having a crazy amount of pre-made double drops in Ableton and insane transitions when you can’t back it up live at your show, I know a lot of artists do that and it’s cool because you can do things you can’t usually do live but it’s just not what I’m about.
Tracklist:
Virtual Riot – Pray For Riddim
AXEN x WRAITH – VERMIN
SVDDEN DEATH – Castles (MUST DIE! Remix)
ARMNHMR – So Long My Friend (AXEN Remix)
Badklaat & Kompany – Purge
Effin – Dirty Laundry
RL Grime – Era (Eptic Remix)
Kompany – Justice
Flosstradamus ft lil jon – Prison Riot vs Badklaat – Knuckle Sandwich
Joyryde & Freddie Gibbs – DAMN
Spag Heddy – Zoom (TRVCY Remix)
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody x Kompany – Firewall
Krimer – Facebreaker
Knife Party – Centipede (TYNAN & KRILLA Flip)
Badklaat – Campers
Barely Alive – Wompum
TRVCY – Gatekeeper
Flux Pavilion & NGHTMRE – Feel Your Love (AXEN Remix) x Hekler & Gladez – 404
Marauder – Death Pit
AXEN x Killionaire – ID
Like A Warrior (Hardy Edit)
Macky Gee – Tour
RL Grime – Valhalla (REAPER REMIX)
TNGHT – Higher Ground (REAPER REMIX)
REAPER – Sick Flow
TC – Tap Ho
Carbin X Trilla – Stax
SAMPLIFIRE X MVRDA – MAMBO N RIDDIM
K-NINE & Carbin – Grill Kill X Trampa – Freakshow
AXEN x WRAITH – ID
Barely Alive – Odyssey
Phaseone – State Of Emergency
Aweminus 0 Self Destruct
Virtual Riot – Chop Chop x LAXX – Step Four
Boss (feat. Cody Ray) x G Shit feat. Sam King (Badklaat Remix)
CORE vs Rumble (AXEN EDIT)
Phaseone – Slaughter Them All
Franky Nuts – Jump Up
Boombox Cartel Supernatural x Calcium – Dragon Punch
Lil jon & Skellism – Moshpit x Marauder – Casket
Boombox Cartel – jefe VIP Vs Trampa – Runners
Space Laces – DAW (Jon Casey Flip)
LUX – Fate
Effin – Cabbage
Nasko – Savages
AXEN x Heimanu – Timeworth ft Lenday
