We feel as if this moment has been coming for a long time, but the time has finally arrived. It’s time we bring the people a full taste of one of the most versatile acts in electronic music, Massachusetts-native Shöckface. Coming with a truly unique blend of influences from so many corners of music including electronic, indie, pop, and R&B, Shöckface never disappoints. What makes the man in question stand out from the crowd of cross-over artists we see in electronic music today is his true integrity to his collaborative work. From ‘I’m afraid to be sober,’ the eclectic pop-infused collaboration with Lauren Martinez, to the R&B oriented ‘Shatter’ with mark veins and Bromar, Shöckface is always able to squeeze every last bit of creative juice out of a collaborative record while also showcasing the different musicality of each collaborator. With all this being said, we’re honored that Shöckface stopped by for an incredible guest mix and also answered some of our questions in the process.
First off, we’re so glad we could finally make this happen. Tell us a little bit about the mix, which direction did you take this one in?
First off on our end we wanted to give a huge thank you to FUXWITHIT for continuously supporting the project. I am beyond excited to share with everyone my first-ever guest mix. For this mix, I decided to spice it up with a little bit of everything I was feeling. The mix is the soundtrack to my brain. It contains influences from all the artists I love.
When I think of the Shöckface project, I think of a medley of sounds and genres with all different origins, but somehow find a way to perfectly blend themselves together into something special. This begs the question, what were your ventures in music before/outside of Shöckface? And did those past influences/experiences find their way into the Shöckface project in any way?
I view my musical style the same way I view my own soul. A kaleidoscope soul that sees through many different perspectives and thus perhaps having a fluctuating sense of identity. I got into music in 2008 from listening to bands like Fall Out Boy. My love for the unorthodox yet catchy elements of their music transitioned into me falling in love with creating music. Around 2013 I found passion with the big room sound and started creating big room music. Once I moved from Massachusetts to California in 2016 I discovered my love for indie electronic. On my upcoming project I took all the influences I accrued throughout my journey discovering myself as a human and with that discovering my sound for the first time in nearly over a decade.
We all started this purely off of the passion of creating and giving birth to something that we love.
With the pandemic in 2020, there are a few artists that were on the cusp of a breakthrough, and I feel you were no different. What’s some advice for young artists/producers who have been struggling with their projects since the start of COVID-19?
Funny enough during the beginning of 2020 I almost put the nail in the coffin to the Shöckface project. We live in a very uneasy world. At times it can be difficult to keep your dreams alive. My advice to young producers is the same advice I had to give to myself. Look 10 years into the future and look at where you see yourself, then come back to the present and visualize yourself already in the future. We must not forget the reason why we as music producers began creating in the first place. We all started this purely off of the passion of creating and giving birth to something that we love.
The present is a present. Living in the now… you have already won.
Now that we’re seeing some lineups being announced, shows coming back full swing in fall doesn’t seem that unrealistic. How do you plan on continuing the momentum from this past year? Does your approach change at all?
Over the past year, we released a bunch of singles. My past is what has built up to the present and the present is where you make things happen. The present is a present. Living in the now… you have already won. This year I am evolving. A new chapter in the story of Shöckface has begun. I am going to keep on doing what I am doing in the now which will act as the momentum that will carry me into the future with everything that I am working on.
Whenever you send me new music, I’m almost as excited to learn about your collaborators as I am to listen to the track! From pop singer/songwriter Lauren Martinez to Mark Viens, the multi-talented instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter hailing from Bosnia, the true variety of your collaborators is impressive. Tell us a little bit about why you enjoying collaborating with people predominately outside of electronic music?
I love to make music with my friends, who are the people that inspire me on a constant basis. They allow me to be the best version of Shöckface. Surrounding yourself with kings and queens will allow you to elevate into becoming a king or a queen. I enjoy breaking all the rules of genres and making music I fall in love with because of how different it sounds. I want to open portals in listeners’ minds to discover new forms of music through my unorthodox music creation.
Create something that would give you the chills if it had just popped up on your radar. I believe that feeling is the rawest truest expression that artists can give to listeners.
A common issue I see personally throughout electronic music nowadays is the misplaced belief that you need to fit within the confines of a genre to garner support on streaming services. You have found success whilst refusing to conform to the boundaries of genres, what’s some advice to aspiring producers who are trying to take the same approach?
One of the most important realizations as a music producer is that you have to be comfortable within your own creative skin. Your work is to discover your world and from there allow others to discover that world with you. My best advice would be to make yourself happy and comfortable with what you are making. Create something that would give you the chills if it had just popped up on your radar. I believe that feeling is the rawest truest expression that artists can give to listeners.
With the light at the tunnel finally being visible and finally being able to look past the pandemic, what do you hope to accomplish long term with the Shockface project?
When it’s all said and done I will go down as a crossover king. I say that in the most humble way possible because I believe in myself 1000%. My purpose is to inspire other producers and help them get rid of the mental block that tells them to conform for the sole purpose of conforming.
Thank you so much for stopping by! The floor is yours, feel free to touch on something I might have missed!
I just want to say thank you so much to Colin, Victor, Jon, and everyone else on the FUXWITHIT staff for the constant support. I plan to be a true champion of the underground for the rest of my career. FUXWITHIT has inspired me to become a true champion within my own mind. I hope my project is able to help other creatives do the same in the future. Remember happiness doesn’t depend on who you are or what you have, it depends solely on what you think. If you think of yourself as a champion, you are a champion, and thank you so much to the champions of the underground. I hope you guys enjoy the mix!
Tracklist
Stephen – Start A Fire (feat. In-Q)
Louis The Child – Little Things (sumthin sumthin Remix)
Chee – Get Hot (feat. Noclu) (G Jones Remix)
Shades & Ivy Lab – Sleaze
Shöckface & mark veins – Snakes
mark veins & Shöckface – Shatter (feat. Bromar)
mark veins & Bromar – Fake Love (Shöckface Inversion)
Shöckface & LIHO & Lauren Martinez – im afraid to be sober
Shöckface & MICA – ride or die (feat. Bromar)
Rome in Silver – With You
UZ – Fire (feat. SoloSam) (Shöckface Remix)
JID & J. Cole – Off Deez – (Jon Casey Flip)
Shöckface & mark veins – ID (feat. Hapaxan)
Ian Munro – Rush (feat. Still Haze) (Shöckface Inversion)
Slum Village – Fall In Love (Moody Good Remix)
